Full Day Kindergarten for the current school year 2012-13 
The rate for current school year is $2,720.00 per year, or $272.00 per month.
(The preliminary rate for next SY 2013-14 is $3,110.00, or $311.00 per month).

Seattle Public Schools offers full-day kindergarten, which provides young learners the time they need to engage in learning and build the social and academic skills they need to support learning throughout their education. Research shows that children participating in developmentally appropriate, full-day kindergarten make greater gains both socially and academically.

However, Washington state only provides school districts with enough funding to pay for half day kindergarten. To make full day kindergarten available at all Seattle Schools, the district must recover the costs for the non-funded portion of the kindergarten day by charging families a fee.

Payment

The fee for full day kindergarten for the current 2012-13 school year is $2,720.00. This can be paid in 10 monthly installments of $272.00 a month. Payments are due monthly by the 1st of each month from Sept. 1, 2012 through June 1, 2013. Families can also pay the entire amount of in advance. 

Seattle Public Schools now offers convenient automatic monthly payments direct from your bank account on the 5th of each school month. We are asking all families to sign up for this program, using the Authorization for Direct Payments form (ACH direct bank withdrawal)(or pdf form).  Please send in completed form asap to initiate payment by automatic bank withdrawal.

If any monthly fees due is not processed by ACH, due to late mid-month enrollment, or for whatever reason, please send in the unpaid monthly fees by check to the regular payment address: Seattle Public Schools, Attn: Full Day Kindergarten, MS 33-343, PO Box 34165, Seattle, WA 98124-1165, indicating student name, student ID number and school name on the check, plus (2)An aforementioned, signed Authorization for Direct Payments form for future ACH withdrawal, if not already sent.

For any payment question, please call District Accounting at 206-252-0275 or email FullDayK@Seattleschools.org

Automatic bank withdrawal (ACH) is most convenient and cost effective for both parents and district and is the preferred payment method. However, if it is not possible, payment can be done by checks, as described above, credit card(via www.PayPams.com).  Credit card payment involves a processing fee.

Parents/Guardians are responsible for payment monthly by the first of each month, if not fully paid.  Parents/Guardians will not be invoiced monthly.  However, a quarterly statement will be sent to their mailing address.  Accounts that are 90 days overdue will be sent to Collection, whereupon collection fees(20%) and interest will be assessed.

The Kindergarten fee is only waived for:

• All students at certain schools that are fully funded by the State. Click here for a list of such fully funded schools that offer free full day kindergarten.
• Students that have applied and approved by Nutrition Services for Free/Reduced priced meals (FRPM). The waiver is only effective for the months that the FRPM application is on eligibility approved status. For confidentiality reason, applicants must sign and return a consent to share eligibility status (front page of FRPM application) and check off the box for Full-day kindergarten program in order for District Accounting to have access to verify eligibility for this waiver. Therefore, please be sure not to miss front page of the FRPM application form. (However, do not submit the FRPM application until August 2012.  The complete application form for SY2012-13 is not updated until early August 2012, and will be mailed to all enrolled K student households then.  Do not submit the wrong year application form).  Click link here for info and the FRPM application form.
• Students who are approved for Free/Reduced priced meals by being "directly-certified" through DSHS.   A free and reduced meal application(with the front-page consent form included) is still necessary to get the kindergarten fee waiver. See link provided above.
• Students that are homeless.
• Special education students whose Individualized Education Program (IEP) minutes (excluding transportation) are greater than a half day.
• Students who are required by the district to repeat the kindergarten year.
• Active military personnel assigned to government housing in Seattle.

Unfortunately, the district cannot offer scholarships, and no fee discount or waiver is provided unless a student meets the above specific requirements.  No fee discount or waiver is allowed for Special education students whose IEP minutes are less than half day, Bilingual Education students, twins and multiples, Language immersion and Montessori kindergarten students.

For a list of frequently asked questions about full day kindergarten, click here.  If you have any questions, please call Accounting Department (206-252-0275 or email FullDayK@SeattleSchools.org.)

Half-Day Kindergarten

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• Students can opt to enroll for half-day program participation, which is free of charge. Most schools can accommodate kindergarten students who choose to attend for half of the program day. Please talk with the principal if you are interested in half-day participation only. Please also notify, after approval, in writing, SPS District Accounting Department at:  PO Box 34165, MS 33-343, Seattle, WA 98124-1165 or email FullDayK@SeattleSchools.org.
• Students participating in a language immersion program must attend full day kindergarten, and accept the full day kindergarten program fees.
  • There is a linked school or non-language immersion class at each school offering language immersion. Students assigned to John Stanford or McDonald may access free half-day kindergarten at B.F. Day. Students assigned to Concord or Beacon Hill may access free half-day kindergarten in the non-language immersion classroom.

List of schools with Kindergarten programs for school year 2012-13 

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As described earlier, only 19 state-fully-funded schools are fee-free. All the other schools charge a full day kindergarten fee unless you qualify for waiver(described above). The schools’ fee-status is listed as follows: