Registration for MISD’s Preschool Program for the 2021-22 school year will be held on Friday, February 19th at 12:00 PM (noon). There will be a link on our district website that will go live at that time. Registrations will be accepted on a first come, first serve basis and each registration submission will be time stamped.
The Statewide Voluntary Four-Year-Old Preschool Program provides opportunities for Iowa children to attend quality preschool. Children who are age 4 by September 15, 2021, are eligible to attend our preschool program. Children who are age 5 by September 15, 2021, should register for kindergarten at their resident school and are not eligible for preschool. The Marion Preschool program is currently housed at Longfellow Elementary.
Preschool sessions MISD will be offering for the 2021-22 school year:
- AM Class (8:20-10:50 AM) *Free of charge*
- PM Class (12:50-3:20 PM) *Free of charge*
- Full Day (8:20 AM-2:30 PM, MISD resident students will be placed first) *$195/month tuition fee*
*Note: Longfellow Elementary does not provide before/after daycare for preschool students. There are many area daycares that provide care and transportation before/after preschool.
Our Full Day program has a monthly tuition fee and our Half Day programs are free of charge. Full Day program tuition will be $195/month and must be paid before the first of the month. Tuition for full day preschool will be collected September-May for nine months total. Failure to pay your child's tuition will result in your child not being able to attend the Full Day program. If a spot in our Half Day program is available, your child will be placed in the Half Day program. Questions regarding tuition can be directed to Christie Van Wey, MISD Business Manager (cvanwey@marion-isd.org).
Why are we charging for Full Day? Our preschool budget is not able to support this program without additional funds. We currently only receive 0.5 funding from the state for preschool students, which is why our half day programs are free. Rather than cutting our programs/staff, we feel this provides the best option for us to continue to offer our current high-quality programming and be fiscally responsible.
Students who qualify for free/reduced lunch will have a reduced monthly tuition of $100/month. Free/Reduced Lunch applications are available from any MISD secretary or on our district website (https://www.marion-isd.org/page/food-service-information).
The district will continue to partner with the Marion Head Start Program for some spots in our full day program. This program offers financial assistance to full day students who qualify based on income. Please visit this link (https://www.hacap.org) prior to registration to learn more about the Head Start Program to see if you qualify. There is a question below asking if you are interested in being contacted by a Head Start representative. If you would like to speak with our Head Start representative beforehand, please contact Amie Blindt at 319-721-2794.
Families will be contacted via email on Friday, March 26th of their child’s preschool placement. If you register after this date, you will be placed on our waiting list to get into our program and contacted when a spot opens up. Families who receive placement into the Full Day program will have 30 days following placement notification to pay a $100 non-refundable deposit to secure their child's placement. That deposit will be applied towards September's tuition amount.
If you have questions or for more information about the preschool enrollment process or our programs, contact Longfellow Elementary at 319-377-0183 or email the Longfellow principal, Nicole Harmer at nharmer@marion-isd.org.