School-based Preschool: Information for Districts and Schools

Due to changes in Minnesota law, the eligibility requirements for the voluntary prekindergarten (VPK) program have changed beginning in the 2025–26 school year. 

All students enrolled in VPK must be 4 years old as of September 1 in the calendar year in which the school year begins. Students must also meet one of the following eligibility requirements:

• Qualifies for free or reduced-price meals
• Qualifies using state general financial eligibility requirements listed in Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 142E.10
• Is an English language learner
• Is an American Indian
• Has experienced homelessness in the last 24 months
• Is identified through health and developmental screening with a potential risk factor that may influence learning
• Is in foster care, kinship care, or is in need of child protection services
• Has a parent who is a migrant or seasonal agricultural laborer
• Has a parent who is incarcerated
• Is defined as at-risk by the school district

Each eligible child must complete a health and developmental screening within 90 days of program enrollment and provide documentation of required immunizations.

A school district or charter school must adopt a sliding-fee schedule based upon family income and must waive a fee for a participant unable to pay.

A child with an individualized education program may not be excluded from participation in a program under this section if all other eligibility requirements are satisfied and the individualized education program team determines that with reasonable accommodations the child can fully participate and make progress toward their goals and objectives.

View the full list of VPK statutory program requirements. 

Each district signs a Statement of Assurances at the time of application that indicates that the district, as well as mixed delivery sites, will administer and provide the VPK program according to all of the requirements and comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws, ordinances, rules and regulations.

As a grade level within the Minnesota’s education system, VPK programs are required to meet E-12 program expectations and follow the same requirements as other grade levels. These include: 

• Minnesota Automated Reporting Student System (MARSS) reporting
• Staff Automated Reporting (STAR)
• Monitoring and compliance
• Professional development
• Teacher evaluation
• Quality Compensation (Q Comp)
• Inclusion of children with disabilities

A child who is funded as a Voluntary Prekindergarten student may not be charged any fee or tuition for the VPK instructional part of the day.

For additional programming, a school district or charter school must adopt a sliding-fee schedule based upon family income and must waive a fee for a participant unable to pay.

The application period for VPK funding is held on a 4-year cycle and is open to all school districts and charter schools with authorized preschool programs. The next application period will be in January 2029 for fiscal years 2030–33. Currently funded districts and charters wishing to receive ongoing funding or to be considered for new or expansion funding must also apply at that time. Please address questions to dcyf.vpk@state.mn.us.

• 2025–26 Voluntary Prekindergarten Allocation, Funding and Ranking Summary (xlsx): Summarizes Voluntary Prekindergarten allocation, funding and ranking status for each site that applied for 2025–26 school year funding.
• DCYF Publicly Funded Prekindergarten Programs (PDF): Compares the program requirements for School Readiness, Voluntary Prekindergarten and Head Start programs.

A child is eligible to participate in a School Readiness program if the child: 

• Is at least three years old on September 1
• Has completed health and developmental screening within 90 days of program enrollment
• Has one or more of the following risk factors:
  • Qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
  • Is an English language learner
  • Is homeless
  • Has an individualized education program (IEP) or standardized written plan
  • Is identified, through health and developmental screenings under sections 121A.16 to 121A.19, with a potential risk factor that may influence learning
  • Is defined as at risk by the school district

School Readiness programs must meet certain requirements, including:

• Assessing each child's cognitive and language skills with a comprehensive child assessment instrument when the child enters and again before the child leaves the program to improve program planning and implementation, communicate with parents, and promote kindergarten readiness
• Providing comprehensive program content and intentional instructional practice aligned with the state early childhood learning guidelines and kindergarten standards and based on early childhood research and professional practice that is focused on children's cognitive, social, emotional, and physical skills and development and prepares children for the transition to kindergarten, including early literacy and language skills
• Coordinating appropriate kindergarten transition with parents and kindergarten teachers
• Involving parents in program planning and decision making
• Cooperating with adult basic education programs and other adult literacy programs
• Ensuring staff-child ratios of 1:10 and maximum group size of 20 children with the first staff required to be a teacher
• Having teachers knowledgeable in early childhood curriculum content, assessment, native and English language development programs, and instruction

School Readiness programs must include a biennial plan in the district's Comprehensive Achievement and Civic Readiness (CACR), describing how their School Readiness program meets the program requirements listed above.

A district must adopt a sliding fee schedule based on a family's income and must waive a fee for a participant unable to pay. School districts must use School Readiness aid for eligible children. Children who do not meet the eligibility requirements may participate on a fee-for-service basis.

The Aid Entitlement Reports Quick Guide (PDF) gives step-by-step instructions for the Minnesota Funding Reports (MNR) for the School Readiness program.