3rd Ed. September PreK Newsletter
September 1st to September 30th (2026)
New York State Office of Early Learning Visits for RCSD Early Childhood Department
TO: All Staff & School Communities
RE: Upcoming NYSOEL Classroom Visits
DATE RANGE: Nov. 17 – Nov. 19
Overview: The NYS Office of Early Learning will be visiting classrooms on November 17th, 18th, and 19th.
Next Steps: Detailed site visit schedules will be distributed immediately upon receipt of the official NYSOEL agenda.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
Become a Member
Click the blue link above for membership.
National Association for the Education of Young Children
Early Childhood Leaders Peer Network Series PD
Registration link for the December 2, 2026 webinar is below:
Preschool Code for Interpreter Support : 9080
Prekindergarten Attendance Support from New York State Office of Early Learning
The Attendance flyers come in 12 languages.
https://www.nysed.gov/early-learning/prekindergarten-attendance-every-day-counts
Jeanie Harris is leaving her role with Generations/First Learning. We were all very saddened by this news as she has been a valued partner throughout her many years of service to Generations and the Rochester early childhood community.
• Nichole White is replacing Jeanie as the Interim Education Manager for First Learning. Nichole was previously the Center Director at Generations Empire before transitioning into a Regional Manager for some of their Rochester sites. nwhite@firstlearning.org
• Adam White will be supervising Nichole while having Educational/Programmatic oversight for the First Learning sites in Rochester. awhite@firstlearning.com
"The Day You Begin" on PBS Kids!
As families start preparing for a new school year, PBS KIDS is helping children build confidence and excitement with "The Day You Begin," a vibrant new one-hour animated special on PBS, the PBS KIDS Channel, and the PBS KIDS Video App. Adapted from Jacqueline Woodson’s award-winning and bestselling picture book of the same name, the special follows four imaginative children, Angelina, Rigoberto, Minjin, and Andre, as they navigate the emotions and uncertainties that come with stepping into a new classroom for the first time. This program offers meaningful opportunities to talk about kindness, confidence, and belonging. These important lessons can help children start the school year ready to learn, grow, and share their unique voices with the world. This is a great program to share with families to watch with their children before the school year begins!
Every Prek Parent can receive an RTS Monthly Bus Pass from the school secretary.
The contact person for bus passes is Michelle.Richardson-Wilson@RCSDK12.ORG
Instructions on how to receive the monthly bus passes for school secretaries is linked here.
Parent Resources
- Parents can call 585-262-8140 for any concerns regarding the Preschool Registration Process.
- Our parents use See Saw to communicate with teachers and our school communities.
- Please ensure that parents send in an excuse if their child is absent.
- Adult Family Educators support, train, and advocate for families and classrooms daily. In addition, they partner and collaborate with Parent Liaisons and classroom teachers.
- The Office of Parent Engagement and The Early Childhood Department will be collaborating moving forward to create collective impact in school communities. We will support every school and CBO while supporting the entire family and the whole child.
- Kids out and about activities for every month in Rochester NY
Seesaw Parent Communication Support
Seesaw PREK-2 (Seesaw Goal- connect families and send an announcement/message)
a. Click here for instructions for inviting families, and approving families
b. Click here for how to send messages to connected families Please note you can also translate typed text here!
c. Click here for Instructions for connecting Seesaw to your phone
SEL and Mental Health Resources for Preschool Students
Public Housing List for Families: Please share on Seesaw parent communication platform.
Apply for Public Housing for 2, 3, 4 bedrooms:
https://www.rochesterhousing.org/apply
Affordable Housing Opportunities :
https://www.affordablehousing.com/rochester-ny/
Other Housing Resources:
- https://www.zillow.com/homes/for_rent/
- https://www.movoto.com/rentals/
- https://rochestermanagement.com/properties/meadow-reserve-of-irondequoit/
- https://www.rent.com/new-york/irondequoit-houses
- https://www.forrent.com/find/NY/metro-Rochester/Irondequoit
- https://www.realtor.com/apartments/Rochester_NY
- https://www.socialserve.com/tenant/Search.html?ch=NY&city_id=50857&type=rental&advanced=t
- https://www.pathstonecommunities.org/
- https://merochester.tenantcloud.com/find#!?sort_type=new_listings
- https://apgpropertymanagement.com/vacancies
- https://tickle-realty.com/rentals/
- https://www.gmprop.com/vacancies
Classroom Support Toolkit Link for Early Childhood
2026-2027 Instructional Technology Back to School Newsletter Edition
Procedures for Child Protective Services
As educators, we are all mandated reporters. If you see something, say something.
Here is the link to support the steps for reporting incidents. Please remember to notify your administrator before reaching out to CPS.
The following communication is being issued directly from the Office of the General Counsel:
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to inform all Rochester City School District staff of an important change in New York State law regarding the reporting of suspected child abuse and maltreatment. In June 2026, New York State transitioned from an anonymous reporting system to a confidential reporting system for reports made to the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR).
Under the amended law, a person making a report of suspected child abuse or maltreatment to the SCR must provide their name and contact information. The SCR generally may not transmit a report to a local child protective services agency for investigation if the caller does not provide this information, with a limited exception when the SCR reasonably believes the caller is under 18 years of age.
For RCSD staff who are mandated reporters, it is important to emphasize that your legal obligation to report suspected child abuse or maltreatment has not changed. The law continues to require mandated reporters, including school personnel covered by the law, to report when they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been abused or maltreated.
The change in the State law is intended to strengthen accountability and integrity within the child protective services reporting process while continuing to protect individuals who make reports in good faith. It is important to reinforce that as an educational institution, we are mandated to act promptly and responsibly when there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been abused or maltreated.
