The Rochester City school board has approved the plan to convert schools 44 and 57 to Pre-K buildings.
The vote was 5-2, over the objections of some parents and community organizations.
Superintendent Terry Dade says the programs at the schools would duplicate the success of the district's existing Early Childhood Education Center.
Dade says getting some of the youngest children out of community-based programs and into the schools can help reverse the district's falling enrollment.
The district could also save millions of dollars.