Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) in Croton is at risk of disappearing! Sign this petition to tell our elected state officials that a fully funded UPK is essential to the Croton community.

UPK in Croton has been severely underfunded since inception in 2021, with state grants of just $5,400 per child annually, forcing local providers to operate programs at a loss. Croton’s past two UPK providers have told the Board they cannot afford to continue at that $5,400 rate - which means our children, and our community, are at risk of losing UPK.

UPK provides free, quality, public education to four-year-olds (those who will enter kindergarten the following year). It’s not just Croton’s UPK children and families that benefit from a quality, sustainable UPK program – a strong, competitive school district makes Croton an attractive place to live and shows we are a community that cares about our children, one another and our future.

Croton’s Board of Education also recognizes that UPK is vitally important to Croton, with the board passing a resolution on January 22, 2026, stating that “the $5,400 per student allocation rate falls short of the actual costs borne by many community providers,"  and calling upon New York State leaders to take immediate action to increase the allocation for UPK in the 2026 Budget.

There's good news: the Governor has included $10,000 per child for Croton's UPK in the proposed budget for the 2026-2027 school year! More good news: this budget is revenue-neutral, meaning it will NOT increase our taxes.

Now we need to make sure that the increased UPK funding stays in the final budget that will be voted on next month. 

Sign this petition to tell our elected state officials that a fully funded UPK is essential to the Croton community. Future Croton Tigers thank you for your support!

Please send this petition to your Croton friends and neighbors asking them to sign!