Brentwood’s Graduation PLUS+ initiative was highlighted at the New York State Education Department’s Navigating PreK Day event on May 7 in Albany, where district leaders presented strategies supporting successful transitions from prekindergarten to kindergarten. 

Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education Stacey Brdey and Coordinator of Funded Programs Vincent Todisco led the presentation, “Best Practices for a Successful PreK to Kindergarten Transition,” sharing details about the district’s 700-student universal prekindergarten program and its focus on building strong school-family-community connections. 

The presentation emphasized establishing child-school relationships, strengthening family-school partnerships, supporting collaboration with community-based organizations and promoting alignment between UPK and kindergarten programs. 

Additional program highlights included door-to-door transportation, daily breakfast and lunch delivery and aligned curriculum and professional learning opportunities across all UPK sites to support consistent, high-quality programming for students entering kindergarten. 

During a collaborative group activity following the presentation, attendees exchanged contact information to form a Professional Learning Community focused on strengthening prekindergarten-to-kindergarten transition practices across New York state. 

For more information about Brentwood’s UPK program, including how to register, click here.