Free Pre-K Counts Preschool for Eligible 3 and 4 Year Olds
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts is a state program that provides quality half-day and full-day pre-kindergarten to eligible 3 and 4 year olds in Pennsylvania, at no cost to eligible families.
Pre-K Counts is designed for children who are between age 3 and until the entry age for kindergarten, and who are at risk of school failure and living in families earning up to 300 percent of the federal income poverty level, such as a family of four earning $96,450.00. Those children may also be English language learners or have special needs.
Pre-K Counts classrooms have teachers with the education and expertise to teach young children, and use a curriculum meant to help your child grow academically and socially. Teachers regularly review your child's progress and choose teaching and learning activities that are best for your child, and help you and your child adjust to pre-kindergarten and smoothly move on to kindergarten. Class size is small, 20 students per one teacher and one aide, so your child can have plenty of one-on-one time with the teachers.
Pre-K Counts is free to eligible families. Providers may charge for non Pre-K Counts programming such as wraparound child care.
Enrollment is handled by each classroom, not by a central state office: contact the Pre-K Counts program directly for enrollment information. There are Pre-K Counts classrooms in most of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. To find one, go to the COMPASS homepage at compass.dhs.pa.gov, scroll down to Looking for Other Resources?, then select Find Early Learning Programs and Child Care Providers, complete the fields for the search using Advanced Search, select PA Pre-K Counts under Early Learning Programs and select Find a Provider. A list of PA Pre-K Counts providers is also posted as a spreadsheet, and there are brochures and flyers about the program in English and in Spanish.
The information for families does not list class hours, enrollment deadlines, the documents to bring or whether there is a waiting list, so ask the program you contact about those. The Pennsylvania Key, which implements the work of the state Office of Child Development and Early Learning, takes general inquiries at 1-844-569-7253 or info@pakeys.org; that is a general-questions contact, not a place to enroll a child. The grant application process described for Pre-K Counts, with a competitive Request for Application anticipated in Spring 2028, is for agencies that want to run classrooms, not for families.
Source: pa.gov/agencies/education/programs-and-services/instructi…, read September 18, 2026.
The details
In Pennsylvania Department of Education’s words
Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts (Pre-K Counts) provides quality half-day and full-day pre-kindergarten to eligible 3 and 4 year olds in Pennsylvania.
Organization
Pennsylvania Department of Education
About this listing
This listing summarizes publicly available information from pa.gov/agencies/education/programs-and-services/instructi…. Last recorded review: September 18, 2026. Contact the provider to confirm eligibility, hours and availability before you go. If something here is wrong, tell us.