Dear Members of the Board of Education and District Administration,

We, the undersigned parents and guardians of young children currently enrolled in early childhood centers in West Orange, are writing to formally express our concern regarding the recent change to the UPK enrollment policy that eliminates guaranteed or priority placement for children already enrolled at participating private providers.

Many of us made deliberate, long-term childcare and family decisions based on the district's previously established UPK structure, under which children enrolled at participating providers were offered guaranteed placement once eligible. Families specifically sought out UPK-participating locations years in advance, transitioned children into these programs well before eligibility, and structured their childcare plans around the expectation of continuity of care.

For some families, these decisions extended beyond childcare alone. One family chose West Orange out of several neighboring towns when relocating in part because of the stability and predictability of the UPK program as it was presented and implemented over the past several years. Others coordinated employment, housing, and sibling enrollment decisions around the reasonable expectation that UPK placement would follow the published rules.

Our children have, in many cases, been enrolled at these providers since infancy. They have formed strong bonds with teachers, peers, and school environments that are developmentally important at this age. Several families transitioned children into participating providers months or even years ago specifically to minimize disruption and avoid multiple school transitions during early childhood. And while these examples are from families within our classroom, they likely extend not only to families with children in the infant and toddler rooms, but for this span of ages across all the dozen+ providers.

We recognize and respect the district's long-term goal of ensuring fair and equitable access to UPK for all families. Our concern is not with the direction of the overall policy itself, but with the abruptness and timing of implementing this policy change, and lack of accommodation for families who have abided by existing program rules. A change of this magnitude, particularly one that disrupts continuity of care for very young children, would reasonably warrant advance notice and a clearly defined transition period.

The lack of a transition buffer has also placed participating childcare centers in a difficult position. Throughout 2025, providers enrolled families and structured classrooms based on the existing policy. Some centers transitioned away from private 3- and 4-year-old classrooms entirely in reliance on the prior UPK framework. If a currently-enrolled child is not selected in the lottery, they not only lose access to a no-cost placement, but that family doesn't even have the option to pay private tuition to keep their child at the same location. With minimal notice, they are now attempting to accommodate families who may lose access to seats at their current schools through no fault of their own.

We were informed of this significant policy change only indirectly, via providers, approximately two weeks before the lottery registration deadline. The change was not publicly posted, and the notice coincided with the holiday period when Board of Education offices were closed and many families were preoccupied with holiday preparations and travel. As a result, families had little to no opportunity to fully understand the implications, seek clarification, or raise concerns before the lottery registration deadline or this Board meeting.

Given that this is the fourth year of a five-year UPK rollout, we respectfully request that the district consider a transition accommodation – at minimum for those rising to 3K in the 2026-27 school year. Any family, including those with younger children, that has made decisions or plans reliant on the existing program structure should receive similar consideration. Such an approach would preserve the district's long-term policy goals while honoring the reasonable expectation to continuity of care of families and providers who planned under the prior rules.

We appreciate the district's investment in universal pre-K and its commitment to early childhood education. We hope the Board and administration will consider the real and immediate impact this sudden change has on children, families, and providers, and adopt a transition approach that reflects fairness, transparency, and continuity of care.

Sincerely,

The undersigned families