A 1144: Requires kindergartens to operate full day programs in the 2027-2028 school year.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1144 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 9, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN, RAMOS, HEVESI, COOK, LUPARDO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to full day kindergarten The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 1712 of the education law is 2 amended to read as follows: 3 1. The board of education of each school district [may] shall maintain 4 kindergartens which shall be free to resident children between the ages 5 of four and six years, provided, however, such board may fix a higher 6 minimum age for admission to such kindergartens. In the two thousand 7 twenty-seven--two thousand twenty-eight school year and thereafter, all 8 such kindergartens shall be operated on a full-time basis. 9 § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 2514 of the education law, as added by 10 chapter 762 of the laws of 1950, is amended to read as follows: 11 1. The board of education of each city school district [may] shall 12 maintain kindergartens which shall be free to resident children between 13 the ages of four and six years, provided, however, such board may fix a 14 higher minimum age for admission to such kindergartens. In the two 15 thousand twenty-seven--two thousand twenty-eight school year and there- 16 after, all such kindergartens shall be operated on a full-time basis. 17 § 3. Subdivision 1 of section 2555 of the education law, such section 18 as renumbered by chapter 762 of the laws of 1950, is amended to read as 19 follows: 20 1. The board of education of each city [may] shall maintain kindergar- 21 tens which shall be free to resident children between the ages of four 22 and six years, provided, however, such board may fix a higher minimum 23 age for admission to such kindergartens. In the two thousand twenty- 24 seven--two thousand twenty-eight school year and thereafter, all such 25 kindergartens shall be operated on a full-time basis. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02307-01-5 
 A. 1144 2 1 § 4. The opening paragraph of subdivision 9 of section 3602 of the 2 education law, as amended by section 9 of part A of chapter 57 of the 3 laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows: 4 School districts may make available full day kindergarten programs for 5 all children wishing to attend such programs, and, commencing with the 6 two thousand twenty-seven--two thousand twenty-eight school year, shall 7 make full day kindergarten programs available to all children. 8 § 5. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding 9 the date on which it shall have become a law.