Iowa City schools launching full-day preschool at every elementary building

IOWA CITY — Full-day preschool will be offered at all 20 elementary schools in the Iowa City Community School District beginning this fall.

The district also offers free, half-day preschool in the morning at all elementary schools and in the afternoon at select locations.

Many students attend full-day preschool for free by qualifying for the Shared Visions Preschool program for at-risk students, or their families meet the income guidelines for the free and reduced school food program.

Full-day preschool at Horn Elementary School is free for students because it is being funded by a private donor, said Eliza Proctor, executive director of elementary schools in the Iowa City district.

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The district this year piloted full-day preschool at six elementary schools, enrolling 110 students in the program. There are only 40 students in the program on a tuition basis, as others were eligible to attend full-day at no cost.

This is an increase from 34 students in full-day preschool in the district during the 2023-24 school year.

A total of 545 students this year are enrolled in the district’s half-day preschool program, including kids learning at community partner sites.

For those who don’t meet the income eligibility guidelines for full-day preschool, spots are available at a tuition rate of $650 a month. Full-day preschool is from 7:55 a.m. to 2:55 p.m.

Additionally, some sites this fall also will offer before- and after-school care for preschool students for a fee. These are Grant, Hoover, Horn, Kirkwood, Lemme, Lincoln, Lucas, Mann, Penn, Shimek and Weber elementary schools.

Sixth grade was moved out of the district’s elementary schools last fall — and into its middle schools. That created more room at the elementary schools for preschool programs.

To accommodate an increase in the number of students attending full-day preschool, there will be construction projects at Penn, Coralville Central, Wood and Kirkwood elementary schools to adapt classrooms for preschool students, Proctor said during a school board meeting Tuesday.

Children in full-day preschool meet, exceed development growth goals

For years, the Iowa City school board — echoing other educators across the state — has asked the Iowa Legislature to fully fund 4-year-old preschool. Preschool currently is funded at half the state’s per-pupil rate, which is why programs are half-day.

Children enrolled in full-day preschool are either meeting or are above growth range in areas of development according to the GOLD assessment, an observation-based assessment system for children from birth through kindergarten.

The percentage of children in the district’s full-day preschool program meeting or above growth range is 99 percent in social-emotional, 97 percent in physical, 100 percent in language, 98 percent in cognitive development, 90 percent in literacy and 98 percent in math.

Comparatively, the percentage of children in the district’s half-day preschool program meeting or above growth range is 86 percent in social-emotional, 82 percent in physical, 88 percent in language, 88 percent in cognitive, 98 percent in literacy and 88 percent in math.

The full day program gives students more exposure to language and foundation skills, more time for large and small group activities and stronger connections to school, according to feedback from teachers.

One of the improvements being made to the full-day program this fall is giving students experiences in specials classes and time outside of their regular classroom. Another improvement will be better support for students with Individualized Education Plans, Proctor said.

The district will monitor kindergarten fall and winter screening data during the 2025-26 school year to see the impact full-day 4-year-old preschool has on learning.

Preschool enrollment is open for families with a child who is turning 4 on or before Sept. 15.

Three-year-olds will be accepted into the half-day preschool programs once four-year-old students have been assigned to classrooms.

For more information about the Iowa City Community School District’s preschool program, visit iowacityschools.org/students-families/preschool.

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