Office of Early Childhood Education-School District of Philadelphia

08/12/2025

Our PreK team is excited to participate in the 5th Annual Back-to-School Celebration & Bus Tour! We're having a great time around the city helping families prepare for the first day of the 2025-2026 school year – Monday, August 25, 2025.

Don't forget to stop by our PreK table and say 'Hi' to the team! Find the full Bus Tour schedule, latest back-to-school updates, immunization opportunities, and other important information at philasd.org/ringthebell or by calling 215-400-4000.

07/18/2025

Precious Angles is having an open house! Don't miss it!

07/02/2025

Latinos Educando Juntos is proud to launch our Preschool Summer Camp Scholarship Pilot Program, offering 15 fully funded slots for a six-week, high-quality summer experience for children ages 3+.

📍 Whitman: 5 scholarships available
📍 Fairhill: 10 scholarships available
📆 July 14 to August 22, 2025 | Monday–Friday, 8 AM–2 PM
🍎 Free meals included
🎓 Priority enrollment for the 2025–2026 school year

This program supports families experiencing homelessness or transitional housing—helping little learners thrive and connecting families to critical support services.

🔗 https://latinoseducandojuntos.org/preschool-summer-camp-scholarship/
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🌞 ¡Ya estamos aceptando solicitudes!

Latinos Educando Juntos se enorgullece de lanzar nuestro Programa Piloto de Becas para Campamentos de Verano Preescolares, que ofrece 15 cupos totalmente financiados para una experiencia de verano de alta calidad de seis semanas para niños de 3+ años.

📍 Whitman: 5 becas disponibles
📍 Fairhill: 10 becas disponibles
📆 del 14 de julio al 22 de agosto de 2025 | De lunes a viernes, de 8 a. m. a 2 p. m
🍎. Comidas gratuitas incluidas
🎓 Inscripción prioritaria para el año escolar 2025-2026

Este programa apoya a las familias sin hogar o con viviendas transitorias, ayudando a los pequeños estudiantes a prosperar y conectando a las familias con servicios de apoyo críticos.

🔗 https://latinoseducandojuntos.org/preschool-summer-camp-scholarship/

Preschool Summer Camp Scholarship Pilot Program Latino Educando Juntos (LEJ) is proud to launch its new Preschool Summer Camp Scholarship Pilot Program—an exciting opportunity offering 15 fully funded slots for a high-quality, six-week summer experience for young children. This initiative is desig...

05/07/2025

We’re hiring! Today the School Based Executive Director and Education Coordinators attended the hiring event at the School of the Future! Looking for the next amazing Prek teachers and assistants for next school year. Apply at

Explore rewarding career opportunities with The School District of Philadelphia. Join us to empower students and shape the future of education. Apply now!

04/30/2025

Head Start is under attack. The stakes are high. Your attendance could make the difference. Can you you travel by bus with us in Washington D.C. on Friday, May 16th?

President Trump’s 2026 budget completely eliminates funding for Head Start. Already, devastating cuts have forced the closure of five regional Head Start offices.

If Congress doesn’t act, nearly 800,000 children across the country — including 30,000 here in Pennsylvania — could lose access to critical early learning, meals, and care.

On Friday, May 16th, we are traveling via bus to Washington, D.C. to stand up for Head Start. We will be leaving at 7am from the Children First office (990 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123) and plan to return by 5pm.

While in our nation’s capital, we will meet with congresspeople from Pennsylvania and speak out for Head Start at a press conference.

Get on the bus to DC to tell Washington... NO CUTS TO HEAD START! Súbete al autobús para ir a Washington, D.C. para decir..."¡NO a los cortes del programa 'Head Start'! Register to travel with Children First to Washington, DC, by bus for a day of action on Friday, May 16, 2025, to tell Congress t...

04/01/2025

So very proud of our Ms. Denota Watson!

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Av6yNhqPK/?mibextid=wwXIfr

03/13/2025

Join us in urging the PA General Assembly to include, at minimum, $55 million in new and recurring child care funding for teacher recruitment and retention in the final 2025-20206 budget.

High-quality early care and education prepares a young child for future success and also supports families who contribute to the economy and workforce. In 2002, Pennsylvania launched Keystone STARS, a Quality Improvement Rating System (QRIS), to expand and promote access to high-quality early care and education programs across the state of Pennsylvania. While there is significant value in Keystone STARS, over 20 years after its creation, early care and education programs continue to encounter costly financial barriers to increasing and maintaining quality ratings.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c2e545d0dbda3cf1389658c/t/646263aeaeb12b20f631a6f7/1684169648822/Rural+Report+on+Early+Care+and+Education+Landscape+FIN.pdf

There is no doubt that high-quality early childhood education (ECE) is a win for everyone – children, parents, employers, and our economy. Yet this critical sector is on the brink of a breakdown. Nearly 50% of surveyed early childhood educators did not think it was likely that they would be working for their employer within five years.
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c2e545d0dbda3cf1389658c/t/6407aa7a9b250b7b707d3dc7/1678223996782/PA_Child_Care_Wages_1-23.pdf

Start Strong PA wants to give children a quality educational foundation by providing our youngest children with access to high-quality child care that their families can afford.

03/12/2025

📢 Head Start Families & Supporters: We Need You Now!
The past few weeks have brought challenges—funding freezes, payment delays, and a great deal of uncertainty. With key funding decisions ahead, it’s more important than ever to show Congress the real impact of Head Start on children, families and communities. When we raise our voices together, we make a difference. Your voice matters!
✉️ Take just ONE minute to send a letter to Congress using our easy tool.
💙
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15voSD4T2d/

Take Action for Head Start: Let your elected officials know proposed Head Start funding cuts will hurt kids!

03/05/2025

https://nhsa.org/take-action/?fbclid=IwY2xjawI1K2hleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHSDiCMy_DuapnwlSJaufvSuyVNZQ94-9cwKtd32hFBmxIpWdPeXy4YyvJg_aem_K3olV5_HqKI6CHwHtka_MA

02/19/2025

PLEASE – Tell Congress to Invest in Head Start!

https://nhsa.org/take-action/?utm_campaign=Advocacy&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--0ykUSMjkROWLY4kGMZOXTKJC_7H2YGLow6zFsfCvD4XrkzGE6uYW4xy8lkiR9B1v3jEO2uXHy045zhKsUniEjSzIBgA&_hsmi=348054581&utm_content=348054581&utm_source=hs_email

02/18/2025

Please like and share with families!

https://www.freephillyprek.org/102795256-0001

01/17/2025

Exciting News!

The City and School District of Philadelphia are excited to announce the launch of a unified public preschool application and search page at https://www.freephillyprek.org/ on Tuesday, January 21!

Families can learn about their options and submit an application for the 2025-26 school year beginning at 12:00 pm (Noon) ET on Tuesday, January 21, 2025. A parent or caregiver can submit an application for any child that is a resident of Philadelphia and 3 or 4 years old by/on September 1, 2025.

The new application is mobile-friendly, available in 12 different languages, and takes less than 15 minutes to complete.

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