Every Child Ready: 2025 Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise Levy

As part of the City of Seattle’s Every Child Ready Initiative, the 2025 Families, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) levy funds important services to keep Seattle’s children and youth safe, healthy, and ready to learn. In the November 2025 general election, Seattle voters demonstrated their strong support for sustained and expanded FEPP levy investments with 80% of voters supporting the $1.3 billion six-year levy — the highest approval rating in the 35-year history of City of Seattle education levies.

Planning Process Updates

The voter-approved 2025 FEPP Levy will invest $1.3 billion from 2026-2031 cradle-to-career. As a requirement of the Levy, the City must approve an Implementation and Evaluation Plan that outlines the spending priorities, grant schedule, and expected outcomes for the six-year Levy. 

To ensure this Plan aligned with community needs and concerns, DEEL convened community conversations, conducted a multi-lingual survey, and met with local organizations to identify community priorities for spending. We wish to thank every Seattle resident who lent their time and their voice to the conversation. Your civic engagement played a vital role in the creation of the spending plan. A compiled report of all stakeholder engagement activities can be found here. 

On April 28, 2026, Mayor Katie Wilson announced proposed investments to be funded by the Levy and transmitted the Implementation & Evaluation Plan to City Council. You can read the full press release here, and view the press conference recording via Seattle Channel.

The Libraries, Education, and Neighborhoods Committee will review the legislation before a vote by the full Seattle City Council. You can sign up to receive City council meeting agendas here.

Proposed FEPP Levy Investments

Ready to Start:

Funds strategies designed to prepare Seattle’s youngest children for kindergarten and establish a strong foundation for long-term academic success.

• Seattle Preschool Program: 600 new high-quality affordable preschool seats and expanding all-day, year-round seats to serve 3,100 3-and 4-year-olds by 2031.
• Child Care Assistance Program: More than doubles capacity of the City’s childcare subsidy program to serve 800 new children ages 0-12 citywide, serving 1,300 children overall and saving families an average of $10,000 per child per year.
• Home Visiting and Health: Sustains funding for home visiting programs for expectant and new parents and developmental health screenings, benefiting 750 children annually.
• Workforce Supports: Adds levy investment to provide direct payments to 5,000 childcare workers annually to support workforce retention.

Ready to Learn:

Funds strategies designed to promote the academic achievement and social-emotional, physical, and mental wellness to support youth, establishing a strong foundation for college and career success. 

• Student Physical and Mental Health: Sustains the current 29 clinics and adds up to 5 new school-based health centers, expanding access for more than 51,000 Seattle Public School (SPS) students; adds funding for expanded in-person and virtual mental health services available to all Seattle youth and young adults up to age 24 annually.
• Expanded Learning Opportunities: Sustains funding for grants to schools and community-based organizations to offer school-day, afterschool, and summer academic and enrichment programs benefiting K-12 youth citywide.
• School Safety: Expands current City investments for prevention and safety supports in and around schools with restorative practice and opportunity youth mentoring in partnership with SPS and community-based organizations.
• Nutrition: Ensures every SPS student can access free breakfast and lunch starting in the 2026-27 school year; Levy funds will expand universal free meals to up to 53 additional school sites in coordination with state and federal school meal programs.
• Outdoor Education and Enrichment: Creates access to hands-on outdoor learning using evidence-based curriculum that incorporates WA state learning standards; programs feature outdoor field trips and trained environmental staff to provide localized instruction.

Ready to Launch:

Funds strategies designed to support a successful transition from high school to postsecondary education or meaningful career pathways for Seattle youth. 

• Seattle Promise: Sustains funding to serve approximately 1,475 Seattle public high school graduates annually with up to two years of tuition-free learning at Seattle Colleges, career advising, and completion supports.
• Path to UW: Adds funding to support more than 100 Seattle Colleges’ scholars transfer to the University of Washington-Seattle annually to continue their studies.
• Career Pathways: Includes funding for a Path to Trades program that increases access to high-demand trade programs, apprenticeship and skill-building opportunities.

A two-page document with this information is available to download here.

Additional Resources

For questions or feedback, contact DEEL at education@seattle.gov.