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Hello, I thought you would find the following article interesting. Link: http://www.plan4preschool.org/docs/single/the-state-with-two-prekindergarten-programs-a-look-at-prekindergarten-educa/ Download: Abstract: The State with Two Prekindergarten Programs: A Look at Prekindergarten Education in New York State (1928-2003) New York is unique among the many states with state-funded preschool: it has two contrasting, yet successful programs. Its Experimental Prekindergarten Program (EPK) began in 1966 with only a few thousand students. Developed primarily for disadvantaged children, EPK has developed slowly. The state's Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) began in 1997 and was implemented quickly and on a large scale. In her paper, The State with Two Prekindergarten Programs: A Look at Prekindergarten Education in New York (1928-2003), Anne Mitchell provides a history of the two programs, illuminating the factors leading to the establishment of each and how they have grown closer in recent years. She analyzes the status of the two prekindergarten programs for the 2002-2003 school year, and how both are administered within the same school district. In all, 44 districts in New York administered both EPK and UPK programs simultaneously during the 2002-03 school year. A growing consensus is that districts administer EPK and UPK as one. Yet educators must remain mindful of the differences between them. Over time, EPK has demonstrated that public schools can operate good prekindergarten programs. This experience has, in part, led to the rapid success of UPK. While debate continues, it appears unified administration of both prekindergarten programs thrives in New York.