Washington lawmakers cut 2,000 spots from the state's free Transition to Kindergarten program during the 2026 legislative session and, for the first time, authorized schools to charge sliding-scale fees for a program that had cost families nothing.

For Seattle parents of 4-year-olds in neighborhoods where many of the children arrive at kindergarten below state readiness benchmarks, the question is immediate: will their child have a seat this fall, and will it still be free?

The Legislature did not specify fee amounts. Individual districts will set their own sliding scales, which have not been published.

What TK is

TK is a state-funded, full-school-day pre-K program for 4-year-olds, taught by certified teachers inside neighborhood public schools. It grew from roughly 500 spots statewide in 2020 to more than 7,000 this past year, according to the Seattle Times Education Lab.

The program fills a gap for families who earn too much for the state's ECEAP program (about $50,000 for a family of four) but cannot cover King County's median monthly childcare cost of $1,881, according to Child Care Aware of Washington.

Samantha Bowen, executive director of early learning at the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, said the cuts undermine the broader early learning system even as ECEAP expands separately through a $170-million-per-year, decade-long Ballmer Group donation.

"If we're cutting another program, then that becomes a moot point," Bowen told the Seattle Times. "We're really not growing the system as a whole."

State Superintendent Chris Reykdal criticized the reductions at a May press conference, saying they amount to an "austerity approach." He said on May 5 that he plans to prioritize maintaining TK at schools in rural areas and those with high poverty rates. No similar commitment has been made for urban Title I schools in Seattle.

What we don't know about Seattle

Seattle Public Schools has not publicly identified which of its elementary schools, if any, host the state's full-year TK program. The district's website lists a "Transition Into Kindergarten" summer orientation at 23 schools, including south end sites like Emerson Elementary, Wing Luke Elementary, Graham Hill Elementary, and South Shore Elementary.

That is a separate, brief summer program for incoming kindergartners.

The nearest confirmed full-year TK classroom is at Mount View Elementary in the Highline School District, where teacher Lisa Giamberso runs a program called "ReadyK."

No source confirms how many of the 2,000 cut spots were in King County or SPS-area schools. The cuts are described statewide only.

Why readiness data raises the stakes

In the 2025-26 school year, 27% of all Seattle children entering public school kindergarten did not meet the six readiness benchmarks measured by the state's WaKIDS assessment, according to OSPI data.

For low-income children, the number is 49%.

These are the families TK was built to reach. SPS preschool and kindergarten classrooms open Tuesday, September 8, for the 2026-27 school year.

What families can do

Families seeking to confirm whether their neighborhood school offers the full-year state TK program should contact SPS Early Learning at [email protected] or 206-252-0600. Public records requests can be filed under Washington's Public Records Act (RCW 42.56) at seattleschools.org/departments/legal-services/public-records-requests.

The City Council's FEPP Levy committee votes Wednesday, July 22, on a separate proposal to delay universal free school meals at SPS by one year.