The Seattle City Council passed a resolution in September 2013 that begins the process of designing a voluntary Universal Pre-kindergarten program, Preschool for All, which would serve all three- and four-year-olds in Seattle whose families choose to enroll in the program.
Similar to federal Head Start and the state's ECEAP program, Preschool for All will include family engagement, health screenings, culturally appropriate language support, and connection to kindergarten readiness.
The program will likely have a sliding fee scale and be free for families at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level ($47,100 for a family of four). The proposed program must include an implementation phase-in plan and cost estimates for the program. In addition, the proposal must include a recommendation on how to integrate and align Preschool for All with current publicly funded programs. The proposal will also include recommendations for evaluating the effectiveness of the program including rigorous, ongoing, longitudinal evaluations.
Based on the September 2013 Resolution and subsequent study, the City's Office of Education is planning to submit its proposed "Action Plan" to the City Council in May 2014. The Action Plan will include detailed recommendations for the program design and the associated costs of high-quality Preschool for All. The Council is likely to make final decisions by the end of June 2014.
Public support on this issue is Seattle is extremely high—a recent poll found that 79 percent of people surveyed support creating a publicly funded, voluntary pre-K program.
