So, you're thinking of moving to New Jersey from NYC. But you have a young child and aren't sure if passing up on NYC's free Pre-K 4 All (UPK) program is worth it. After all, in most cases it'll mean having to pay for Pre-K 3 & 4, which is upward of $7k - 10K per year in most districts. And if that child has a late birthday between October 1 - December 31, they will enter Pre-K a year later in NJ than they would in NYC, so that's up to THREE YEARS extra of either fee-based preschool (or staying home). And let's say you have twins with late birthdays. You're looking at an extra $60k in schooling / child care for those 3 years. I know. It's a lot to take in. We've been hashing over it for years now. And I'm here to give you the info I've gleamed!! **There may be mistakes in here - please let me know if you find any errors or outdated info!!
UPK in NYC:
My twins are currently enrolled in an amazing free Pre-K program here in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Getting in is a bit stressful as it's a lottery, but in NYC you are guaranteed a seat, though the location could end up being far from your home. We got lucky for all 3 of our kids getting seats at programs less than a mile (walkable) from our home. And nearly everyone does get into a school not too far away, though many avoid the stress by paying for their child to go to the 3's preschool program at that school, so they'll have first priority to get the free UPK seat. The rest of us simply list our top 12 schools in February and cross our fingers! The good news is you're waitlisted at the schools you ranked below the one you were offered. In our case this past year with the twins, we were offered our 11th school. But by September we'd been called by every single school we listed to be offered a seat! The program is amazing, even includes free lunch and snack. Unfortunately, due to Coronavirus, the school year got cut short by over 3 months early and we're pretty devastated. The teachers are still providing regular materials and activities for us to work on at home, and even calling to chat with my girls once a week.
My twins are currently enrolled in an amazing free Pre-K program here in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Getting in is a bit stressful as it's a lottery, but in NYC you are guaranteed a seat, though the location could end up being far from your home. We got lucky for all 3 of our kids getting seats at programs less than a mile (walkable) from our home. And nearly everyone does get into a school not too far away, though many avoid the stress by paying for their child to go to the 3's preschool program at that school, so they'll have first priority to get the free UPK seat. The rest of us simply list our top 12 schools in February and cross our fingers! The good news is you're waitlisted at the schools you ranked below the one you were offered. In our case this past year with the twins, we were offered our 11th school. But by September we'd been called by every single school we listed to be offered a seat! The program is amazing, even includes free lunch and snack. Unfortunately, due to Coronavirus, the school year got cut short by over 3 months early and we're pretty devastated. The teachers are still providing regular materials and activities for us to work on at home, and even calling to chat with my girls once a week.
Redshirting in NJ vs. NYC
NYC does not allow redshirting, i.e. delaying entrance into elementary school. Simply put, if you live in NYC, your child enters kindergarten in September of the year they turn 5 (i.e. birthday cutoff of December 31). So if they were born December 31, they will be 4 when they enter Kindergarten and the baby of their grade. My son was born on December 25 so he started Pre-K at 3 years old, which was amazing as far as free child-care goes, but emotionally, he struggled big time in Pre-K and K. If you don't want to send them to Kindergarten, no problem, but they'll start 1st grade with that same cohort that they would have started Kindergarten with. You can't simply enter them into Kindergarten a year later. It appears New Jersey is more flexible here and many choose to send their child a year later.
Most New Jersey districts set a minimum age of 5 years old by October 1 to start Kindergarten (list of later cutoffs coming below!). But let's say your child was born in September - you can discuss with that school to have your child wait to start Kindergarten the next year, when they're 6 years old. This minimum age continues through 1st grade, so if you're transferring your late birthday child from NYC, they would get held back for Pre-K, K, and 1st grade. After completing 1st grade (or is it 2nd? sorry I'm not 100% sure), it becomes a discussion with school administration as to whether you want to hold your child back or continue at their current grade level, knowing your child is likely 1-2 years younger than their classmates. It's not a huge deal in the younger grades, but once you get to middle and high school, emotionally and physically, I've heard across the board it's kind of a big deal and worth considering holding them back when they're younger.
NYC does not allow redshirting, i.e. delaying entrance into elementary school. Simply put, if you live in NYC, your child enters kindergarten in September of the year they turn 5 (i.e. birthday cutoff of December 31). So if they were born December 31, they will be 4 when they enter Kindergarten and the baby of their grade. My son was born on December 25 so he started Pre-K at 3 years old, which was amazing as far as free child-care goes, but emotionally, he struggled big time in Pre-K and K. If you don't want to send them to Kindergarten, no problem, but they'll start 1st grade with that same cohort that they would have started Kindergarten with. You can't simply enter them into Kindergarten a year later. It appears New Jersey is more flexible here and many choose to send their child a year later.
