This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for its newsletter here.
Last week, the state Legislature officially backed Gov. Kathy Hochul's plan to offer every 4-year-old in New York a free pre-K seat within the next three years.
New York's public pre-K program served three-quarters of eligible 4-year-olds last school year. But thousands of children statewide still lack access because their districts have limited seats or don't offer it at all, New York Focus reported earlier this month. Last year, 49 districts opted out, many citing insufficient state funding, limited space, or staffing issues.
The Beacon, Haldane and Garrison school districts each offer universal pre-K. Beacon began its program in 2023; it has 120 spots for 2026-27 (registration opened March 18; students must be 4 years old by Dec. 1). Haldane began its program in 2025-26 and has 18 spots, while Garrison launched its program in 2022-23 and has 18 spots. Haldane said it had three or four students on the waiting list last year but all made it into the class; Garrison said it has received 22 applications for 2026-27 and will hold a lottery.
Hochul's proposal would nearly double the state's minimum reimbursement to $10,000 per student, but some district superintendents contend that amount would still not be enough to provide a seat to all applicants by the 2028–29 school year.
At the heart of the tension is how the cost of the program should be divided between the state and school districts. State aid rarely covers the full cost of pre-K, leaving districts to make up the difference from their local — and, often, already strained — budgets. Some superintendents argue that the state should shoulder a larger share of the expense. Other officials think that the model, which is similar to how public K-12 is funded, should suffice.
How does the program's funding model actually work, and can the governor's plan fix it? Here's what you need to know.
How is universal pre-K funded, and what does it cover?
Universal pre-K draws from multiple funding streams.
To start, school districts receive state funding per child enrolled in public pre-K. The current rate is set at either half of what a district receives in Foundation Aid — the state's complex funding formula for K-12 education — or $5,400, whichever is higher.
When a district joins the program, the state sets a target enrollment number, typically around 85 percent of the district's kindergarten enrollment, which it uses to calculate the maximum funding the district can receive each year.
On top of that, many districts receive competitive grants that can boost per-pupil funding up to $10,000. A small grant program offers funding for a limited number of low-income preschoolers, and state funding is available for children with disabilities.
The 2025 state budget included four separate funding streams for pre-K totaling $1.2 billion, according to a NYSED analysis that recommended consolidating the program funding to achieve universality.
"It's an incredibly complicated set of funding streams," said Andrew Perry, director of fiscal research at the Fiscal Policy Institute.
That money is primarily for 4-year-olds, but some districts get a separate allotment for 3-year-olds. They can use the money for a wide range of expenses, from employee salaries to classroom supplies to transportation services.
Some school leaders and advocates say state funding covers only a fraction of the true cost of educating a 4-year-old. The National Institute for Early Education Research, for example, estimated that in 2023, the cost of high-quality full-day preschool in New York state exceeded $19,000 per child.
How does the funding model differ from other public school funding?
As with Foundation Aid, school districts often have to contribute local funds to operate a pre-K program. According to state Sen. James Skoufis, who has called for a pre-K mandate to kick in soo...

Putting a Price Tag on Pre-K