Boston Pre-K History

Boston Pre-K (previously known as Universal Pre-K, UPK) is an initiative of Boston Public Schools (BPS) and the City of Boston Office of Early Childhood (OEC). The program’s continued city expansion is administered by the BPS Department of Early Childhood. 

Boston’s UPK program got its start in 2005, when Mayor Thomas Menino made a commitment to preschool for all 4-year-olds in Boston. By 2009, demand for pre-k began to exceed the number of seats allocated within Boston Public Schools. To address the demand, Boston began to explore implementing a mixed-delivery system. In 2013, Boston became a recipient of the Preschool Expansion Grant, creating a partnership between Boston Public Schools, the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, and community-based providers in Boston. The Preschool Expansion Grant continued until 2019.

The City of Boston made its commitment to a high-quality, mixed-delivery, universal prekindergarten system in 2019. Mayor Menino’s successor, Mayor Martin Walsh began prioritizing quality – not just access – to preschool. At that time, Mayor Walsh announced the $15 Million Quality Pre-K Fund to provide the start-up funding for the remaining seats estimated to be needed, which would be funded at community-based provider organizations. The $15M came from the City General fund and represented roughly 10% of the new funding the City had available in FY20; this came from existing property tax and other local revenue sources. Boston Pre-K (then known as UPK) further expanded to serve 3-year-olds in community-based providers in 2021.

In 2022, Mayor Michelle Wu announced the launch of the City of Boston Office of Early Childhood (OEC) to further the City’s commitment to universal, affordable, high-quality early education and care for all children under five, making OEC a key partner in the UPK program. Mayor Michelle Wu also announced $20 million in funding for universal pre-k for the 2022-23 school year - the largest single year commitment to date. Boston Pre-K integrated family child care organizations into its program portfolio in the 2023-24 school year, bringing an additional school setting to its mixed-delivery system. 

Boston Pre-K is funded through Boston Public Schools district funds, and contributions from public and private philanthropy. BPS increases its contribution each year to ensure sustainability of the pre-k model in Boston. The Boston Pre-K program focuses on making sure that all pre-k seats created are of high quality. 

In 2024, UPK was rebranded as Boston Pre-K, bringing a fresh identity to early childhood education in the city. 

Timelines showing the history of Boston Pre-K can be found below:
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Boston Pre-K Year in Review

 

Find the 2023-2024 Year in Review below:
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Find the 2022-2023 Year in Review below:
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Find the 2021-2022 Year in Review below:
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