Seattle Preschool Program students at La Escuelita Bilingual Preschool welcome DEEL Director, Dr. Dwane Chappelle, Councilmember Tammy Morales, and Mayor Bruce Harrell to class by a chorus of “Bienvenidos”.

Seattle’s award-winning preschool program is expanding to 89 sites citywide, including 22 dual-language classrooms supporting instruction in eight languages.

This morning in Columbia City, DEEL welcomed its newest partner into the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP). La Escuelita Bilingual School will add three new dual-language classrooms to the program—two in Columbia City and one at their Greenlake location.

Mayor Bruce Harrell, Councilmember Tammy Morales, La Escuelita Education Director MariSol Masso Lincoln, and preschool parent Rosa Aguilar, all spoke at this morning’s press conference to announce the seven-classroom expansion of SPP and the opening of applications for the 2023-2024 school year.

Read the full press announcement on Mayor Harrell’s blog and get the full list of expansion sites here.

Research shows that children who attend high-quality preschool programs have better academic and life outcomes and are more likely to have better grades, graduate, attend college, and enjoy better mental and physical health. SPP is designed to provide equitable access to high-quality early learning experiences for all Seattle’s children, regardless of background, zip code, or household income.

Parents can learn more and apply at seattle.gov/applyspp, email preschool@seattle.gov or call 206-386-1050. Applications are available in multiple languages, and in-language support is available to guide parents through the application process. A full list of SPP providers is accessible online at seattle.gov/applyspp.