Preschool Programming 
The district currently offers general education, preschool integrated and self-contained special education classes for three and four-year olds at Rice Elementary and through partnerships with private providers. The goal of the inclusion program is to bring together children with special needs with their typically developing peers in a collaborative classroom environment where students experience a variety of early reading and math concepts, language development, fine and gross motor skills, related arts and social skills. The curriculum used in both programs are state approved, developmentally appropriate, and based on best practice in early childhood education.
Preschool expansion through PEA funding will be occurring over the next five years to increase opportunities for general education and additional integrated classrooms. The district received notification from the state on October 3, 2024 that the ETSD application for preschool education aid was approved. The goal of PEA funding is to provide free full-day preschool to all ETSD families that are interested by the 2028-2029 school year (click here to view the approved PEA application). ETSD provides a mixed delivery of preschool classrooms utilizing in-district schools, as well as private providers. All private provider classrooms will follow the same requirements as ETSD and provide a common educational experience in terms of length of school day, calendar year, teacher certification, and curriculum implementation.
The district has developed a lottery process to accommodate a predetermined number of students each year that will grow annually based on district classroom space and partnerships with local private providers over the five year period. The lottery system process will open in early February annually, with the actual lottery being held the first week of March. No preschool family should pre-register for the following school year until notified of lottery status in March. Information will continue to be posted here on our district website and sent out to ETSD families and local community resources as it becomes available. See below for more information.
Please see the Frequently Asked Questions document as a reference as it continues to be updated periodically. If you have questions that are not answered on the FAQ, feel free to reach out to Danielle Magulick, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, at [email protected].
2026-2027 PEA Program & Expansion
The 2026-2027 school year is considered year three of expansion. Year three will expand programs both in-district, as well as increase private partnerships. ETSD preschool programs will continue to occur at Chesterbrook, Inspire, The Learning Experience, Malvern, Marlton Preschool Center (MPC), and Rice. The program is expanding to include two new facilities, the Evans Preschool Center, which will be in a secure wing of Evans Elementary School, as well as Kiddie Academy next year. Expansion plans will allow for an additional 150 preschool students to be served.
The lottery for the 2026-2027 school year will open February 1st and remain open throughout the month for families with age-eligible children. One lottery entry is allowable per child. The lottery entry form will be posted here, so check back beginning February 1st. The actual lottery itself will be held in early March and families notified accordingly. No preschool family should register for the 2026-2027 school year until notified of lottery status.
Please Note: Only new preschool families that are age eligible and interested in attending our free full-day program that follows the traditional 180 school day calendar at one of our designated sites for the 2026-2027 school year should access the ETSD Preschool Lottery Form (once posted) and submit one entry for each eligible child. As a reminder, all students currently in our programs at MPC, Rice or one of our private provider sites who remain age eligible, will automatically remain in the program and are promoted to the next class so they do not need to enter the lottery.
2025-2026 PEA Program & Expansion
The 2025-2026 school year is considered year two of expansion. ETSD Preschool programs are currently held at Chesterbrook, Inspire, Malvern, Marlton Preschool Center, and Rice. The lottery system was utilized for both district and private provider classrooms with placement determined by attendance zone in alignment with district K-8 policy. The lottery system process opened on Tuesday, February 4th and remained open throughout the month for all interested families to enter. There were approximately 400 entries received. The actual lottery took place on Wednesday, March 5th and families were notified of acceptance in the program or placement on a waitlist on Friday, March 7th. Any family currently on the waitlist will be notified in the order of lottery placement should an opening arise. If your family is new to the area or missed the March lottery and you would like to be placed on the waitlist, please contact the curriculum office.