Seattle Preschool Program Expands with 7 New Classrooms for 2022-23 

Mayor Bruce Harrell and Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) Director Dwane Chappelle announced the opening of Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) applications for the 2022-23 school year. 

The city’s award-winning preschool program will expand with seven additional classrooms and 144 additional seats to provide high-quality preschool programming for Seattle three- and four-year-olds. Two of the new classrooms will offer dual-language programming, and two will offer SPP Plus, which provides inclusive programming for children with disabilities.  

“Access to high-quality early learning opportunities like the Seattle Preschool Program drives equity in our city and helps ensure every kid is on a path toward a strong and prosperous future,” said Mayor Harrell.  

SPP is offered by the DEEL in partnership with community-based providers and Seattle Public Schools, with 88 program sites available across the city. The number of slots available for the upcoming 2022-23 school year will increase to 2,144.  

SPP tuition is free for most Seattle families, with rates for higher income families calculated based on household income and family size. 

To better support student learning during the pandemic, DEEL has provided more than 8,700 home learning kits for SPP families to encourage parent engagement and support sensory exploration and important foundations for learning and development. DEEL is also offering providers the opportunity to extend SPP programming into the summer months for the second year in a row to provide children with supplemental learning opportunities to help them succeed in kindergarten despite the interruptions many experienced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The district is thrilled to enter the eighth year of our collaborative effort to expand early learning opportunities for children and families in the city of Seattle,” said Heather Brown, director of Early Learning for SPS. “Upon Board approval, DEEL funding will allow Seattle Public Schools to offer 644 overall seats, including a hundred inclusive seats for students with disabilities and two new preschool classrooms.”  

All families living in Seattle who have a child who will be either three- or four-years-old by August 31, 2022, are eligible to apply. Families who need language assistance completing the application process can contact DEEL at 206-386-1050 or email preschool@seattle.gov. 

New Seattle Preschool Program expansion sites for 2022-23 are as follows: 

• Child Care Resources (multiple locations) 
• Experimental Education Unit at University of Washington (University District) New classroom at existing SPP site; Will offer SPP Plus (inclusive programming for children with disabilities) and ECEAP* 
• Leschi Elementary School (SPS) New SPP classroom/site 
• Magnolia Elementary (SPS) New classroom at existing SPP site; Will offer SPP Plus (inclusive programming for children with disabilities)  
• Refugee and Immigrant Family Center Bilingual Preschool (SW Seattle – Delridge) New SPP classroom with existing partner program; Will offer dual-language programming (Spanish – English) and ECEAP* 
• Tiny Tots Development Center – Othello (South Seattle – Rainier Valley) New SPP classroom 
• Voices of Tomorrow Child and Family Center (South Seattle – Rainier Valley) Two new SPP classrooms Will offer dual-language programming (Somali – English) 

*ECEAP = Early Childhood Education Assistance Program, which includes funding from the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families