Prekindergarten: PreKindergarten Programs | Childcare.gov

Prekindergarten Definition & Meaning – Merriam-Webster

pre·​kin·​der·​gar·​ten

(ˈ)prē-ˈkin-dər-ˌgär-tᵊn 

-ˈkin-də-,

-dᵊn

often attributive

1

: nursery school

2

: a class or program preceding kindergarten for children usually from three to four years old

Synonyms

• crèche
• day nursery
• nursery
• nursery school
• pre-K
• preschool

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Example Sentences

a single father with two children in prekindergarten

Recent Examples on the Web

Other changes the board approved include the creation of new specialized licenses for those who teach students with moderate and severe disabilities in prekindergarten through second grade.

—Adria Watson, BostonGlobe.com, 27 June 2023

The legislation prohibits instruction on human sexuality in prekindergarten through third grade, although teachers unions said at the time that it’s not taught in those grades.

—The Indianapolis Star, 9 June 2023

Under his three-year tenure, the district expanded specialized schools and prekindergarten programs, increased funding for struggling campuses and changed the way the district conducted teacher and principal evaluations.

—Hojun Choi, Dallas News, 13 May 2023

But as the state expands what is expected to become the largest universal prekindergarten program in the country, schools struggle to recruit and accommodate young learners.

—Silvia Razgova, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2023

The reading list introduced several new books for students in prekindergarten to eighth grade that feature LGBTQ characters as part of the school system’s English language arts curriculum.

—Nicole Asbury, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2023

His ideas go beyond roads and bridges and include delivering dental, vision and hearing care for seniors; providing free prekindergarten; undertaking major efforts to tackle climate change; and making other investments that would touch American lives.

—Compiled Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2021

Meanwhile, a debate continues in Congress over what will make it into President JoeBiden’s $3.5 trillion budget for the 2022 fiscal year— including over proposals for free prekindergarten and a permanent expansion to the Child Tax Credit, which would slash child poverty by 40%.

—Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA TODAY, 18 Sep. 2021

The plan, which is included in the social spending package that recently passed the House and is now before the Senate, would provide $110 billion in federal funding for states to offer free prekindergarten for millions of 3- and 4-year-olds across the United States.

—Yeganeh Torbati and Jeff Stein, Anchorage Daily News, 30 Nov. 2021

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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘prekindergarten.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of prekindergarten was
in 1902

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near

prekindergarten

preke

prekindergarten

preknow

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Cite this Entry

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“Prekindergarten. ” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prekindergarten. Accessed 24 Jul. 2023.

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Last Updated:
14 Jul 2023
– Updated example sentences

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Universal Prekindergarten: Act 166 | Agency of Education

Welcome! The Act 166 Universal Prekindergarten Education (UPK) webpage is for prekindergarten education programs and the families of prekindergarten students. It contains information needed to operate, apply or access UPK in Vermont.

What is Act 166?

Act 166 of 2014 provides access to publicly-funded prekindergarten education for Vermont students. All prekindergarten education programs, including Head Start and public school-operated programs, must meet specific requirements to operate in Vermont. The State Board of Vermont created administrative rules to guide Act 166 implementation by the Agency of Education and the Agency of Human Services.

What is High-Quality, Effective Prekindergarten Education?

What defines Vermont Universal Prekindergarten Education is the implementation of high-quality, effective instruction by licensed educators who use evidence-based practices within intentionally designed early learning environments. Early educators align curriculum with the Vermont Early Learning Standards while adapting experiences to support the full participation of each and every child to realize their full potential and promote successful outcomes.

Act 11 PreK Study Report (July 1, 2019)

In the spring of 2018, the VT Legislature enacted Act 11 mandating a PreK study and final report be submitted to the House Committees on Education and on Human Services and the Senate Committees on Education and on Health and Welfare by July 1, 2019.

The purpose of the PreK study, as dictated by Act 11, section E.500.7, is to provide Vermont with information regarding how to more effectively and efficiently provide PreK education.

View Act 11 PreK Study Report online.

Recent Guidance and News

Here you will find the most recent guidance, memos, news and updates regarding Universal Prekindergarten. For real time updates, sign up for the prekindergarten listserv by emailing [email protected]. For Agency of Education-specific updates be sure to sign up for the Weekly Field Memo.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (hereinafter referred to as “Section 504”) is a federal civil rights law that says no qualified handicapped person shall, on the basis of their handicap, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity that receives federal financial assistance.  The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has created a number of resources, including a Parent and Educator Resource Guide to Section 504 in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools. Other resources are available on the US Department of Education Disability Discrimination website.  

New Resource Spring 2022: Early Learning

New Requirement: Ban on suspension and expulsion of children under 8

Memo: New Requirement – Ban on Suspension and Expulsion of Students Under Age Eight Enrolled in Prequalified Private UPK Programs

UPK Memo: Allowable Use of Publicly-Funded Prekindergarten Education Dollars (February 2020)

UPK Memo: Prekindergarten Eligibility (May 2019)

UPK Guidance: Additional Costs (March 2019)

UPK Guidance: Contract Administration and Licensed Educators (February 2019)

Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Eligibility and Enrollment

Memo: Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Eligibility and Enrollment, issued Sept. 22, 2020, clarifies prekindergarten education (PreK) eligibility in the case of a five-year-old whose parent completed the kindergarten registration paperwork process but has decided to send their child to a public or private PreK program rather than kindergarten, this school year. The guidance provides further clarification on what is meant by “enrolled” in kindergarten under 16 V.S.A. §829 and SBE Rule 2602 (7).

