As Seattle Public Schools faces school closures due to declining enrollment and budget shortfalls, the city’s public preschool program is expanding to meet high demand. This year alone, the Seattle Preschool Program added 17 classrooms, now serving nearly 2,500 children across 99 sites and 154 classrooms, according to Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office. This initiative, a collaboration between the city and nearly 30 preschool providers, includes Seattle Public Schools, which manages about a third of these sites.
The Seattle Preschool Program is increasingly focusing on an inclusive learning model, known as Seattle Preschool Program Plus, which integrates students with special needs into regular classrooms. “It’s a creative endeavor in early learning,” remarked Whitney Smith, Seattle Public Schools’ interim director of early learning.
Early childhood education programs play a crucial role in shaping children’s futures, as research shows that children who attend such programs are more likely to graduate and succeed professionally. However, access to these programs remains limited for many families. This week, The Seattle Times is launching a new Education Lab initiative dedicated to early childhood education, aiming to highlight both the successes and challenges in preschool classrooms across Washington State.
One of these classrooms is the “Butterfly Room” at Benjamin Franklin Day Elementary School, where teacher Dylan Bosseau leads a diverse group of 3- to 5-year-olds. In this Seattle Preschool Program Plus class, children greet each other in various languages and learn to solve problems through discussion rather than conflict.
A Collaborative Effort to Increase Access
In 2014, an analysis found that about one-third of Seattle’s preschool-age children—around 12,000 children—were not enrolled in preschool. In response, Seattle’s Department of Education and Early Learning, Seattle Public Schools, the University of Washington, and local community childcare providers collaborated to create the Seattle Preschool Program. That same year, Seattle voters approved a $58 million property tax levy to fund a pilot program that launched with 14 classrooms in the 2015-16 school year.
As the program grew, educators recognized the diverse needs of their students. A 2018 report showed that nearly 30% of students were dual-language learners, with languages such as Spanish, Vietnamese, Amharic, Mandarin, Somali, and Oromo represented. This insight led to the creation of the “Plus” model, designed to foster inclusive, culturally responsive classrooms that support students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).
In November 2018, voters approved a seven-year, $619 million Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy, transitioning the program from pilot status and allocating funds to help close racial and economic education gaps. The Seattle Preschool Program charges tuition on a sliding scale based on household income, with 62% of families currently paying no tuition. Children with IEPs enrolled in Plus programs attend for free. Presently, about three-quarters of students in the program are from non-white backgrounds.
Building an Inclusive Community
The Seattle Preschool Program Plus provides full-day classes, Monday through Friday, in alignment with the regular school calendar. This structure is unusual in early learning programs, which often offer only half-day sessions. The Plus model minimizes logistical challenges for families, who otherwise might need to transport children between locations for special education services. The extended class time also helps students develop both academic and social skills.
Each Plus class has a maximum of 18 students, with about a third of seats designated for children with IEPs. Instruction is led by both a certified lead teacher and a special education teacher, supported by additional instructional staff.
At B.F. Day Elementary, which has hosted two SPP Plus classrooms since 2017, teacher Dylan Bosseau collaborates with special education teacher Claire McCallum and assistants James Wilson and Vicki Stewart. Before the school year begins, they review IEPs for each student and work with families to create tailored instructional plans. Each child in the classroom, whether they have an IEP or not, receives one-on-one, small-group, and whole-class instruction based on their unique needs.
“Our primary goal,” said Bosseau, “is to help children learn how to be part of a community. That’s valuable throughout life, even for adults.” Problem-solving is another key focus, providing skills that children can use as they progress through school and beyond. In the Butterfly Room, Bosseau and his students use a structured six-step approach to resolve conflicts and navigate new challenges.
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