The Bay Shore Union Free School District heard a presentation from UPK staff on the 'Zones of Regulation' curriculum at its November public session. Miss Rivera and UPK staff described the program as an evidence-based, visually presented system that helps young children identify emotions and learn regulation strategies with adult support.

"It is designed for very young students starting at age 4," Miss Rivera said, adding that materials and guidance are available in English, Spanish and French. Staff emphasized the program’s adaptability for neurodiverse learners and said classroom posters, scripted neutral language and short training modules make it easy to apply across grade bands.

Miss Buhan, who has piloted the program with some students, described family engagement and carryover at home: "Parents were able to carry it over in the home…my staff and I were able to meet them at the bus with the tools to get them back to green," she said.

Board members asked about costs and duration. District staff said the initiative will be funded through a teacher-center grant. The presenter said the grant amount is $6,000 and that this will leave the program slightly under the identified cost, with staff noting the grant is awarded on a year-to-year basis and would require reapplication to continue funding beyond the grant period.

Training for the basic level was described as 2 hours and 45 minutes of online instruction plus periodic Q&A with the vendor and quarterly follow-up meetings. Staff said they expect the basic training level will meet the district's needs for UPK implementation, and noted the program can scale through upper grades when needed.

The board expressed support and asked that staff report back on early implementation results and family uptake. No formal vote was required for the presentation.