Preschool Programs

ECEAP is the Early Childhood Education Assistance Program that is free for eligible families. These classes are half-day, AM/PM and run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The Des Moines Elementary program is a school day program. Classes run Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and every other Friday.
Families must first complete an application to determine eligibility. 

Please click on the link below to download and complete your application for the 2023-24 school year:

ECEAP APPLICATION  

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Our neighborhood programs work together to enroll 3 to 4 year old children for school. Once complete, your child’s application places them on the waiting list. Once selected for enrollment, children are placed at sites based on address, family need and available openings.

Please email or mail the site nearest you with your completed 2023-24 application.

CONTACT/SITES

Locations

• Valley View Early Learning Center
• Des Moines Elementary
• Hilltop Elementary
• Beverly Park Elementary
• Seahurst Elementary
• Mount Rainier High School

This preschool program is part of the Developmental Preschool and is for typically developing children from the community. Children will learn along with preschool students with special needs. Certificated early childhood teachers lead these classes. Spots are limited, and enrollment is on a first come first serve basis. These are half-day AM/PM classes running Monday-Thursday. Families must pay $100/month for this program.

If you are interested in a place in the Community Peer program, please contact Amleset Legesse.

LOCATIONS
• Valley View Early Learning Center
• Hilltop Elementary
• Mount View Elementary
• Gregory Heights Elementary
• Des Moines Elementary

Five elementary schools and Valley View Early Learning Center support a free Developmental Preschool program with specially designed instruction for young children with special needs.  These children need to qualify through the Child Find evaluation process in order to be eligible for this program. 

Contact

For families with concerns about their child’s development: Speech/language, cognitive (learning difficulties), motor, social emotional/behavior, adaptive (self-help skills), please contact our Special Education Department at 206.631.3009

Locations

• Valley View Early Learning Center
• Hilltop Elementary
• Mount View Elementary
• Gregory Heights Elementary
• Des Moines Elementary

Highline Public Schools’ Midway Preschool program is available to children who turned 3 or 4 by August 31 and who reside in the Midway Elementary service area in Des Moines.
Who: Children who turned 3 or 4 by August 31 in the Midway Elementary service area in Des Moines
What: An early learning experience offering a program focused on social-emotional development and foundational skills in language, literacy and math
Where: Midway Elementary

While at Midway, hours will be Monday thru Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Transportation is not provided. 

Enrollment is first-come, first-serve.

Location

Midway Elementary 
22447 24th Avenue South
Des Moines, WA 

Your child is a current preschool student, your child was previously enrolled in a Highline preschool or you have another child currently or previously enrolled.

Read the questions below to determine if this is the right step for you. 

• Have you ever had a student enrolled in Highline Public Schools? This could include current preschool students or previously enrolled preschool students. 
• Do you have a student who is currently enrolled and you want to enroll another student?
• Are you enrolling a student that was previously enrolled in Highline Public Schools?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may have an existing record and you may need to activate your ParentVUE account to start online enrollment. Please contact your neighborhood school or the Family Center for an activation code to activate your account. For activation instructions review our Help Guides. 

RETURNING TO THE DISTRICT? PREVIOUSLY ENROLLED? CURRENTLY ENROLLED BUT ADDING A NEW STUDENT? 

Use this link to activate your existing account:

PARENTVUEReturning & Currently Enrolled Families 

ReadyK! is a transitional kindergarten program for:

• Children who will be 5 years old by August 31, making them eligible to begin kindergarten in the fall
• Children who have had little or no access to a high quality early learning experience
• Children who demonstrate a need for early entrance, as determined by our ReadyK! screenings

Questions? Please reach out to our early learning team at 206.631.3396 or readyk@highlineschools.org.

ReadyK! students will start school in late fall. The program will be located in various schools across the district. In fall, students will return to their home school for their kindergarten program.