Why Few Charter Schools Are Offering Universal Pre-Kindergarten

New York City Deputy Mayor Richard Buery said that while he hopes the charter school sector plays a larger role in the administration’s universal pre-kindergarten program, relatively few have applied so far because UPK does not “meet with their current plans.”

Charter schools, which are privately-run public schools, did not get word that they would be eligible for city pre-kindergarten funding until spring of last year, when the state earmarked $300 million for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s signature initiative of free, full-day pre-kindergarten for all New Yorkers. The tight timeline likely limited the number of charters that applied.

This year, Buery said he believed charters were applying in lower numbers because they had already committed to organization-wide plans that focused on other initiatives, such as adding schools or working on curricula.

Some figures in the charter sector, however, said that one issue is whether they would even have access to space in traditional public schools for pre-kindergarten classes.

Buery said at City & State's State of Our City event on Tuesday that he envisions charter schools eventually playing a larger role in universal pre-kindergarten.  

“We did have a number of charters apply, and of course we have a number of charters participating this year—not as much as I would like,” said Buery, whose role as deputy mayor for strategic policy initiatives includes overseeing the launch of pre-kindergarten and community schools. “The feedback that I get from charter providers … is that they absolutely do intend to apply for pre-kindergarten down the road, but for whatever reason pre-kindergarten does not meet with their current plans.”

The city Department of Education entered into six contracts out of the ten charter school applicants last year. The department did not disclose how many charter schools have applied for the fall of 2015.

The Success Academy Charter Schools, whose founder and CEO Eva Moskowitz has clashed with de Blasio over space in district schools, is applying to provide pre-kindergarten at three schools, according to Ann Powell, its senior managing director of public affairs.

Powell said Success Academy has space in its Harlem 1 school for pre-kindergarten, but would need room in district schools to offer the early education at its Cobble Hill and Williamsburg schools, which are co-located on traditional school campuses.

She said the city has not agreed to help Success Academy find space for any future UPK programs.Powell said if district space is sought, it is unclear how that would proceed or whether it would go to the city Panel for Educational Policy for a vote, as most major school utilization change proposals do.

“For us space is a very important consideration,” Powell said. Without it, she said, “It wouldn’t be feasible, academically speaking, from an educational point of view, from a financial point of view.”

PAVE Academy Charter School, which operates a kindergarten through eighth grade school in Red Hook, is applying to run a pre-kindergarten program so it can give preference to those graduating from pre-pave, a non-profit pre-kindergarten program it partners with, according to its chief operating and financial officer Cooper Westendarp.

PAVE plans to expand its kindergarten-to-seventh grade program through eighth grade next year, which Westendarp said means its ability to offer pre-kindergarten hinges on having access to space in a city facility.

He, too, said the city seemed to be doing its best to accommodate PAVE.

The DOE did not immediately respond when asked whether the Panel for Educational Policy will have a say on arrangements with charters that need district school space to offer pre-kindergarten.