Most New Jersey districts set a minimum age of 5 years old by October 1 to start Kindergarten (list of later cutoffs coming below!). But let's say your child was born in September - you can discuss with that school to have your child wait to start Kindergarten the next year, when they're 6 years old. This minimum age continues through 1st grade, so if you're transferring your late birthday child from NYC, they would get held back for Pre-K, K, and 1st grade. After completing 1st grade (or is it 2nd? sorry I'm not 100% sure), it becomes a discussion with school administration as to whether you want to hold your child back or continue at their current grade level, knowing your child is likely 1-2 years younger than their classmates. It's not a huge deal in the younger grades, but once you get to middle and high school, emotionally and physically, I've heard across the board it's kind of a big deal and worth considering holding them back when they're younger.
NJ Towns with Late Birthday Cutoffs:
The state has recommended a universal birthday cutoff of October 1, and nearly every school district in New Jersey has put this into effect. However... there are a handful of towns that have slightly later cutoffs, which is worth considering if you're desperate to get your kid into Kindergarten instead of having to pay for Pre-K. This may not be all-inclusive because I could not find a list, anywhere!!! This is a list I've personally compiled after researching, alot (please do comment below if you know of a town to add, or remove):
5 years old by October 31:
5 years old by October 15:
The state has recommended a universal birthday cutoff of October 1, and nearly every school district in New Jersey has put this into effect. However... there are a handful of towns that have slightly later cutoffs, which is worth considering if you're desperate to get your kid into Kindergarten instead of having to pay for Pre-K. This may not be all-inclusive because I could not find a list, anywhere!!! This is a list I've personally compiled after researching, alot (please do comment below if you know of a town to add, or remove):
5 years old by October 31:
5 years old by October 15:
NJ Towns with Universal Free Pre-K:
This 2019 list is compiled from Pre-K Our Way, where the towns are listed by county; ALL 3 and 4 year olds in these former Abbott and Expansion Districts can attend free preschool. From NJ Monthly: "Abbott districts—now referred to as “former Abbott districts” because the rules have been updated—are typically urban districts where poverty is commonplace and the education system found to be constitutionally inadequate. Extra state funding is pumped into the districts, from preschool through grade 12. The communities that have universal, free preschool include the 31 former Abbott districts, whose schools the state is required to fund under the Abbott rulings, and four additional districts—Red Bank, Little Egg Harbor, Fairfield and Woodbine—approved in 2003."
This 2019 list is compiled from Pre-K Our Way, where the towns are listed by county; ALL 3 and 4 year olds in these former Abbott and Expansion Districts can attend free preschool. From NJ Monthly: "Abbott districts—now referred to as “former Abbott districts” because the rules have been updated—are typically urban districts where poverty is commonplace and the education system found to be constitutionally inadequate. Extra state funding is pumped into the districts, from preschool through grade 12. The communities that have universal, free preschool include the 31 former Abbott districts, whose schools the state is required to fund under the Abbott rulings, and four additional districts—Red Bank, Little Egg Harbor, Fairfield and Woodbine—approved in 2003."
- Asbury Park Public Schools
- Bridgeton Public Schools
- Camden City Public Schools
- City of Burlington Public School District
- Elizabeth Public Schools
- Fairfield Township School District
- Garfield Public Schools
- Gloucester City School District
- Harrison Public Schools
- Hoboken Public Schools
- Irvington Public Schools
- Jersey City Public Schools
- Keansburg School District
- Little Egg Harbor Township School District
- Long Branch Public Schools
- Millville Public Schools
- Neptune Township Schools
- New Brunswick Public Schools
- Newark Public Schools
- Orange Board of Education
- Passaic City School District
- Paterson Public Schools
- Perth Amboy Public Schools
- Plainfield Public School District
- Pleasantville School District
- Pemberton Township School District
- Phillipsburg School District
- Red Bank Borough Public Schools
- Salem City School District
- Trenton Public Schools
- Union City School District
- Vineland Public Schools
- West New York School District
- Woodbine School District
NJ Towns with Free Pre-K for Some (via lottery):
** this 2019 list is compiled from Pre-K Our Way, where they're listed by county **
** this 2019 list is compiled from Pre-K Our Way, where they're listed by county **
- Absecon Public School District
- Atlantic City School District
- Barnegat Township School District
- Bayonne City School District
- Belleville Public Schools
- Bellmawr Public School District
- Belmar School District
- Belvidere School District
- Bergenfield Public School District
- Berkeley Township School District
- Beverly City School District
- Bogota Public Schools
- Boonton Public Schools
- Bound Brook School District
- Bradley Beach Boro School District
- Brick Township Public Schools
- Brigantine Public Schools
- Buena Regional School District
- Burlington Township School District
- Carteret Boro School District
- Clayton Public School District
- Clifton Public Schools
- Collingswood Public Schools
- Dennis Township School District
- Dover School District (Victory Gardens)
