The Malverne school district will be welcoming prekindergarten students into district classrooms for the first time for the 2026-27 school year.
As registration opened for the Universal Pre-K program on Dec. 1, the school district announced that two Pre-K classes will be established at Maurice W. Downing Primary School. While these classes will be held inside a school district building, they will be operated by Nottingham Academy of Malverne.
Nottingham Academy, at 12 Nottingham Road., and Tutor Time Learning of East Rockaway, at 131 Main St., have provided Pre-K education inside their buildings for Malverne district students for two and four years, respectively. Student enrollment at both facilities has steadily increased, with the current total UPK enrollment sitting at 53.
Administrators said that bringing a portion of the UPK program into a district building will ideally make the program more accessible to families and further increase enrollment.
“We know that when the available Pre-K is far away from the school district where people live, there may be a situation where parents cannot provide transportation, or it’s not easily accessible to them,” Maria Rianna, superintendent of Malverne schools, said. “We want to be able to give as many students as possible this opportunity, and since we have space in our elementary school and Nottingham wants to increase in classrooms, we’ll have the Nottingham program at Malverne.”
Rianna shared that the district’s overall enrollment has decreased, creating additional classroom space.
“When we looked at how best to serve the Malverne community,” she said, “we felt it would be advantageous to begin bringing our students into the school district, utilizing that space and opening it up so we have more students attending Pre-K closer to home.”
Alyssa DeMarco-Buffolino, Nottingham Academy’s director, said, “We are very excited to be located in the Maurice W. Downing school building. Being part of the district allows us to build a strong bond between our UPK program and the elementary-level programs. This connection helps create a smooth and familiar transition for our children as they move forward in their educational journey, providing them with comfort, continuity and a sense of belonging.”
By being situated in a school building, Nottingham’s state-certified teachers will have easier access to professional development programming offered by the district. They also will develop a better understanding of what’s expected of the students in kindergarten and first grade, ensuring the curriculum supports the educational goals.
“This also helps students transition into the school setting more comfortably,” Rianna said. “If they know where they’re going, they have a better time as they transition to kindergarten.”
Nottingham will continue to provide its UPK program onsite, in addition to running the Pre-K program at Downing. Both Nottingham and Tutor Time will provide a free full, five-hour school day from roughly 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., depending on location, Monday through Friday. As per state policy, the district does not provide transportation for Pre-K students.
The state-determined UPK curriculum focuses on providing students with various approaches to learning, knowledge of the world, the ability to apply what they know, and how to communicate and understand language. Opportunities also are available for children to experience physical, social and emotional development, while building math, reading and writing skills.
“It’s been extremely beneficial, especially for the educational needs of our students as they enter the kindergarten, primary level,” Dan Balzan, the district’s assistant superintendent for management services, said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to get the kids really involved and engaged early in their student careers and to prepare them for the K-12 experience.”
To be eligible for the 2026-27 UPK program, students must reside within the Malverne School District and must turn 4 on or before Dec. 1, 2026.
Malverne’s UPK program has a total of 93 slots, which is determined based on the state’s proposed executive budget, allocating the funding necessary to support each student in the program.
“We have a responsibility in the UPK grant to ensure that the instruction and curriculum is appropriate,” Rianna said. “That includes evaluating and reviewing what’s going on in each of the settings. We partner with them, invite them to professional development, oversee the program, but at the same time, it’s more cost-effective for us not to run the program.
“We’re very enthusiastic about the expansion of this program,” Rianna said. “Our main objective is to be able to give as many students as possible a preschool experience and help them make a smooth transition into kindergarten.”
In addition to completing a standard registration form, parents will be asked to fill out a form choosing a preferred location for their child. They have the opportunity to select their preferred classroom location for a limited time. Registration must be completed by May 5 at 11:59 p.m.
Proof of residency, the child’s birth certificate and their immunization records are required.
If anyone has questions or requires assistance, the Malverne School District could be reached at (516) 887-6405, or the UPK providers could be contacted directly.
To register for the UPK program, go to Malverne Schools.org/universal-prekindergarten.
