Enrollment

About Our Blended Program 

The Knox County Blended Preschool Program is available at 22 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 at https://www.kaplanco.com/c4l/.

To be accepted as a peer model, the following criteria must be met:

Children must be at least 3 years of age, but not yet 6 by August 15, 2025 to be considered. Children who are 6 by August 15, 2025 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 2, 2025 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.

Cost/Tuition

Tuition for the Blended Preschool Classroom Program is $200 per month and must be paid using the School Cash Online 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.

Hours

Preschool hours are 7:45-1:15, but may vary slightly depending on the site.  

After School Care

Please contact the school directly for more information about after school care. All after school care enrollments are managed through independent after school companies. After care sites are listed above under the “sites” tab.  

Monthly Payments

Tuition payment is due on or before the first of every month (August - May)

Monthly Rate	5 Days/Week Rate
August (Adjusted due to fewer days) - Due by June 1	$100
September - May	$200

Semester Payments

Tuition Payment #1 is due on or before August 1, 2025

Tuition Payment #2 is due on or before January 1, 2026

Monthly Rate	5 Days/Week Rate
Semester #1 (Aug - Dec)	$900
Semester #2 (Jan - May)	$1000

Yearly Payment

Tuition Payment is due on or before August 1, 2025

Yearly Rate	5 Days/Week Rate
August - May	$1900

Tuition Agreement

The tuition payment is due on or before the 1st of every month for a total of 10 payments (August-May). The monthly tuition for all students accepted into the Blended Preschool Program is $200.

August tuition is adjusted since students are attending for fewer days. This payment is due by June 1st to reserve your spot.  More information will be included in your acceptance email.

Payments may be made monthly, by semester, or for the entire year.  

Deductions will not be made for days, weeks, or months a student may be absent from school. Vacations, quarantines, or long illnesses will not be deducted from tuition. District wide school closures will also not impact tuition requirements. All payments made to Knox County Schools are non- refundable.

If payment is not received by the 1st of each month, a $35.00 late charge penalty will be incurred. Furthermore, if tuition is not paid by the 5th day of the following month, the student will not be accepted in class and his/her enrollment may be terminated.

The Blended Preschool tuition may be tax deductible. A tax form will be issued at the end of the calendar year upon request. You should save all your receipts from tuition payments.

Compliance with district and school policies must be adhered to. Failure to do so could result in dismissal from the program at any time. In such a case, the current month’s tuition payment will not be refunded.

Any financial questions may be directed to the Business Services department at 865-594-1676.

I agree to the terms and conditions of the Knox County Schools Blended Preschool Program tuition agreement. I understand that failure to pay tuition according to these terms will result in termination from the Blended Preschool Program.

Electronic Signature on Application indicates parents understand and agree to the Tuition Agreement. 

Contact Us

Contact us via email at blendedpreschool@knoxschools.org or by calling 865-594-1247.

 

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 four years of age on or before August 15th of the current year. If there are spots available after the 30th day of school, students who turned three years of age on or before August 15th may be accepted into the Voluntary Pre-K program.

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 fro the person who completes the letter. 

 

Income Eligibility Information

This 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 2025-2026 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.

Transition Preschool

KCS has two preschool inclusion classrooms specifically for students who are 5 years old but not yet 6 by August 15, 2025. Classrooms are staffed with two certified teachers and one teaching assistant. The class has a 50/50 ratio of students with and without IEPs. All students will come 5 days per week for 5.5 hours per day. The classroom staff will work collaboratively to support learning, growth and development of all students enrolled. For the 25-26 school year, classrooms will be at Karns Preschool and Fort Sanders Educational Development Center.

Sites

After School Care

Fort Sanders Educational Development Center

Karns Preschool

 

Considerations for Potential Students

Students should:

• Be 5 years old by August 15, 2025 but not yet 6 by August 15, 2025
  • This classroom is designed for students who are eligible for Kindergarten but would benefit from an additional year of targeted intervention and instruction
• Be a student with a current IEP or other risk factors (such as the risk factors to qualify for VPK or Head Start).
• All 5 year olds are welcome to apply. We will prioritize those with IEPs and risk factors first, then fill any remaining openings from our pool of eligible applicants.

Questions about the KCS Transition Preschool Classroom can be directed to Shelli Eberle at blendedpreschool@knoxschools.org