Hampton Bays conducts public pre-K lottery; district says every applicant will get a spot

HAMPTON BAYS, N.Y. — The Hampton Bays Union Free School District conducted a public lottery for its prekindergarten program during Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting and said it currently has sufficient seats to offer a spot to all families who signed up.

Mr. Meyer (staff member) told the board, “We have enough spots for everybody that has signed up for the program. So everybody is gonna get a spot.” He explained that the lottery determines AM or PM placement and that officials would fill slots in the order drawn.

The district conducted the drawing publicly and announced the order of selected families; staff said they will follow up with families with program details. The lottery produced 31 recorded picks during the meeting; district staff said they will contact selected families with additional information about start dates and scheduling.

Why it matters: Prekindergarten access affects young children's early learning and family schedules. The district said the availability of enough seats this year represents a positive position compared with earlier years when demand exceeded capacity.

Process details provided at the meeting: - Selection: The lottery was used solely to assign choices between AM and PM sessions, not to deny enrollment; the district said every registered child would receive a seat. - Notification: District staff will contact families of the selected students with program specifics; no additional waitlist procedures were discussed during the meeting.

The pre-K lottery concluded and the board then proceeded with remaining agenda items, including a recognition and the formal adjournment of the meeting.