Thank you for your interest in the Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) program through the Orchard Park Central School District.  Registration for the 2024-2025 UPK school year is available at this time.   If there are more UPK registrants than placements, the district will hold a computerized random selection process (i.e. drawing names randomly in a lottery format) to assign UPK placement sites.   The date of the lottery has yet to be determined.  Historically, the lottery is held in March.  All students who are completely registered for the UPK program by the announced lottery date will be eligible to participate in the lottery.  

This lottery will assign UPK placements to students based on preferred site choices. 

The results of the lottery will be posted on the parent portal after the lottery is completed.  If you complete registration after the lottery takes place and there are no UPK placements available at that time, you can be placed on the waiting list for a UPK placement should one become available in the future.  

Registration for UPK is completed online.   Proof of Residency is required, please see the "Documentation Needed to Register" page for ALL of the specific documents needed. 

To begin the registration process, please click the link below.

1. Click here to begin the online registration process.
2. We will contact you via email with further directions on how to proceed.

Central Registrar email:   registrar@opschools.org

Central Registrar Address:
Orchard Park Central School District
2240 Southwestern Blvd.
West Seneca, NY 14224

Registration questions can be directed to the Central Registrar at (716) 209-6325 or registrar@opschools.org

About UPK

• The UPK program is limited to children who will be four years old on or by December 1st of the year when they start the program.  To qualify for UPK during the 2024-2025 school year, the child's birthday must fall between December 2, 2019 and December 1, 2020.  A child who is age-eligible to attend kindergarten is NOT eligible for the UPK program. If you have elected to keep your child home for an extra year rather than enroll in school when eligible, he/she is not eligible for the UPK program.  Unfortunately, exceptions can not be made.  
• The Orchard Park Central School District partners with local pre-school providers for this program.  UPK sites for the 2023-2024 school year are as follows: BrightPath, Eggert Elementary, Ellicott Elementary, Smarty Pants Childcare, South Davis Elementary, Southtowns YMCA, and Windom Elementary.   Sites for the 2024-2025 school year have not been finalized yet.    
• For the 2024-2025 school year, we will offer a full-day UPK program.  The program is offered 5.5 hours a day, Monday - Friday.  Times have not been determined for the 2024-2025 school year.  During 2023-2024, the full-day program is being held from 8:30 am - 2:00 pm.  
• Some local pre-school providers may offer before/after school childcare for an additional fee.  Registering for the UPK program does not guarantee you wrap around care.  You have to register and submit payment directly with the wrap care provider once you have obtained a UPK placement.  There is NO before/after school care available at the district elementary schools.    
• The program will follow the school district calendar, with an anticipated 180 days of student attendance.   
• There is limited availability for the program based on grant-funding.  The district will hold a computerized random selection process (i.e. drawing names randomly in a lottery format) to assign UPK placements to students.  
• Families of multiples will have one application per family for the Orchard Park UPK program. If a family of multiples is drawn during the lottery, all children will be offered a UPK slot, except in the following case: The family of multiples is drawn when there are not enough remaining slots available for all eligible children.  In such situations, the family will have the opportunity to accept or decline the UPK slot. The remaining multiple(s) will be placed on the wait list for the next available UPK slot. It is understood that "first available" does not mean that multiples will be offered UPK slots at the same site.

Should you have any questions about the UPK program, please call Amy Woodward at (716) 209-6440 or email awoodward@opschools.org. Also, please feel click here to review our Frequently Asked Questions.