UPDATE: Tentative UPK placement calls are expected by Monday, April 20, 2026, or shortly thereafter, due to delays in passing the New York State Budget. Update as of April 15, 2026
Universal Pre-K Lottery Update as of April 8, 2026
Dear Families,
Thank you for your continued patience as we prepare for the upcoming Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) school year. We are as excited as you are to begin welcoming our newest students!
Because our program funding each year is partially contingent upon the finalization of the New York State budget, we have adjusted our notification timeline to ensure we have the most accurate information. While we initially planned to begin lottery phone calls on April 3, we now anticipate starting these calls on April 14, pending state budget confirmation.
We remain committed to keeping you informed and will post a follow-up announcement on this website the moment the phone call process begins, so you will know when to expect us to reach out.
Thank you for your understanding.
West Genesee partners with local Community-Based Organizations (CBO) for its Pre-K program.
To be eligible for UPK during the 2026-2027 school year, a child must:
Turn the age of 4 on or before December 1, 2026
Reside in the West Genesee Central School District
Registration will open on March 5, 2026. In the event that more registrations are received than can be accommodated, the District will conduct an initial selection process via an open lottery in which children will be selected at random.
Those children who have completed the registration process by 3:00 p.m. on April 2,2026 will be part of the initial selection process.
Families who were part of the initial selection process will be called in order of selection and informed:
whether their child has been accepted to the program, and
which site (including hours of the program) is available for their child;
OR
where their child is on the waiting list.
Families will be tentatively contacted by April 2-3, 2026. UPDATE: The UPK selection phone calls will be delayed until on or about April 10, 2026. This delay is due to the pending finalization of the state budget.
If at any point after the initial selection process there are more students registered than seats available, students will be placed on the waiting list in the order that their registration was completed.
Transportation to and from the program is the responsibility of parents/guardians, and students must attend the program five days a week to maintain their seat.
Look for registration information on the Central Registration webpage at:https://www.westgenesee.org/district-services/registration/. If you have any questions, email the Central Registrar atcentralregistrar@westgenesee.org, or call Central Registration at (315) 487-4683.
When registering, parents should be prepared to upload the following:
proof of residency (ie. mortgage or property statement or signed lease agreement)
proof of age