Preschool Programs

The Knox County Blended Preschool Program is available at 23 sites across the district. These classes are inclusive/blended education classes for children ages 3-5. A select number of students will be enrolled in each classroom to serve as peer models to students with disabilities. The blended preschool classroom is a structured teaching environment where students with disabilities and peer models learn together, staffed with one special education teacher and at least two educational assistants. The Knox County Schools Blended Preschool Program is a high-quality program offering preschoolers, with and without disabilities, challenging experiences and opportunities to develop skills and abilities in a nurturing environment.  

All Knox County Schools preschool classrooms follow the Connect 4 Learning curriculum, a language rich curriculum focusing on science and math with literacy and social/emotional components embedded throughout. More information about the Connect 4 Learning curriculum can be found here.

Contact us via email or by calling 865-594-1274.

Program Requirements for the 2026-27 School Year

Children must be at least 3-years-old, but not yet 6-years-old by August 15, 2026, to be considered. Children who are 6-years-old by August 15, 2026, are required to enroll in Kindergarten, therefore ineligible for the Blended Preschool Program. 

The peer model program is NOT intended for students already identified with an educational disability or suspected educational disability.   

• Children must be completely toilet trained to be considered as a peer model.
• Children should be easily understood in order to model appropriate speech and language.
• Children should demonstrate consistent, excellent behavior and developmentally appropriate social interactions.
• Regular attendance is required.
• Parents must have their children at the program on time and pick them up at the designated time.  Failure to do so may result in dismissal from the program.
• Enrollment packet should be completed by May 8, 2026 if accepted into the program. Enrollment packets are available at, and specific, to each school site.
• The Tennessee Health Record Form is required for all children documenting their immunization history.
• A copy of a certified birth certificate is required.
• Proof of Knox County residency is required.

Next Steps: If your child meets the listed criteria for our program, please complete the electronic application. Please do not submit additional documentation (birth certificate, shot record, etc.) at this time. If your child is accepted to the Blended Preschool Program, you will submit these documents to your child’s school with a completed enrollment packet by May 8, 2026. 

Applications should be submitted via the online application link. All correspondence regarding acceptance into the program will be via email. Enrollment is NOT solely based on a “first come, first served” system as many factors go into creating a well-balanced classroom. 

Cost/Tuition

Tuition for the Blended Preschool Classroom Program is $250 per month and must be paid using the Givebacks platform. Failure to pay tuition on time may result in dismissal from the program. Parents will be responsible for paying for their child’s breakfast and lunch each day, or the child can bring his/her own breakfast/lunch. Tuition funds are used to purchase materials for the classroom, consumables, furniture, rugs, professional development, preschool staffing, and other expenditures approved by program administration which directly impacts preschool students. We currently fund 16 teaching assistant positions through blended preschool tuition funds. 

See additional information about tuition in the Tuition Details section below.

Hours

Preschool hours are 7:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., but may vary slightly depending on the site.  

Application Timeline

Completed applications must be submitted by Wednesday, March 20, 2026, to be considered for the first round of enrollment. August tuition of $150 must be received by July 15 to confirm a student's spot. Instructions for payment will be sent as part of the acceptance email.

Children of Knox County Schools employees who meet enrollment criteria and those currently enrolled in the program will be given first priority if applying before March 20, 2026. KCS Employees and returning families applying after March 20, will be considered as any other applicant. Parents applying by March 20 will be notified via email by April 10, 2026, if their child is selected to participate.  Students who do not get an initial slot will be placed on a waiting list. All current students must reapply to be considered for the 2026-27 school year and must have tuition payments up to date to reapply.

Knox County Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, creed, color, or ethnicity.

What can my child gain from participating in the Blended Preschool Program?

In addition to participation in a high-quality, language rich classroom with a vetted early childhood curriculum, there are many benefits to including typically developing peers and students with disabilities. Below are just a few of the benefits according to the Policy Statement on Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Early Childhood Programs (9/2014):

• Typically developing children can show positive developmental, social and attitudinal outcomes from inclusive experiences.
• They are capable of demonstrating greater compassion and empathy.
• They have a more positive perception of children with disabilities.
• They can develop a better understanding of diversity and disability.
• There are benefits from working with developmental specialists who can identify and address student needs that may not otherwise be identified.

The Knox County Schools Voluntary Pre-K program is funded through a grant from the Tennessee Department of Education. The focus is to enroll students in the underserved population, which includes children identified as “at-risk.” At-risk factors include family income, foster care, homelessness, and students who qualify for free/reduced lunch. Children must be 4-years-old on or before August 15 of the current year. 

