2024-25 Pre-Kindergarten Program Letter
About Our Pre-K Programs
To be eligible for our Pre-K programs, your child must be 4 years old or will be 4 years old on or before December 1st of the current calendar year. You must also live in the Hudson City School District. Please note that no transportation is provided for these programs.
UPK (Universal Pre-Kindergarten) is a full day program open to students who reside in the Hudson City School District and are currently 4 years old or will be 4 years old by December 1st of the current calendar year. These classrooms are in the new primary wing at Montgomery C. Smith Elementary School and staffed by district employees.
TPK (Targeted Pre-Kindergarten) is an income-based full day program open to students who reside in the Hudson City School District and are currently 4 years old or will be 4 years old by December 1st of the current calendar year. The classroom is in the new primary wing at Montgomery C. Smith Elementary School and it is staffed by Questar III BOCES employees.
Key Dates
- March 5 through May 3: Applications will be accepted.
- May 6: Lottery drawing, if the number of applications exceeds the slots available.
- May 10: Parents will be notified regarding a child’s placement or addition to the waiting list by phone or mail. This will include notification about next steps, including navigating the registration process.
- May 31: Deadline for parents to notify the district of their intent to accept the slot by emailing registration@hudsoncsd.org.
Pre-Kindergarten Registration Forms
If you are registering your child for Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) or Targeted Pre-Kindergarten (TPK), please print and complete the following forms and return them to the Registration Office in person, by mail, or by email (paper registration forms are available in the Registration Office; see contact information below):
Additional documentation required:
- Health physical (must be within one year of completion)
- Current immunization record
- Parent/guardian photo identification
- Proof of residency within the HCSD
- Proof of student’s age
We will begin accepting completed applications on Tuesday, March 5, 2023 at 8:00am. until May 3, 2024.
Lottery Procedures
Due to updates in New York State regulations, pre-kindergarten registration can no longer be a first-come, first-served basis. As a result, a lottery will be used to select eligible children. If there are sufficient pre-kindergarten slots to serve all applicants, the lottery will not be held and all completed applications will be offered a pre-kindergarten spot.
Complete applications submitted by May 3 are assigned a number in the order received by the district. This tracks the applications submitted; it does not suggest that the child automatically has a spot. WE WILL ACCEPT FULLY COMPLETED REGISTRATION PACKETS ONLY (i.e., the registration form and supporting documents above). If the forms are incomplete or documents are missing, the application will be returned. Partially completed applications will not reserve a spot in the program.
The numbers are then entered into the blind drawing conducted by the Hudson City School District’s Registrar and Director of Student Services. Numbers are drawn until all applications are accepted or waitlisted. If one sibling is drawn during the lottery, any other siblings are automatically accepted pending availability.
Hudson City School District policy allows district employees’ children living outside the district to enroll in Hudson. However, for pre-kindergarten programs, children residing in the school district will be placed before non-resident children are considered, regardless of the date of the submitted packet.
Contact Information
Please return completed forms and supporting documentation to:
Hudson City School District Administrative Offices
ATTN: Registrar
215 Harry Howard Ave
Hudson, NY 12534
To make alternate arrangements, contact the Registrar at 518-828-4360 (ext. 2100) or sotoa@hudsoncsd.org.
The Hudson City School District is excited to continue it’s expanded Pre-Kindergarten programs for the 2024 – 2025 school year because of continued funding from New York State to support Universal Pre-K (UPK) for four-year-old children.