Chicago Public Schools announces free Pre-K expansion; excitement causes application site to crash

Tuesday, April 19, 2022
CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Public Schools announced Tuesday it is expanding its free, full day of preschool.

The announcement was so popular, it crashed the website to apply.


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Programs will now be expanded to kids in 64 of the 77 city communities for the upcoming school year and will cover all 77 communities by fall 2023.

SEE ALSO | Chicago Public Schools calendar: CPS plans August start date for 2022-2023 school year

CPS CEO Pedro Martinez made the announcement at Wendell Smith elementary in West Pullman. He says universal Pre-K is a game changer for working parents.
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To be eligible, children must be Chicago residents and turn 4 years old on or before Sept. 1 of this year.



The website is back up and running. The application period runs through May 10.

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