Navigating PreK Day 2025 Materials Available!

UPK Classroom Spotlight: Medina CSD

Medina Central School District is finishing up its third year of full day UPK, and to say it has been a success is an understatement! Our little learners have become quite a highlight in our district. Our program focuses on social/emotional development, age appropriate academics and learning about the world around us in a safe, play-based environment. Our UPK teachers work hard to provide purposeful activities that are not only fun for our littlest learners, but help them to become independent thinkers.

A favorite center in UPK is the sensory table. Students followed directions to make "apple" pie during the apple unit, and we even brought the snow inside during our snow themed unit! In any of our UPK rooms you can see this center being utilized to spark imagination, inquiry and creativity.

There is nothing these PreK friends can’t do. Yes, they are learning their letters and numbers, but they are also learning how to set goals and work hard to achieve them. In Mrs. Kruzynski’s PreK room, students are working on opening up their own milks and writing their names. These tasks may seem small but to our PreK friends they are stepping stones that promote independence.

During our unit on pets and their needs, we spent the week discussing our own pets and how we care for them. We also had a special visitor join us for the day to celebrate all we had learned! Students could practice their veterinary skills and take care of a pet with our buddy Chase, giving them real life application of skills, making their learning meaningful and fun!

Here in Medina, UPK is all about hands-on learning through a variety of play-based activities and centers making learning inquiry-based and student-led.

UPK Classroom Spotlight Opportunity

The Office of Early Learning is looking for best practices from districts, CBO, and Direct Contract Agency UPK classrooms to spotlight throughout the year. If you are interested in sharing a success story in any of the following areas, please submit your story via email to the Office of Early Learning at OEL@nysed.gov.

• Learning centers
• Theme integration
• Building classroom community
• Differentiated instruction
• Kindergarten transition
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the UPK classroom
• Anything the district is inspired to share with the field

You will need to include the following information in your submission:

• Subject: UPK Spotlight Submission
• Local Education Agency Name
• Teacher Name
• Photo of the best practice in action
• 1-2 paragraphs describing the best practice and highlighting any results since its implementation.

We look forward to hearing from you!