Preschool

Our preschool students learn right alongside their special education peers in our early learning classrooms. These tuition-based spots in our special education preschool program are a unique opportunity for young learners to thrive alongside our students with disabilities to play, learn, and grow together. This program is available to children ages three to four. Students must turn 3 by August 31.

If your child turns five years old on or before August 31, they are age-appropriate for kindergarten and will not be eligible for preschool. See information about kindergarten.

Preschool is offered half-day for an AM (9:20–11:50 am) or PM (1:10–3:40 pm) session:

• 2-day-a-week program (Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday) for 2.5 hours each day. Tuition: $165 per month.
• 4-day-a-week program (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday). Tuition: $280 per month.

There is a 10% discount if tuition is paid for the entire school year at once (discount only available in September). Tuition will not be prorated because of illness, vacations, holidays, conferences, weather, etc. No tuition is charged for the month of June to account for these non-school days. All preschool students will follow state immunization guidelines.

Reduced-rate tuition is available for households with a qualifying Child Nutrition Application on file. Applications must be current (applications open in August in Skyward Family Access) and the consent-to-share form must accompany your completed application. Reduced rate tuition: $75/month. Learn more information about the Child Nutrition Application.

Application Steps

• Fill out the Preschool Application.
• Applications are processed in the order they are received. You'll receive an email with information and instructions on how to officially register your child in North Thurston Public Schools.
• Once official enrollment in complete, pay tuition (pay in full or set up a payment plan), and look forward to more communication from your early learning center in the fall!

2025-26 Preschool Application

NTPS Preschools are designed primarily for children with special education needs to play and learn with some typically-developing peers. Our Special Education Preschool students are identified through early intervention screenings and Child Find evaluations referred by caregivers or healthcare providers.

Do you think your child may need special education preschool services? Please see our Child Find page for information on our early intervention screening and evaluation services for ages birth through five. The type of evaluation and available services are age-dependent.

Once identified as requiring special education services, families must complete student registration for their child, and they will be placed in one of our preschool classes. Student registration for Special Education Preschool uses paper forms — please follow the instructions below.