SEATTLE, Wash. — Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced the first 14 classrooms to participate in the Seattle Preschool Program, a voter-approved initiative to subsidize education for 3- and 4-year-olds.
This fall, the program will serve about 230 students. Four providers were accepted into the program, each with multiple classrooms. In total, they serve 12 classrooms.
The Seattle school board will hold a vote on whether they will participate with two classrooms of their own, making a total of 14 for the first year of the program.
The city of Seattle has chosen:
-Causey's Learning Center
-Community Day School Association
-Sound Childcare Solutions
-Creative Kids
The classrooms are located in the Central District, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Delridge, Leschi, Downtown, Mt. Baker, and Greenwood.
Parents interested in sending their children to one of these classrooms should apply here.
All 4-year-olds in the city, regardless of income level, are eligible to apply, while only 3-year-olds who are from households 300 percent and below of federal poverty level are eligible to apply.
300 percent of 2015 federal poverty level is equivalent to a family of four making about $72,000.
Any family of four making $72,000 or less would qualify for free tuition, and those making more would get subsidies on a sliding scale. A family of four making $120,000, for example, would qualify for 50 percent off tuition.
Tuition at any of these regulated preschools is estimated at about $10,000.
"This is a city that continues to be frustrated with the outcomes based on race, and the disparity we experience when it comes to income," said Murray.
He said this program is one way to bridge the gap, giving low-income families a head start for their children to perform equal to their peers and have a better chance of graduating high school.
Taxpayers voted to contribute a rate equivalent to about $55 a year for someone who owns a $500,000 house.
Only four providers were approved, out of five total applicants.
Holly Miller, the interim director of the city's department of education and early learning, said the low number of applicants reflects what is demanded.
"The standards that this program has are very high," Miller said.
To qualify, a provider must be licensed and receive a high rating from the Washington Department of Early Learning.
Their teachers also have to have degrees and certification in early childhood education or be enrolled in courses to obtain them.
The city also sets a minimum pay scale for these teachers.
Ruth Brown, the executive director of Causey's Early Learning Center, said she holds a master's degree in education.
"Well educated teachers have a major impact on the quality of children's learning," she said.
The participating providers are using one of two approved, play-based curricula.
The Seattle Preschool Program is set to expand to more classrooms the following year, ultimately serving about 2,000 children in its fourth year.
"I think that we will be back here in a very short period of time, with the voters in this city saying, why are we waiting 4 years to go bigger?" Murray said
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