This week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged to release a new Request for Proposals (RFP) through which schools may seek government funding for half-day Universal Pre-K (UPK) programs. The Orthodox Union welcomes the half-day program proposal as a constructive first step by the Mayor in creating more opportunities for participation in UPK. However, based on feedback from a broad range of Jewish day schools, we must seek clarification on key issues related to the UPK program and Jewish day school eligibility going forward.