Is Seattle headed toward preschool for all? Another expansion announced for 2024-25

The Seattle Preschool Program will serve nearly 2,500 children next school year, thanks to a 16-classroom expansion that will create 279 additional slots.

Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the $3.5 million expansion Monday, and encouraged any city resident with a 3- or 4-year-old child to apply.

"Our commitment through programs like the Seattle Preschool Program is that every child, every neighborhood in our city can access education and opportunities to build the future that they deserve — that they have a right to," he said.

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The pre-kindergarten program has expanded every year since it launched in 2015.

The goal is to improve kindergarten readiness for all Seattle kids — but especially children of color, those experiencing homelessness, or children in foster care who are less likely to be able to afford or access quality early education.

State data shows readiness rates for Indigenous, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and Black children remain substantially below their white and Asian peers.

Harrell said Monday that about 70% of families currently in the program pay no tuition, because program costs are calculated based on household income and family size. About three in four kids identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color.