(L to R) Mary Hendrix, Hoa Mai Co-lead SPP teacher, Dolly Saiyagone, Class teacher-assistant, Nu Tuyệt, class co-lead teacher, Leilani Dela Cruz, DEEL Early Learning Director, Gloria Hodge, Hoa Mai center director, Dwane Chappelle, DEEL Director. Hoa Mai is one of the first SPP partners when it launched in 2015.

SPP meets FEPP Levy expansion target of 2,500 with 90% enrollment rate 

This school year, the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) is celebrating its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of providing early childhood education and preparing 11,421 of Seattle’s 3- and 4-year-olds for kindergarten.  

Following voter support for the 2014 Seattle Preschool Levy, SPP launched in the fall of 2015 with 15 classrooms across 13 sites offering 280 seats in partnership with four providers. Ten years later, in the 2025-26 school year and funded by the 2018 Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) Levy, SPP has 156 classrooms, 104 sites citywide, 29 service providers, and the capacity to serve over 2,500 children. 

Mayor Harrell’s Every Child Ready Initiative seeks to expand SPP further, adding 600 seats to the program through 2032 with funding through a renewal of the FEPP Levy. Voters will consider this proposal on the Fall 2025 ballot. 

“I am proud of the impact the Seattle Preschool Program has made for thousands of our city’s children over the last decade – preparing them for a bright future in school and in life,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “During my tenure on City Council, I was proud to sponsor the legislation that created the Seattle Preschool Program. SPP has continuously grown each year of the levy thanks to strategic partnerships with early learning centers, family childcare providers, and Seattle Public Schools so that all children across Seattle have access to high-quality and affordable preschool.” 

“For 10 years the Seattle Preschool Program has been helping working families have access to affordable and high-quality care for their children. The education and social-emotional skills that SPP provides sets these kids up for success so when they start Kindergarten, they are ready to learn and confident,” said Councilmember Maritza Rivera, Chair of the Libraries, Education and Neighborhoods Committee. “I am proud of the education and care that the SPP’s teachers provide and look forward to serving even more of our city’s youngest learners.” 

“The goal of the Seattle Preschool Program is to provide children with a safe and nurturing environment to learn and grow during their most formative years, regardless of income or zip code,” said Dr. Dwane Chappelle, DEEL Director. “To reach 10-years of providing high-quality preschool to our city’s 3 and 4-year-olds is a huge milestone. I am grateful to our SPP teachers, directors, and partners for their dedication to Seattle families and children.” 

A research team from Education Northwest and American Institutes for Research are engaged in a multi-year evaluation of the Seattle Preschool Program’s long-term impacts. Preliminary analysis of the SY 2017-18 cohort found that children who participated in SPP not only were significantly more likely to meet kindergarten readiness standards (based on WaKIDS assessment) than a comparison group of children attending state-funded preschool but also met standards in 3rd grade reading and math at higher rates relative to the control group. The full evaluation report can be found on DEEL’s website.     

SPP has been recognized for seven consecutive years by CityHealth and the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) for its high quality, accessible Pre-K programming, receiving silver medals from 2018 to 2021 and gold medals from 2022 to 2024. SPP received its third gold medal in 2024 for the city’s publicly funded preschools, which includes SPP, Seattle’s Pathway program, and the Early Childhood Education Assistance Program (ECEAP).  

In the 2023-24 school year, the most recent year for which data is available, 83% of SPP participants met age-appropriate widely held expectations for development in social-emotional, cognitive, literacy, language, physical, and mathematical domains. SPP is proud to provide tuition assistance to families, with 48% of children served from low-income households. In SY 2023-24, SPP served nearly 2,200 students, with 75% identifying as students of color.  In the 2025 family survey for SPP, 96% of families said they were satisfied with their child’s overall experience, including satisfaction with their child’s teacher. Families said they also saw a positive change in their child’s language, literary, physical, and social-emotional skills since enrolling in SPP, and 80% said their child’s math skills improved. 

The award-winning Seattle Preschool Program helps prepare the city’s three- and four-year-olds for kindergarten in partnership with community-based organizations, family child care providers, and Seattle Public Schools. SPP offers dual-language classrooms, extended day care options, and educators specializing in serving children with behavioral or developmental needs. SPP provides free tuition to most Seattle families who apply, with rates calculated based on household income and family size to advance educational equity and reduce race-based opportunity gaps in kindergarten readiness.   

Enrollment for the 2025-26 school year is still open. Parents can learn more about Seattle Preschool Program and how to start the application process at seattle.gov/applySPP. 

What People Are Saying: 

“Hoa Mai is grateful for the opportunity and partnership with the Seattle Preschool Program through the years; not only has it provided resources and family engagement and tuition savings for families but an opportunity for an intentional practice within our classrooms with SPP,” said Gloria Hodge, Center Director of Hoa Mai Preschool. “As a dual language program with the children learning in Vietnamese and English, it is one of the first in the Northwest and throughout the nation to have this program. With literacy, music, arts, and social emotional development, the partnership has really been imperative for us to succeed.” 

“We deeply appreciate the City’s groundbreaking partnership in the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP), which has prepared thousands of students for a strong start in kindergarten,” said Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Fred Podesta. “Beyond the classroom, SPP strengthens the fabric of our communities and makes Seattle an even better place to raise a family. It has been an honor to watch the program flourish over the past decade, and on behalf of Seattle Public Schools, we look forward to seeing many more students benefit from this partnership for decades to come.” 

“The partnership between SEA, SPS, and SPP provides high quality preschool experiences that help to prepare families for Kindergarten, and the K-12 system to welcome them in developmentally appropriate ways,” Levy Oversight Committee member, Girard Montejo-Thompson. “It is proof of the importance and positive impact of public funds being used for the public good.” 

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