Washington, DC has a long history as a leader in providing early childhood education (ECE) and leads the nation in access to Pre-K for both 3- and 4-year old children. Access to high-quality, affordable childcare is a critical need for families across the District, and DCPS is proud to provide free, universal Pre-K in a school environment to ensure all of our young learners are ready for kindergarten. Many of the very best Pre-K classrooms in the region can be found in DCPS!
2024 Pre-K Summer Family Magazine
This magazine is designed to support returning and new DCPS Pre-K families. It includes information about the Pre-K classroom experience, key dates, helpful links, answers to frequently asked questions, and ideas for supporting Pre-K children’s learning over the summer as they transition into school. View the magazines in your language here:
Pre-K Enrollment
To enroll new 3- and 4-year-olds in school, families must apply through the My School DC lottery. Families may enroll children in PK3 if the child is at least 3 years old and in PK4 if the child is at least 4 years old, respectively, by September 30. The DCPS Early Action Pre-Kindergarten program provides guaranteed access for in-boundary students applying to Pre-K at participating schools. Learn more here.
Children do NOT have to be toileting independently in order to enroll and attend DCPS Early Childhood programs. If your child is still working on toilet-learning, please work with your child’s teacher on strategies to support your child in developing this skill.
Head Start
DCPS offers Head Start at six of our elementary schools in Wards 7 and 8 – CW Harris, Hendley, Kimball, ML King, Savoy and Stanton. Families who are enrolled in PK at these schools are also eligible for Head Start if they qualify. Families must be income eligible (at or below 100% of the federal poverty guidelines), on TANF, SNAP, or SSI, in foster care or homeless to qualify for Head Start. Head Start services include intensive case management/support, wellness services (e.g., counseling and training), field trips, health services, parent education and help with uniforms. Review DCPS' Head Start Annual Report for School Year 2022-2023.
The DCPS Head Start program is a two-generation approach to supporting family self-sufficiency and school readiness for children. Families in Head Start have opportunities to serve on school-based Parent Committees to weigh in on program design and services. Families also can serve on a DCPS-wide Policy Council, a governing body that works with DCPS Head Start staff to design and oversee the program.
Equitable Access Designated Seats
The Equitable Access Designated Seats program is designed to expand access to Prekindergarten seats at DC Public Schools for students furthest from opportunity. Families who meet the criteria will receive additional considerations in the school lottery process when applying for certain schools. Learn more about this program and how to apply.
ECE Fast Facts
- DCPS enrolls nearly 6,000 Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 students across all elementary schools.
- DCPS enrolls 250 Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 students in Head Start.
- More than 92 percent of early childhood students at DCPS are meeting or exceeding developmental expectations.
- DCPS supports 63 Pre-K self-contained special education classrooms to meet the needs of all children’s developmental and learning differences.
- Children who enroll in DCPS Pre-K programs outperform national literacy averages upon kindergarten entry.
- DCPS is among the few jurisdictions that require our Pre-K teachers to have at least a bachelor’s degree, and many of our teachers exceed that minimum requirement. We are also among the few that pay our Pre-K teachers on the same salary scale as our K-12 educators and provide ongoing professional development for all teachers.
- Washington, DC invested over $100 million to expand early childhood education opportunities – including opening the Stevens Early Learning Center in August 2020; renovating the Old Randle Highlands and Old Miner school buildings; as well as, new programming at Amidon-Bowen, Bunker Hill, Garfield, Whitlock, and Wheatley – to offer more infant and toddler seats in the coming years. In August 2021, DCPS opened the Military Road Early Learning Center in the historic Brightwood neighborhood. The center exclusively serves PK3 and PK4 children.
Program Overview
At DCPS we believe that all young children are capable and competent learners, and their voices and ideas are welcomed and valued in our classrooms. In DCPS’ early childhood classrooms children learn through a combination of play, teacher-led lessons, and engaging learning experiences. Classrooms are designed to promote children’s active engagement with the environment, and teachers design learning experiences to promote children’s language development, critical thinking skills, creativity, and early academic skills in order to ensure that children are well prepared for success in kindergarten and beyond.
Curriculum & Assessment
DCPS PreK classrooms utilize Creative Curriculum© which includes developmentally appropriate goals and objectives for children within four areas of development: social/emotional, physical, cognitive and language and are aligned to the DC Early Learning Standards.
DCPS is excited to introduce the Building Blocks© math curriculum in our Pre-K classrooms during the 23-24 School Year. Building Blocks is a nationally recognized, evidence-based curriculum that develops young children’s early mathematical knowledge by embedding mathematical learning throughout the day through hands-on, playful learning experiences. The Building Blocks curriculum is designed to help young children develop important thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving skills while also building their understanding in the core areas of early math learning:
- Number Sense
- Operations
- Measurement
- Geometry
- Patterns and Algebra
- Data Analysis and Classification
Utilizing the Building Blocks curriculum, our Pre-K students will develop their mathematical thinking and learning through play in the classroom centers, hands-on, teacher-led mathematical experiences, dramatic play, songs, and stories.
Throughout the day, teachers are observing children and gathering information about their skills and understandings to guide their planning. These observations, along with children’s work, are documented in our assessment platform Teaching Strategies GOLD. Three times a year, using the information captured in GOLD©, teachers determine where each child is in their development in a variety of objectives or standards and share the information with families.
For Families
At DCPS we know that families are children’s first and most important teachers. Family engagement and well-being are essential to children’s success in school.
All Pre-K children have access to mental health support and social work services offered through the school community. In Title I schools, families can also receive support through case management, family engagement opportunities, and connections with community-based organizations to provide additional support.
Do you have a toddler or two-year-old? Join Ready for Pre-K! This exciting new initiative is dedicated to helping parents and caregivers of two-year-olds support their child’s development and learning at home! Each monthly, virtual learning session will focus on a different area of learning that is closely related to children’s success in Pre-Kindergarten and beyond. Gain insight into your child’s development, ask questions, access a variety of educational resources, and get to know DCPS! Learn more here!
Early Childhood Transition Week
DCPS Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 classrooms operate on the regular school system calendar, except for Early Childhood Transition Week. This special transition period occurs during the first week of the school year. To help ease the transition from home or daycare to school, Pre-K3 and Pre-K4 start with a shortened week. The first day of Pre-K for SY 23-24 is Thursday, August 31st, 2023.
Before Care and Afterschool Services
Many schools offer before care and afterschool services. Children enrolled in afterschool programming receive a free supper as part of the program. Program costs are determined based on a sliding-fee scale. Visit our Afterschool Programs page for more information.
