Committee backs expanding pre-K scholarship eligibility to include 3-year-olds with modest funding bump

The committee recommended that the City Commission modify the existing pre-K scholarship program to permit eligible 3-year-old children to receive partial scholarships, alongside the current pre-K-4 scholarships. The Quality of Education Committee had already endorsed including 3-year-olds; the Finance committee considered budget implications.

City staff said the current program offers scholarships up to $3,000 per 4-year-old (based on 2.5 hours/day at a maximum hourly rate in participating providers) and currently funds roughly 219–225 scholarships. Staff and commissioners discussed budget trade-offs and proposed a practical model to expand eligibility while keeping the program fiscally manageable: set the 4-year-old scholarship at $2,000 per student and offer a smaller $1,000 scholarship for 3-year-olds, with a limited cap (for example, matching the current cohort cap of about 220 scholarships) and a budget enhancement of roughly $100,000 to implement the change for the 2026 school year. The committee supported returning the proposal as a budget enhancement for FY2026 review.

Commissioners said the program advances retention of young families and supports workforce stability and that it has grown substantially since inception (the program grew from 57 initial scholarships to around 219 this year). Public commenters urged higher funding, calling for expanded early-learning investments.

The committee voted to forward the expansion as a recommendation to the full commission with the proposed budget enhancement for consideration in the FY2026 budget process. Staff will finalize allocation rules, application timing and lottery mechanics, and public outreach schedule in time for the September application window and December lottery.