Yes. Any new student wanting to attend preschool, or any student that previously withdrew (prior to the last day of the previous year) from preschool in Tacoma Public Schools, must complete the pre-school application. 

Families whose child participates in Playgroup during the current school year do not need to reapply. Our Early Learning team will reach out to you directly for full-day preschool options. 

If you have moved into Tacoma Public Schools from another school district and your child has an existing IEP or you need to schedule an evaluation, please contact Child Find at 253-571-2610 for assistance with preschool placement.

Families do not apply for a specific program or school location. Students are placed in a program and location based on the qualifying factors below. The following are considered for priority enrollment into one of our preschool programs.  

The first qualifying factor for acceptance is your permanent address.  

Families requesting placement at their neighborhood school are given priority. Families requesting a school other than their neighborhood school will be considered if space is available. 

The second qualifying factor is age. 

Children must be three or four years old on or before Aug. 31.   

• Priority is given to students who turn four years old on or before Aug. 31 for all programs. 

• Transition to Kindergarten: Students must be at least four years old on or before Aug. 31. If your child is three or younger, they do not qualify for the TTK program. 

The third qualifying factor is income.  

Priority is given to families with an annual household income below 500% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). For families at or above 501%, tuition will be charged per month during the school year.  

Families on the waitlist or with a current TPS preschool placement will be prioritized by the same qualifying factors as slots become available. All families that reside outside of the Tacoma School District boundaries requesting placement will be placed if space is available at the end of June 

Federal poverty levels (FPL) are issued each year by the Department of Health and Human Services.  To maintain funding for Head Start and ECEAP we must follow income eligibility requirements based on FPL. For placement into Head Start and ECEAP families within level one and two on the chart below receive priority.

For Transition to Kindergarten, families with an annual income at or below a level 5 will qualify for free preschool. Families above level 5 will be charged monthly tuition. 

In an effort to reduce spending, the State of Washington cut funding for TTK. They prioritized state-funding for families whose household income qualifies as low income, as well as programs in small or rural school districts.  

Due to these cuts from the State, Tacoma Public Schools will have an estimated 43% reduction in state-funded TTK spots for the 2026-27 school year. Adding a tuition option for families whose household income does not qualify as low income is the only way we can keep a TTK program in most of our elementary schools. 

For families at or above 501% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), tuition will be set at $1,450 per month for the 2026-27 school year for TTK programs only.  

Head Start and ECEAP programs do not charge tuition. Families must meet household income eligibility requirements to be placed in these programs.

You will be contacted directly by our preschool team within 15 business days of applying.  

You’ll be notified in your acceptance notification. (School placement may change due to enrollment numbers. You will be notified by June 30 if there are any changes to your original placement.) 

All preschool programs require the following:

• Proof of student's age
• Child's immunization records (shot records)
• (2) Address verification documents. Examples include, a current utility bill, cable bill, rental/lease agreement, mortgage statement can be used to document residency.
• Proof of income (see below for examples) 

Families must provide proof of income for the last 12 months. Any of the following can be used:

• Last year's income tax return (1040)
• W-2 statements
• 12 months of pay stubs (if W2 is unavailable)
• Employer letter stating (12) months of total gross earnings
• Award letter provided by the state for qualifying public assistance programs.

We want ALL of our students to enter kindergarten prepared to learn and succeed, and we want to offer every possible opportunity to make that happen. As a result, we will offer both state-funded and tuition-based spaces in TTK.  

We will offer the same programs as the 2025-26 school year, although the number of spaces available for the Transition to Kindergarten (TTK) program will be reduced in the 26-27 school year. 

Programs include:   

• HeadStart 
• ECEAP 
• Playgroup 
• Transition to Kindergarten (TTK) 
• Specialized

The Transition to Kindergarten (TTK) program serves students who are at least 4 years old by Aug. 31. Some funds for this program are provided by the State to directly support low-income families who do not have access to high-quality early learning opportunities. 
 
Data shows that TTK students enter kindergarten better prepared than their peers. Each year, students who participated in TK outperform their peers on the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS), which measures readiness across six developmental domains: cognitive, language, literacy, mathematics, physical, and social-emotional development. 

Washington state law requires any child attending in-person or online school, preschool, or childcare to show proof of the required vaccines for their age.

View vaccine requirements

Learn more about transportation eligibility here.  

All kindergarten students are guaranteed a placement at their neighborhood school.

If you would like your child to attend kindergarten at a school outside of your neighborhood boundary, you are required to apply for choice enrollment i Please visit the district enrollment page for additional information. 

In an effort to serve the preschool needs of our Tacoma School District families, the District has partnered with Green Trike, North Tacoma Co-op, Multi-cultural Child and Family Hope Center, the Bezos Academy, and Childcare Aware.  These early learning partners have preschool/childcare classrooms in various locations across the Tacoma School District. Please contact these partners for more information regarding enrollment and program options.

Green Trike

North Tacoma Co-op

Multi-cultural Child and Family Hope Center

Bezos Academy

Childcare Aware