All Knox County Schools preschool classrooms follow the Connect 4 Learning curriculum, a language rich curriculum focusing on science and math with literacy and social/emotional components embedded throughout. More information about the Connect 4 Learning curriculum can be found here.

Program Requirements for the 2026-27 School Year

Since the program is grant-funded, families must meet the income eligibility for acceptance. If there are spots available after the 30th day of school, students who do not meet income eligibility but have other risk factors, such as a disability or IEP, limited English proficiency, and students in custody of someone other than the parent may be admitted to the program. Admittance is not guaranteed, and these spots are limited. Families will be notified if there is availability.

Proof of Income is required for acceptance into Voluntary Pre K. Proof of income may be a W-2, a pay stub, or a SNAP/TANF award letter which includes the case number. 

Proof of Residency is required for acceptance into Voluntary Pre K. Proof of residency may be a lease or mortgage letter, a current utility bill, or a notarized letter with proof of residency for the person who completes the letter. 

Income Eligibility Information

The below chart is to be used when reviewing the Pre-K Income Eligibility application to determine if family meets income qualifications for “economically disadvantaged.” Families making at or below the annual income amount, based on household size, meet the income eligibility criteria for participation in the Voluntary Pre-K program for the 2067-27 school year. Verification must include total income of all household family members. Meeting income eligibility requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the Voluntary Pre-K program due to limited space and the possibility of more students applying than seats available.

Daily Schedule

All Voluntary Pre-K programs operate on a 6-hour school day. Start and end times vary per school. Transportation is not provided for Voluntary Pre-K students.

Attendance Expectations

Your child’s potential for growth and development is maximized through consistent participation in a high-quality environment. Establishing consistent attendance routines in pre-k and kindergarten will increase chances of success in all future school experiences and will decrease chances your child will drop out of high school. Our goal is to establish healthy school habits as soon as school is introduced. Therefore, it is very important that your child attends pre-k on a regular basis. With this in mind, Knox County Schools, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education and the KCS School Board, has adopted a pre-k attendance policy effective December 2023 (see Policy J-120).

Tardies: In order to be counted present on any and all attendance records, students in Pre-K MUST attend school for a time period of at least 50% of their scheduled day. Students who attend less than half of their scheduled school day shall be recorded as absent on any and all attendance records.

Excused Absences: We understand that children may miss some days of participation due to illness. The following are acceptable reasons for an excused absence:

• The child is ill;
• Illness of an immediate family member;
• The child contracts a communicable disease (virus or flu);
• Death in the family;
• Extreme weather conditions;
• Religious Observances;
• Military deployment of a family member (see Board Policy J-120)

Required Procedures:

1. Please communicate with your child’s teacher when your child is absent.
2. A doctor’s excuse is required after three (3) consecutive days of absence.
3. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s attendance, or if you anticipate an ongoing attendance issue, please contact your child's teacher or Beth Lackey, Early Childhood Director at 865-594-1529.
4. If a child has four (4) or more consecutive absences–or four (4) or more absences within one (1) month–the site-level administrator will contact you to determine the child’s participation status. The site-level administrator will document attempts to contact you and the outcome of those attempts and/or communications.
5. Parents are limited to ten (10) Parent Excuse Notes.
6. If the child misses five (5) or more days in a 3-month period, the site-level administrator will contact the family to develop an attendance plan. The attendance plan will be designed to help the family establish regular attendance or, if necessary, to plan for alternative services. The attendance plan will be developed by the family and appropriate school personnel, including, but not limited to; the child’s primary pre-k teacher, the site-level administrator, the IEP team (if applicable), and additional staff serving the school and family. The plan must:
   • Identify the reasons for absences;
   • Include a specific plan and date for establishing regular attendance or alternative services that meet the child’s educational goals; and
   • Include documentation of services and student’s outcomes to determine effectiveness of the attendance plan.
7. Every effort will be made to ensure your child has access to a quality school program. However, VPK seats are limited and are made available through a state grant. A child, who has more than five (5) unexcused absences per month, or ten (10) unexcused absences in one school year, may be terminated from the program for failure to follow the attendance policy.
8. Because the seats are limited, your child’s spot may be filled as soon as he/she is withdrawn. Future eligibility for the terminated child to re-enter the program will depend upon vacancies after a 30-day waiting period and a parent conference to establish faithful, binding Home/School Compact.

Electronic Signature on Application indicates parents understand and agree to the expectations for attendance and the program qualifications for Voluntary Pre-K.

The Title 1 Preschool program serves students who reside in Title 1 Elementary School zones. Children must be four-years-old on or before August 15 of the current year. Fair Garden Community Center has multiple classrooms that serve 3- and 4-year-old students. In order to participate in the 3-year-old program, students must be 3-years-old on or before August 15 of the current year.