In the coming weeks, the Board will be taking action to update Policy 5460 to reflect this change and likewise the related Superintendent Regulation will be updated.
Every adult in our school community has a role in protecting our students. Thank you for your continued professionalism and commitment to ensuring that every child in the District is safe, supported, and able to learn.
Sincerely,
Adrian Neil
General Counsel
Rochester City School District
Department of Law
Playworks Outdoor Games and Resources
Important Information
2026-2027 District Information
Directions for those who cannot attend
If you cannot attend the webinar, please register anyway and the recording will be sent to your email address.
Thank you.
Teaching Strategies ( Creative Curriculum) PD Webinars for Administrators, Classroom Teachers, PreK Paraprofessionals and Teaching Assistants
The Teaching Strategies® Partner Success team is excited to offer a new series of support webinars this September.
These sessions are designed to help you make the most of your curriculum and planning tools and to explore the benefits of our GOLD™ assessment tool.
Here’s what’s coming up!
- September 16 @ 2 PM EST: Spotlight: Administrators Checking for Quality Documentation
- In this webinar, we will walk through how to retrieve the Documentation Status Report and conduct spot checks to assess documentation quality.
- September 23 @ 2 PM EST: Spotlight: Assessing In GOLD®; Collecting Quality Documentation
- In this webinar, we will walk through: 1. How to capture documentation on the SmartTeach app 2. How to enter documentation in SmartTeach 3. Key elements for complete documentation 4. At a Glance: Keeping track of documentation collected 5. View Documentation: Filter for incomplete documentation
- September 30 @ 2 PM EST: Introduction to Reporting in Teaching Strategies
- In this webinar, we will review the "Report" area of SmartTeach®.
Please share the relevant opportunities with your teaching staff so they can attend and benefit from the sessions as well.
Can’t attend live? No problem! Register anyway, and we will send you the replay afterward. 📥
We look forward to supporting you through these engaging and informative webinars, and we hope to see you there!
Kind regards,
The Partner Success Team
Teaching Strategies®
Paid Paraprofessional and Teaching Assistant PD ( Hart Street 3rd Floor)
Paraprofessional/CBO Teaching Assistant
Monthly PD Dates for 2026 -2027
4:15pm - 6:15pm
September 30, 2026
October 21, 2026
November 18, 2026
December 16, 2026
January 20, 2027
February 24, 2027
March 17, 2027
April 21, 2027
May 19, 2027
Paraprofessional and Teaching Assistant Responsibiities
All UPK and EPK Classrooms should have the following staff :
1 Preschool Teacher
1 Paraprofessional
1 Paraprofessional Break Aide that gives breaks between two Prek Classrooms.
( Please do not have any other grades in your PreK Classroom. The only time it is acceptable to have other students in the classroom is for volunteering purposes only. Thank you)
At no time should a break aide be covering arrival and dismissal for a building.
Also, all Preschool Paras receive differential pay for toileting duties.
Classroom teachers should collaborate with Paras to set up a classroom toileting schedule.
Preschool students who receive specialized services receive more staff in the classroom depending on their classification ( ICOT/ Self-Contained/ ASD).
I ask that you adhere to these state regulations to ensure that the staff ratio supports classrooms for indoor and outdoor safety.
Additionally, please remember the staff ratio per class, even if there are one or two children in the classroom is 2 adults. The teacher and Para must be in the classroom when students are in the room. It doesn't matter if it's one child or 18. We must maintain this ratio per state guidelines.
Thank you for understanding.
New York State Office of Early Learning Resources
Creating a High-Quality Classroom Environment
As teachers begin to prepare their classrooms for the new school year, we want to highlight the importance of creating a classroom environment that supports learning, student ownership, and a strong sense of community. When students experience a calm, predictable, and responsive space, they feel secure enough to engage and take academic risks. It is just as important for teachers to build strong, positive teacher-student and student-student relationships. Below are links to resources that will support teachers and educators as they design their classroom environment and foster a community of learners.
· OEL's Student-Centered Learning Environment Best Practices
· Building Classroom Community
- New York State Education Law §818
Most questions regarding this project can be answered on the Tapestry of New York FAQ page.
A cross-curricular teacher toolkit supporting historical reflection, inquiry, and arts enrichment.
Office of Early Learning PreK to 3rd Grade Literacy Instructional Best Practice
Should be used as a guidance document for classroom instruction.
Toileting Procedures for Prek Classrooms
All toileting procedures need to be recorded on a Google form . This data is shared with NYS Office of Early Learning. If we do not have the correct data, we will not be able to purchase toileting supplies for classrooms. Please ensure that you are using this digital document. Toileting logs are no longer accepted. Embedded here is the video app to support your log in on the chromebook. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at Eva.Thomas@rcsdk12.org. You can also contact your TST for support.
New York State Office of Early Learning Protocols for Diapering and Toileting
Permanent Adoption of Section 136.10 Relating to Statewide Protocols for Diapering and Toileting
Section 136.10 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education Relating to Statewide Protocols for Diapering has been permanently adopted by the Board of Regents and went into effect on March 27, 2026.
These regulations establish uniform statewide protocols for student diapering and toileting in public schools, including requirements for safe, accessible equipment, supplies, facilities, and procedures that promote a healthy and safe environment.
The Office of Early Learning has created a Diapering and Toileting webpage to consolidate information and resources regarding this regulation, as well as a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions document.
Please reach out to the Office of Early Learning at OEL@nysed.gov with any questions.
Dear Colleagues,
The Learning Centers in PreK and Kindergarten webinar recording is now available on our website. You can watch the Learning Centers in PreK and Kindergarten webinar online. Additional guidance and resources around learning centers can be found at the Student Centered Learning Environments Best Practices webpage.
