Washougal School District plans return of community education preschool

The Washougal School District is tentatively planning to bring back its tuition-based Community Education Preschool program for the 2025-26 school year.

“Many community members have encouraged us to prioritize having a preschool program that’s run through the school district,” Superintendent Aaron Hansen said. “And we have staff who were really committed to that program that have also encouraged us to consider (bringing it back).”

The district sent a survey to families in February to gauge interest in restarting its Community Education Preschool program, which was suspended for the 2024-25 school year due to declining enrollment.

The district currently offers four free Transition to Kindergarten classes, known as TK, one in each of its four elementary schools. The TK program helps 4-year-olds who haven’t had a chance to attend preschool prepare for kindergarten. They attend five full-day classes per week.

What happens with state funding for that program will affect the district’s approach to the Community Education Preschool, Hansen said. The district is eyeing monthly preschool tuition of $600 a week for 3- and 4-year-old students to attend four half-days per week.

“We’re waiting for legislative decisions that will impact our funding model, and it’s really challenging for families because they’re (wanting to) make the decisions now about what program their 3- or 4-year-old is going to be in,” Hansen said. “They have to make a choice.”

The district encountered a $300,000 shortfall after budgeting for four TK classes for the current school year only to find out later that the Legislature committed fewer funds than originally anticipated.

“If the legislators fully fund TK for next year, and we are able to maximize the number of sections of 4-year-olds who qualify for the program, then we may see fewer families access what would be our Community Education Preschool program,” Hansen said. “But if the legislative decision is to cap TK with fewer students, then maybe we will have more community-ed students (who) didn’t qualify for TK because there were fewer seats for TK.”

Hansen said that in order to return for the 2025-26 school year, the tuition-based program would have to “fund itself” by enrolling at least 16 students.

The district is also considering offering a full-day option if it receives enough interest in doing so.

“The numbers look promising,” Hansen said. “But some of the parents that have completed the survey are also interested in TK.”

Hansen said that Community Education Preschool enrollment declined in recent years due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the addition of the TK program (which launched in 2021), and Washington’s declining birth rate.

“Right now, we have about 80 TK students,” he said. “The number of 4-year-olds we have now is roughly the same number of 4-year-olds that were in the Community Education Preschool program. We just don’t have 3-year-olds as a part of it.”

The district is accepting applications for its TK, Developmental Preschool, Birth to Three and Early Childhood Education Assistance programs for the 2025-26 school year. For more information, visit washougal.k12.wa.us.

Doug Flanagan: 360-735-4669; [email protected]