OEL P-3 Newsletter | Back to School 2025

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Welcome Back to School from the Office of Early Learning!

Dear early learning colleagues,

First, I want to welcome you to a new year and wish you all the best 2025-2026 school year! I have visited schools over the past year and the dedication you have to early learning is clear; it is key to the future of the next generation of New York Students. This summer, we held our Early Learning Institute, which had around 200 participants from P-3, and in that forum we highlighted programs in the arts, cultural education, and featured a keynote address and welcoming remarks from Regent Ferrer. In her opening remarks, Regent Ferrer highlighted how the newly adopted (July 2025) New York State Portrait of a Graduate needs to be reflected in the early grades as well as address key New York State Learning Standard areas, such as the arts. The Portrait of a Graduate will be a blueprint for all students, with the six key attributes being as follows—

A New York State Graduate will be

Academically Prepared
A Creative Innovator
A Critical Thinker
An Effective Communicator
A Global Citizen
Reflective and Future Focused

Over the coming year, in partnership with our school districts, the BOCES, and the wider early learning community, we will be discussing what this means for the earliest grades and how it connects to performance-based and inquiry-based learning. I am excited about this work and look forward to hearing from you! In addition, in the coming year, the Office of Early Learning will continue to provide our support and monitoring for UPK, a P-3 webinar series, the next Navigating PreK Day conference in May 2026, and other forthcoming resources to support schools and student learning. If you have any ideas for resources or would like to discuss how the Office of Early Learning can best support your school or program, please feel free to reach out to me at oel@nysed.gov.

Erik Sweet

Executive Director, Office of Early Learning

Commissioner Back to School Video

As you prepare your back-to-school communications, we invite you to share Commissioner Rosa’s welcome-back video on your district and school websites and social media. Don’t forget to tag the Department—we’d be glad to amplify and complement your posts through our channels.

Social media tags:

Facebook: @NYStateEd
Instagram: @nysednews
X: @NYSEDNews
LinkedIn: New York State Education Department

Numeracy Briefs text and colored blocks with numbers

PK-12 Numeracy Briefs Released

The New York State Education Department (NYSED) released a series of new Numeracy Briefs in May 2025 to support administrators and numeracy leaders in their teaching of PreK-12 mathematics. The briefs are part of a larger Numeracy Initiative that will continue through the 2025-26 school year. The briefs, as well as a presentation providing an overview of the research and best practices, can be accessed on the Numeracy Initiative website.

Back to School Literacy Resources

Based on New York State Education Law §818, districts are required to conduct an annual review of school district curriculum and instructional practices in the subject of literacy for students in prekindergarten through grade three. The Office of Early Learning has a section of our website dedicated to providing literacy resources for all stakeholders. Below we have linked that part of our website along with the two guides our office has created to support the implementation of the new law. Please reach out to our office with any questions you have.

Literacy Resources for Prekindergarten - Grade 3

Instructional Best Practices Guide for Literacy

Instructional Best Practices Guide for Writing

Navigating PreK Day 2026 Save the Date May 7 2026 NYS Museum Albany NY

woman at a laptop with the text professional development

Office of Early Learning Professional Development and Resources

Did you know the Office of Early Learning has a wide variety of prerecorded webinars and resources available on our website? On our Professional Development webpage you can find resources from our past events, as well as information regarding upcoming events. Our Early Learning Webinar Series webpage includes all prerecorded webinars, as well as recorded live webinars and resources from the Office of Early Learning. These resources cover a wide range of topics, including:

Positive Behavior
Social Emotional Learning
Science
Literacy
Play
Inclusion
Supporting Emergent Multilingual Learners

... and much more! We hope you find these resources helpful as you navigate the new school year. Let us know if there is something you would like to see here in the future!

Stay tuned for the announcement of our

2025-2026 Webinar Series coming this fall!

Building Classroom Community

Building classroom community is essential for a positive and productive learning environment. Check out the resources below to help you build connections, foster inclusivity, and promote collaboration.

Community Building (CASEL)

Building Classroom Community (Colorin Colorado)

Building Parent-Teacher Relationships (Reading Rockets)

three young children smiling with the text that reads fostering positive behavior

Fostering Positive Behavior in the Prekindergarten Classroom

The Office of Early Learning recognizes the importance of addressing behavioral issues in early education settings. Efforts have been directed towards implementing strategies and interventions that promote positive behavior and minimize the need for exclusionary disciplinary practices. Our Positive Behavior Guidance memo and Positive Behavior Guidance webpage aim to equip educators with effective tools, resources, and guidance to support children's behavioral needs proactively.

New York State Literacy Trail

The New York State Literacy Trail – an initiative announced by Governor Kathy Hochul in her 2025 State of the State address – encourages literacy and access to the outdoors. The New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) Division of Child Care Services and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (Parks) have collaborated to select 10 New York State parks and 10 picture books that feature the important relationships between children, their communities, and the outdoors. Explore the map at the link below to find the featured parks near you!

NYS Literacy Trail Map

EML Resource cover page with globe and world flags

Resources for Emergent Multilingual Learners (EML) and English Language Learners (ELL)

The Office of Early Learning has created an EML Tip Sheet which provides practical strategies to help programs and classrooms support Emergent Multilingual Learners in developing language and literacy skills through culturally responsive teaching. While created for prekindergarten, these tips can also be useful for English Language Learners of all ages.

Looking for additional resources to help your ELL and EML students? Colorín Colorado has a wealth of Back to School resources to support your multilingual learners and highlights some key topics for the new school year!

new regulations for toileting and diapering

Proposed Regulations Relating to Statewide Protocols for Diapering and Toileting

Proposed regulations regarding Statewide protocols for diapering and toileting were recently presented to the Board of Regents. These regulations will establish uniform statewide protocols for diapering and toileting of students in public schools. Additionally, they will require districts to provide students and staff with safe and accessible equipment, supplies, and facilities for diapering and toileting. It also defines basic procedures to promote a safe and healthy environment.

A Notice of Proposed Rule Making will be published in the State Register on September 24, 2025, for a 60-day public comment period. Supporting materials are available upon request to the Secretary of the Board of Regents. Public comment can be sent to regcomments@nysed.gov.

Until the regulations are put forth for final approval in January 2026, districts can review the 2023 Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Guidance for Supporting Toilet Learning memo.

Questions?

The Office of Early Learning provides technical assistance to districts regarding Prekindergarten - Grade 3 instruction and best practices. Our office also answers questions regarding UPK funding and program implementation. You can contact us at oel@nysed.gov or (518) 474-5807.

Erik Sweet, Executive Director, Office of Early Learning

Lori Smart, Director

Tanya Amodio-Kovacs, Supervisor

Paulette Coppin, Supervisor

Vicky Woods, Supervisor

Grace Bombard, James Bordis, Samantha Chobot,

Lauren Cosamano, Carly Feldman,

Eric Feml-Nelsen, Jason Gish, Meghan Hooley,

Tiffany Koo, Noelle Lake, Christine Lyons, Chloe Ng,

Terry Onofrio, Brandon Orszulak, Madison Ramnes,

Amanda Rodriguez, Tina Rose-Turriglio, Christina Ryan,

Rachel Schlude, Greg Shaw, Michelle Sidoti,

Zak Snyder, Megan Tobiasen