Program Requirements for the 2026-27 School Year

Proof of Residency is required for acceptance into a Title 1 Preschool class. Proof of residency may be a lease or mortgage letter, a current utility bill, or a notarized letter with proof of residency for the person who completes the letter. 

Daily Schedule

All Title 1 programs operate on a 6 hour school day. Start and end times vary per school. Transportation is not provided for Title 1 students.

Attendance Expectations

Your child’s potential for growth and development is maximized through consistent participation in a high-quality environment. Establishing consistent attendance routines in pre-k and kindergarten will increase chances of success in all future school experiences and will decrease chances your child will drop out of high school. Our goal is to establish healthy school habits as soon as school is introduced. Therefore, it is very important that your child attends pre-k on a regular basis. With this in mind, Knox County Schools, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education and the KCS School Board, has adopted a pre-k attendance policy effective December 2023 (see Policy J-120).

Tardies: In order to be counted present on any and all attendance records, students in Pre-K MUST attend school for a time period of at least 50% of their scheduled day. Students who attend less than half of their scheduled school day shall be recorded as absent on any and all attendance records.

Excused Absences: We understand that children may miss some days of participation due to illness. The following are acceptable reasons for an excused absence:

• The child is ill;
• Illness of an immediate family member;
• The child contracts a communicable disease (virus or flu);
• Death in the family;
• Extreme weather conditions;
• Religious Observances;
• Military deployment of a family member (see Board Policy J-120)

Required Procedures:

1. Please communicate with your child’s teacher when your child is absent.
2. A doctor’s excuse is required after three (3) consecutive days of absence.
3. If you have questions or concerns about your child’s attendance, or if you anticipate an ongoing attendance issue, please contact your child's teacher or Beth Lackey, Early Childhood Director at 865-594-1529.
4. If a child has four (4) or more consecutive absences–or four (4) or more absences within one (1) month–the site-level administrator will contact you to determine the child’s participation status. The site-level administrator will document attempts to contact you and the outcome of those attempts and/or communications.
5. Parents are limited to ten (10) Parent Excuse Notes.
6. If the child misses five (5) or more days in a 3-month period, the site-level administrator will contact the family to develop an attendance plan. The attendance plan will be designed to help the family establish regular attendance or, if necessary, to plan for alternative services. The attendance plan will be developed by the family and appropriate school personnel, including, but not limited to; the child’s primary pre-k teacher, the site-level administrator, the IEP team (if applicable), and additional staff serving the school and family. The plan must:
   • Identify the reasons for absences;
   • Include a specific plan and date for establishing regular attendance or alternative services that meet the child’s educational goals; and
   • Include documentation of services and student’s outcomes to determine effectiveness of the attendance plan.
7. Every effort will be made to ensure your child has access to a quality school program. However, VPK seats are limited and are made available through a state grant. A child, who has more than five (5) unexcused absences per month, or ten (10) unexcused absences in one school year, may be terminated from the program for failure to follow the attendance policy.
8. Because the seats are limited, your child’s spot may be filled as soon as he/she is withdrawn. Future eligibility for the terminated child to re-enter the program will depend upon vacancies after a 30-day waiting period and a parent conference to establish faithful, binding Home/School Compact.

Electronic Signature on Application indicates parents understand and agree to the expectations for attendance and the program qualifications for Title I Pre-K.

KCS has two preschool inclusion classrooms specifically for students who are 5-years-old but not yet 6-years-old by August 15 of the current school year. The class has a 50/50 ratio of students with and without IEPs. Classrooms are staffed with two certified teachers and one teaching assistant who will work collaboratively to support the learning, growth, and development of all students enrolled. 

Transition Preschool Classes can be found at Fort Sanders Educational Development Center and Karns Preschool.

Please contact the school directly for more information about after school care. All after school care enrollments are managed through independent after school companies. 

Both Fort Sanders Educational Development Center and Karns Preschool use SHADES of Development. 

Considerations for Potential Students

This classroom is designed for students who are eligible for Kindergarten but would benefit from an additional year of targeted intervention and instruction. All 5-year-olds are welcome to apply, but those with IEPs and risk factors with be prioritized first, then any remaining openings will be filled from the pool of eligible applicants.

Students should:

• Be 5-years-old by August 15, 2025, but not yet 6-years-old by August 15, 2025
• Be a student with a current IEP or other risk factors (such as the risk factors to qualify for VPK or Head Start).

Questions about the KCS Transition Preschool Classroom can be emailed to Shelli Eberle.

Daily Schedule

All students will come 5 days per week for 5.5 hours per day.