Memo: Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Eligibility and Enrollment

Perm nurseries – Perm education

Family preschool groups

Service of preschool education, supervision and care of children up to 8 years old in structural subdivisions of municipal preschool institutions at the place of residence of the family. The age of children in the group is determined from 2 months to 8 years. It is allowed to organize family preschool groups where children from the same family are brought up, as well as where children from different families are brought up. A parent (legal representative) can be the educator of a family group, a prerequisite is the presence of a pedagogical education. The employees of the family group are employees of the kindergarten.

As of 07/01/2020, the Decree of the Administration of the city of Perm dated January 11, 2019 No. 10 “On approval of the Procedure for organizing family preschool groups in preschool educational institutions of the city of Perm” was developed.

Currently, there are 6 family preschool groups, which are attended by 20 children.

Organization of the provision of services in the “Nursery – satellites”

In order to implement the national project “Demography”, namely, activities aimed at creating additional places for children aged 1.5 to 3 years, in accordance with the Decree of the Government of the Perm Territory of December 24, 2019city ​​N 981-p and the Decree of the Administration of the city of Perm dated 13.05.2020 No. 426 approved the procedure for providing subsidies to private educational organizations, including individual entrepreneurs for the implementation of these activities. The recipient of the subsidy is obliged to create new places and ensure measures aimed at establishing the amount of the parental fee not higher than the maximum amount of the parental fee for childcare and care in municipal educational institutions implementing the educational program of preschool education in the city of Perm.

Currently, by order of the head of the education department of the Perm City Administration dated July 7, 2020 No. 059-08-01-09-574, a list of private educational organizations has been approved to provide subsidies for the implementation of activities aimed at creating places for children aged 1.5 to 3 years.

Action plan until the end of the year: creation of 93 places for children aged 1.5 to 3 years in satellite crèches.

Providing grants in the form of subsidies to private educational preschool organizations

Every year, the Education Department of the Perm City Administration holds a grant competition among private preschool educational institutions. The winners of the competition are reimbursed 50% of the costs of creating new places for preschoolers.

In 2020, 14 private preschool institutions are recognized as recipients of grants in the form of subsidies.

At present, the process of concluding contracts with private kindergartens for reimbursement of costs for the creation of new places for preschool children is underway.

In total, there are currently 69 private licensed pre-school educational institutions in the city of Perm, which are attended by 4,028 children.

Development of alternative forms of preschool education as part of the implementation of the national project “Demography”

Short stay groups “Together with mother” – a preschool education service with children aged 2 months to 1.5 years visiting municipal kindergartens 3 times a week. At present, an educational program for this service has been developed and a financial and economic justification is being calculated.

Certified Nanny

Pre-school, daycare and childcare service for children aged 2 months to 1. 5 years by a nanny. At present, an educational program for this service has been developed and a financial and economic justification is being calculated.

Largest octopus nursery created by hydrothermal vents

Zoologists figure out why huge octopus nursery sprang up at the foot of the Davidson Seamount off the coast of California M. robustus . It turned out that the molluscs are attracted here by hydrothermal springs, thanks to which the water warms up to about five degrees Celsius (for comparison, far from the mountain, the water temperature is only 1.6 degrees Celsius). Under such conditions, octopus eggs can develop faster. A report on the results of the study was presented at the Ocean Sciences Meeting 2022 conference, New Scientist reports.

In the summer and fall of 2018, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducted an expedition on the research vessel Nautilus. Its goal was to study underwater ecosystems along the western coast of North America. While working in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of California, the expedition members made an unexpected discovery: at a depth of about 3,200 meters, at the foot of the Davidson Seamount, they found a cluster of thousands of female octopuses Muusoctopus robustus guarding clutches. According to scientists, this is the largest octopus nursery in the world.

A team of zoologists led by Jim Barry at the Monterey Bay Aquarium decided to find out why female octopuses congregate on Mount Davidson. They suggested that the mollusks are attracted by the hydrothermal vents located here, around which the water warms up to about five degrees Celsius (for comparison, far from the mountain, the water temperature averages 1.6 degrees). The fact is that in cold water, octopus eggs develop for a long time. For example, at a water temperature of about three degrees Celsius, this process can stretch for a record four years, during which the female will have to starve and guard the clutch.

Barry and colleagues calculated that at 1.6 degrees Celsius, the development of M. robustus eggs would take an incredible 14 years. However, at five degrees Celsius, this would take approximately 620 days. To test their calculations, the researchers observed 26 M. robustus females and their clutches in a nursery for several years. It turned out that the development of their eggs takes place on average in 590 days, which is even less than the theoretical figures.

The results of the study confirmed the hypothesis that octopuses set up a “nursery” on Mount Davidson so that their eggs develop faster. Barry et al suggest that many other deep-sea dwellers also use hydrothermal vents as incubators. Similar examples are already known. For example, deep sea white rays ( Bathyraja spinosissima ) lay their eggs near active “black smokers” in the Galapagos Islands region.

Even long-vanished hydrothermal vents can become the basis for a rich ecosystem.