Prekindergarten Services
Information Regarding Preschool Services and Application
School District of Philadelphia Prekindergarten (Pre-K) Services
The School District of Philadelphia directly provides free, full-day preschool services to more than 9,500 children (ages 3-5) in partnership with Pre-K Counts, Head Start Partners and PHL PreK. It is important that you start the process of enrolling your child as soon as you know you will want preschool services. Entering children must be three years old by September 1, and five year olds after September 1. Children who are five before September 1 must apply to Kindergarten.
Why Pre-K?
- Pre-K prepares your child for Kindergarten by giving them an advantage in literacy, language, math and social/emotional skills.
- Pre-K reduces special education placements by nearly half through 2nd grade.
- Pre-K reduces grade repetition by as much as a third through 8th grade
Find a high quality Pre-K in your area:
Search for School Based Preschool Locations by Zip Code – For more information regarding School-based Prekindergarten programs call 215-400-4270. Someone from the intake team will respond as quickly as possible.
Search for Pre-K Partner Locations and Contact Information by Zip Code – For more information regarding School-based Prekindergarten programs call 215-400-4270. Someone from the intake team will respond as quickly as possible.
Bright Futures & Prekindergarten Head Start Preschool Programs
Joy Diljohn, Executive Director
Bright Futures Prekindergarten is available to families with three and four year old children who meet the income requirements set by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Prekindergarten Head Start provides early childhood services to three and four year old children whose families meet the income requirements set by the Federal Head Start program.
Pre-K Counts, Community Childcare Centers & Partner Locations
Michelle Linder-Coates, Executive Director
Pre-K Counts Partnerships — The School District of Philadelphia partners with 50 community agencies at 64 center locations through Pennsylvania’s new Pre-K Counts program. Children in the program receive high quality early childhood services aligned with Pennsylvania’s state standards.
Head Start Partnerships — The School District partners with 25 community child care organizations to provide educational, health, and nutritional Head Start services to three and four year old in 39 centers. The District and the partners work together to ensure that all children receive high quality programs so that they arrive at school ready to learn. The program is state funded and free to eligible families.
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides a daily nutritional breakfast, lunch and snack for your child while enrolled in prekindergarten at no cost to families.
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR%20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or fax:(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or email: program.intake@usda.gov This institution is an equal opportunity provider.