- Eatontown Public Schools
- Edgewater Park Township School District
- Egg Harbor City School District
- Englewood City School District
- Farmingdale Public School District
- Franklin Borough School District
- Franklin Township School District
- Freehold Borough School District
- Galloway Township Public Schools
- Glassboro Public Schools
- Gloucester Township Public Schools
- Greenwich Township School District
- Hackensack City School District
- Haledon Boro School District
- Hamilton Township School District
- High Bridge School District
- Highlands Boro School District
- Hillside Township School District
- Hopewell Township School District
- Jamesburg Boro School District
- Kearny School District
- Keyport Boro School District
- Lake Como School District
- Lakehurst Boro School District
- Lakewood School District
- Lawrence Township Public Schools
- Lindenwold Public Schools
- Logan Township School District
- Lower Township Elementary School District
- Mannington Township School D istrict
- Mantua Township School District
- Maple Shade School District
- Maurice River Township School District
- Middle Township Public School District
- Moonachie School District
- Montague Township School District
- Mount Ephraim Public Schools
- Mount Holly Township Public School District
- Morris School District
- National Park Elementary School District
- Neptune City School District
- Netcong School District
- Newton Public School District
- North Brunswick Township Schools
- Northfield City Community School District
- North Hanover Township School District
- North Plainfield Boro School District
- North Wildwood School District
- Oaklyn Public School District
- Ocean City School District
- Ocean Township School District
- Ogdensburg Borough School District
- Paulsboro School District
- Pennsville School District
- Piscataway School District
- Pittsgrove Township School District
- Princeton Public Schools
- Rahway City School District
- Roselle Park School District
- Runnemede School District
- Sayreville Public Schools
- Somers Point School District
- Somerville Boro School District
- South Amboy City School District
- South Orange-Maplewood School District
- South River Public Schools
- Stafford Township School District
- Stillwater Township School District
- Stow Creek Township School District
- Teaneck Public Schools
- Tuckerton Borough School District
- Township of Union Public Schools
- Union Beach School District
- Upper Deerfield Township Schools
- Ventnor City School District
- Washington Borough School District
- Waterford Township School District
- West Deptford School District
- Weymouth Township School District
- Wharton Boro School District
- Wildwood City School District
- Wildwood Crest Boro School District
- Willingboro School District
- Winfield Township School District
- Woodland Park School District
- Woodlynne School District
NJ Towns with Half Day Kindergarten:
But wait, there's one more thing to take into consideration... some New Jersey towns don't have free full day kindergarten yet!!! Over 90% of NJ districts offer free full day kindergarten, but about 40 districts hadn't converted yet and only offer half day for free!!! Some people may see this as a plus, but most don't. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to tell from their websites alone, so we've researched and asked around and put together this very unofficial and incomplete list of some of the school districts that haven't converted to (free) full day programs yet (each year, more are converting to full day - 76% of schools had it in 2012 and 94% had it in 2019, so be sure to double check with the district):
But wait, there's one more thing to take into consideration... some New Jersey towns don't have free full day kindergarten yet!!! Over 90% of NJ districts offer free full day kindergarten, but about 40 districts hadn't converted yet and only offer half day for free!!! Some people may see this as a plus, but most don't. Unfortunately, it's very difficult to tell from their websites alone, so we've researched and asked around and put together this very unofficial and incomplete list of some of the school districts that haven't converted to (free) full day programs yet (each year, more are converting to full day - 76% of schools had it in 2012 and 94% had it in 2019, so be sure to double check with the district):
- Berkeley Heights
- Cherry Hill
- Cranford (full day is a lottery and tuition is $720/month!)
- Chatham
- Edison
- Egg Harbor Township (set to switch to full day in 2020-2021 school year)
- Evesham Township (lottery for full day program, tuition $5500)
- Hillsborough
- Linwood
- Lopatcong (set to switch to full day in 2020-2021 school year)
- Monroe (set to switch to full day in 2020-2021 school year)
- Wayne (lottery for full day wraparound program; fee is $250/month)
- West Windsor-Plainsboro
- Westfield (has lottery fee-based full day WRAP program)
Other Things to Consider:
- All districts in New York State have universal free pre-kindergarten for children turning 4 by December 1 or December 31 of that school year. NYC is also gradually introducing free UPK-3, opening up in more zones each year for children turning 3 by December 31 of that school year.
- Other New York State school districts (outside of NYC) have an age cutoff of December 1 (aka 4 by December 1 to start Pre-K and 5 by December 1 to start Kindergarten)
- Children in Connecticut must be 5 on or before January 1 to enter Kindergarten.
- Each town has a different minimum distance from school for busing. I've seen some requiring you to walk or provide your own transportation if living as far as 1.5 miles from the school, but most have a limit of around .5 - 1 mile.
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