Seattle Preschool Program Students led by their teachers during outdoor play time. Photo courtesy: DEEL Blog stats: 1,100 words | 5-minute read
Summary:
- Thanks to voter-approved funding from the Seattle Transit Measure, traveling to and from preschool is easier for Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) families.
- This school year, the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) are partnering to give eligible Seattle Preschool Program families no-cost ORCA cards to help meet their transportation needs.
- Since launching in 2023, this partnership has been a big step in supporting Seattle’s families. The program reduces the financial burden of transportation and supports our youngest learners in accessing high-quality preschool.
- If your family is enrolled in the Seattle Preschool Program and qualifies for free preschool, your ORCA card will arrive by mail soon.
- You can learn more and apply to the Seattle Preschool Program here.
Getting to and from preschool is more accessible for lower-income Seattle Preschool Program families, thanks to free ORCA cards funded by the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure.
SDOT and DEEL are partnering for a third year to provide eligible Seattle Preschool Program families with no-cost ORCA cards to help meet their transportation needs. This program is intended to reduce transportation barriers and ensure families have the support they need to access preschool and other essential services.
The Seattle Preschool Program helps prepare Seattle three and four-year-olds for kindergarten in partnership with community-based organizations, Family Child Care providers, and Seattle Public Schools. SPP offers dual-language classrooms, extended day care options, and educators specialized in serving children with behavioral or developmental needs.
The free ORCA cards are funded by the Seattle Transit Measure (STM). Families with incomes at or below 94% of the State Median Income or 350% of the Federal Poverty Level are eligible. This is the same criteria used for free SPP tuition.
Did you know? In the 2025-2026 school year, the City of Seattle expanded the Seattle Preschool Program, adding nine preschool classrooms serving more than 160 students.
If your family is enrolled in the Seattle Preschool Program and qualifies for free preschool, we will mail you one free ORCA card for your family to use for unlimited transit rides.
The cards offer unlimited use on public transit through August 31, 2026. This includes King County Metro buses, Sound Transit buses and Link light rail, King County Water Taxi, Seattle Streetcar, and Seattle Center Monorail. Families don’t need to take any additional action. The ORCA cards will be mailed directly to eligible households.
This partnership is a big step in supporting Seattle’s families. We are reducing the financial burden of transportation and supporting our youngest residents in attending preschool.
Consistent attendance during preschool years is associated with higher reading and math skills, as well as better scores on achievement tests compared to non-preschool enrollment, according to a recent U.S. Census study.
With these new ORCA cards, families will have greater flexibility and predictability in taking their children to preschool and moving throughout the city.
Below, we welcome you to learn more about how the program has impacted people’s lives in Seattle in their own words.
“Thank you so much! This card provides an easy way to get to and from school. We are so grateful as we do not have a vehicle at the moment and every little bit helps to make our lives easier. We’ve been able to attend school functions and visit classmates. Also attended our spiritual services downtown.”
“We have used our free ORCA card to get to preschool AND to help take my daughter on free activities and adventures throughout the city. We love this program and appreciate it so much thank you!”
“My family would have made do this year, but having the ORCA eliminated so many barriers related to school but also helping us have a “normal” life. Going to play dates, getting to library story time, experiencing so many of the free activities Seattle offers. Typically transportation is a hurdle for us but this year it was not. We are better for the experiences it allowed us to have.”
“In addition to the amazing educational gift of pre-K with the Rosen Pre School at the HDSC, I wanted to send over a small note of tremendous gratitude for the ORCA card through SDOT. We have been able to participate in so many wonderful free programs because of the free transportation. Just last week we were able to attend Crafternoon at the central library, First Thursday at the Seattle Art Museum, First Friday Art walk in the CD, listen to the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall and attend ASL storytime at the Kenmore library. Without the support we may have been able to attend one of the events, but having the ORCA card makes it so we don’t have to be limited by our finances to get to available programming. It is such a powerful freedom to have so many more opportunities that we wouldn’t otherwise have. Thank you for making this year that much more educational and fun! We are so thankful for our ORCA card and will make the most of our access for the remainder of the time we have it.”
“The ORCA card we received was such a gamechanger for my family. Not having to consider every ride cost gave us the opportunity to try so many things in the city and region. We attended every free event we could. Free museum Thursday? We were there. Juneteenth at NAAM? Celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day? Crafternoon at the Central Library? Cartoon Happy Hour at Central Cinema? The ORCA card we received allowed us to be there for all those things and more. We didn’t have to constrain ourselves to one activity a week because of our small budget. I think we did more in the first month with our ORCA card than we had done in previous years. Reflecting on how many barriers it eliminated for us makes me even more grateful for the gift we were given. I’m honestly not looking forward to life without it next year.”
To learn more:
- Enrollment for the 2025-26 school year is still available. Parents can learn more about Seattle Preschool Program sites and how to start the application process at seattle.gov/applySPP.
- Translated applications:
- Application and in-language support is available by contacting DEEL at 206-386-1050 or emailing preschool@seattle.gov.
- For more information on the Seattle Preschool Program visit the DEEL webpage.
- To learn more about the ORCA card program and its benefits, visit the SDOT webpage.