Seattle Preschool Program Expands Capacity for 2026-27 School Year
Video courtesy of FOX 13 Seattle.
On Monday, March 16, Mayor Katie Wilson and the Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) Director Dr. Dwane Chappelle announced that the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) is set to expand its capacity to serve up to 2,600 children in the 2026-2027 school year, marking the program's tenth year of implementation.
Councilmembers Maritza Rivera and Debora Juarez joined Wilson and Chappelle at the Refugee Women’s Alliance SPP program site in Northgate. The expansion is funded through the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) Levy.
The program, which prepares Seattle three- and four-year-olds for kindergarten, partners with Seattle Public Schools, community-based providers, and Family Child Care (FCC) providers. New and expanded sites for the upcoming school year include:
New SPP Providers: KinderCare (Wallingford), WorldKids School (SODO), and Rise and Shine (South Seattle).
Existing Providers at a New Site (+): ReWA - Nook (Northgate/Northaven), SPS - Genesee Hill Elementary (West Seattle), and SPS - Loyal Heights Elementary (Loyal Heights).
The SPP has recently received its fourth consecutive gold medal for high-quality preschool from CityHealth.
Program Access and Funding
According to Mayor Wilson, the program is designed to be accessible. "It doesn’t matter what neighborhood you live in, what language you speak at home, or what your family’s income is,” she said in a recent press release.
Councilmember Rivera, Chair of the Libraries, Education and Neighborhoods Committee, said that Seattle residents voted to fund the Child Care and Seattle Preschool programs through the FEPP Levy. Dr. Chappelle stated that the program "connects Seattle families with experienced educators, inclusive classrooms, and the strong early foundations children need to thrive."
SPP is free for most Seattle families, with tuition rates for higher-income families determined on a sliding scale based on household income and size. In the 2025-26 school year, 70% of enrolled children received free tuition, and 75% of enrolled children were from communities of color.
Application Information
Applications for the 2026-2027 school year are open, and families are encouraged to apply early for priority enrollment. Applications submitted after April 14 will be processed throughout the summer as seats become available. In-language applications are also offered. Families needing language assistance can contact DEEL at (206)-386-1050 or email preschool@seattl.gov.
The program is available to all Seattle families with children who are three or four years old on or by August 31, the start of the program year. Learn more about SPP here.
Did you enjoy this blog post? Then consider donating to Converge and supporting our mission here.
