The Seattle School Board affirmed the value of early education and all-day kindergarten last week when they voted to approve the expansion of Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) classrooms and to accept state subsidy for full day kindergarten in all of the district’s elementary and K-8 schools.
The Board also approved the continuing operation of three SPP classrooms that opened last Fall at Bailey Gatzert, Van Asselt and “Original” Van Asselt. SPP is the voter-approved initiative to broaden high quality early learning opportunities in Seattle.
In Fall 2016, four additional classrooms will open, bringing district-run, city-funded preschool to Thornton Creek in Northeast Seattle, as well as Arbor Heights, Highland Park, and K-7 STEM, all in West Seattle. Enrollment for these classrooms, which will operate on the same school-day schedule as the other grades in their buildings, will begin on March 28. Tuition is subsidized for families with incomes at or below 300% of the federal poverty guidelines.
Additionally, the Board approved accepting state subsidy for full day kindergarten at all Seattle elementary and K-8 schools. This signals that beginning in the 2016-17 school year, families will no longer pay tuition for a full 6-hour day of kindergarten. It also means SPS will provide:
- Family Connections visits: an opportunity for families to meet individually with their child’s kindergarten teacher at the beginning of the school year.
- District-wide implementation of the WaKIDS whole child observational assessment – an inventory of how each child is developing skills in six areas (social-emotional, physical, cognitive, language, literacy and mathematics). WaKIDS helps teachers find out what each child knows and can do at the beginning of the school year. Knowing more about children’s entering skills and strengths helps teachers and parents work together to support student growth in the kindergarten year.
- Stronger collaborations between schools with community-based early learning centers and childcare providers who teach and care for children prior to kindergarten.
