Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program

Sweet Home Universal Pre-Kindergarten Program (UPK)

Our Vision

The Sweet Home UPK way builds a foundation for children, in partnership with families, to grow through exploration, creativity, and play in a nurturing, caring, flexible, and child-based environment that educates and enriches the whole child for lifelong learning.

Overview

Sweet Home currently offers nine, full-day Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) classrooms at the following locations:

Glendale Elementary (two classrooms)
Heritage Heights Elementary (two classrooms)
Willow Ridge Elementary (one classroom)
Four Seasons- St. Leo Campus (four classrooms)

Every attempt is made to place students in their neighborhood elementary school. However, due to space issues and unknown enrollment projections, students may need to be transported to another site. Maplemere neighborhood students currently attend the UPK program at Four Seasons.

Note: At this time, all classrooms for the 2022-23 school year are full. Families interested in UPK for the 2023-24 school year should contact Central Registration at (716) 250-1600.

Length of Day

Sweet Home provides a 6-hour, full-day early childhood experience. At our elementary schools, the day begins at 8:30 and ends at 2:40 pm. At Four Season St. Leo’s Campus, the day begins at 9:15 am and ends at 3:30 pm (program times may be adjusted to accommodate transportation to and from the program). While parents can drive their children to and from the program, all 4-year-old children are provided bus transportation as needed. Note: 3-year-old children must be transported by a parent or family member.

Class Size and Daily Schedule

All UPK classrooms offer a maximum class size of no more than 18 students, with one certified teacher and one paraprofessional.

The daily schedule allows for a balance of intentionally-planned active and quiet play; gross motor activities (indoor and outdoor); and individual and small group activities. The schedule will include routines, activities, and experiences that support the NYS Pre-Kindergarten Standards. Purposeful play and other active learning activities will emphasize:

Social and Emotional Development
Physical Development
Communication
Language and Literacy, and
Early Mathematical Concepts and Skills Development

While each classroom has its own unique schedule, a typical schedule will include:

Arrival, Breakfast, Independent Tasks & Question of the Day

Morning Meeting & Calendar

Shared Reading

*Learning Centers

Instructional: Reading, Writing, Math, Phonics/Word Work, Science

Independent: Rereading, Listening, Library, Letters & Words, Math

Share

Lunch

Recess

Rest/Nap

Read Aloud

*Play Centers

(dramatic, fine motor, sensory, blocks, craft, games, science, etc.)

Closing Meeting

Pack Up

*Learning and play centers foster independence and purposeful learning, supporting NYS standards.

Curriculum Resources

All UPK Classrooms have a similar core curriculum focus and have access to a variety of resources.

With support from materials from the Fountas and Pinnell Pre-K Classroom Curriculum, structures to support language and literacy development in classrooms at all locations include:

Question of the Day
Shared Reading
Centers - Learning & Play
Writing
Math
Word Study
Science & Social Studies
Instructional Share

Anchored by the Building Blocks Pre-K math program, our priorities for early mathematics include:

Discerning numbers versus letters
1:1 counting
Concept of counting and how many.
Numbers can represent a quantity.
Vocabulary, spatial awareness, concepts.
Subitizing up to 5.
Shapes, colors, patterns
Number writing/formation using fine motor activities

Registration for the 2023-24 School Year

While there may be a limit to how many UPK slots we can offer, any child who will be 4 years old before December 1st can be considered for UPK. For the 2023-24 school year, registration packets will be sent from the District Office during the first week of February. Any family interested in our UPK program should contact Sweet Home's Central Registration Office by phone: (716) 250-1600 or email: registration@sweethomeschools.org.

Documents required to complete registration:

Two Proofs of Residency are required- Current Lease in parent/guardian’s name, notarized landlord statement or mortgage statement, current utility bill
Custody or guardianship papers (must be legal documents from the courts)
Photo Identification or registering parent/guardian (driver’s license, passport)
Proof of age for the student (birth certificate, baptismal certificate, passport, government-issued card)
Immunization Record (must be provided by a physician’s office)

UPK Registration will remain open until all the classroom spots have been assigned. Every attempt is made to place students in their neighborhood elementary school. However, due to space issues and unknown enrollment projections, students may need to be transported to another site. IMPORTANT: Maplemere neighborhood students currently attend the UPK program at Four Seasons.

Screening

Screening for the 2023-24 school year will initially occur in March 2023 at the Sweet Home District Office located at 1901 Sweet Home Road. Any student registering after March will be screened during the Fall.

Note: All UPK students will be screened using the Brigance Early Childhood Screen III. The purpose of this screening is to begin to understand a child’s development and assess the school readiness and mastery of early development and academic skills. This screening also helps us to identify children that may need monitoring, future assessment, and then possible early intervention if they appear to be experiencing developmental delays. As screening, parents are also asked to complete the Ages and Stage (ASQ2) online questionnaire. This tool helps to identify young children at risk for social-emotional delays, as well as identify and respond to parent concerns early, so a child’s behaviors don’t become barriers to healthy relationships.

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