Mayor Katie Wilson Expands Preschool, Free School Meals Citywide

Moments before Mayor Katie Wilson held a press conference on April 28 at the Yesler Community Center about investing in families and children, she slid down a slide with her daughter. During the roughly hour-long press conference that followed, which was attended by community leaders, elected officials, and parents, Wilson unveiled her six-year plan for the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) levy.

"We are making major investments in our children that will help to make the city more affordable for all the families who call Seattle home," said Wilson.

But the event ended abruptly when an unknown shooter fired at the center.

Wilson's plan intends to assist Seattle residents from birth to post-secondary education by:

• Expanding the Seattle Preschool Program to run 10 hours a day, Monday through Friday, year-round, including summers. All 3- and 4-year-olds will be eligible, and the program will be free for most Seattle families.

• Providing free breakfast and lunch to every student in the Seattle Public Schools system, starting this fall when the 2026–27 school year begins.

• Offering free mental health care to all Seattle teens.

• Opening up new school-based health centers, which will provide free primary care and dental health services.

• Expanding mentorship opportunities for teens from "organizations with established trust and cultural connections."

• Increasing access to post-secondary education, including community college, university, and apprenticeship programs.

• Expanding the childcare assistance program and increasing direct payments to childcare workers.

Wilson's plan was reminiscent of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani's plan to create universal childcare within the city, though Mamdani announced his plan while standing next to a small podium where toddlers took questions.

Marissa Russo of the Department of Education and Early Learning took questions from the media. The Emerald asked whether the levy would be used to keep the Wood Technology Center (WTC) open, which was potentially slated for sale. Russo said, "That is not a planned investment as part of this [levy]."

Russo responded to a question about whether the pre-K plan would reduce available slots, saying that 600 spaces for students would be added over the course of the six-year plan. Those spaces would be spread among three different childcare options: a six-hour school day option that would run through the school year; a second six-hour option that would run year-round, Monday through Friday; and a 10-hour option that would also run year-round, Monday through Friday.

After the press conference, Martha Diaz, director of the El Centro José Martí Child Development Center in Columbia City, spoke to the Emerald about the effects the childcare expansion and worker subsidy would have on South Seattle families. "Childcare providers are some of the workers that get paid the least, and being part of the program with Seattle … they'll be able to get stipends," Diaz said.

She added that more funding would be available to parents who can't afford childcare. "With cuts to [the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services], people cannot afford childcare … the only other route [is] to go through the City of Seattle," she said.

Dr. Rosie Rimando-Chareunsap, chancellor of Seattle Colleges, told the Emerald, "We're not discontinuing enrollment in any of the programs at the Wood Technology Center, and we are not selling the [WTC]." The levy, Rimando-Chareunsap added, would assist people earning degrees and certificates at the WTC.

As the event wound down, while the mayor posed for photos and talked with attendees, someone fired multiple shots at the Yesler Community Center. No one was injured, but investigators said the gunfire caused property damage to the building.

In a statement that came out later, Wilson said, in part, that the gunfire "was a stark reminder of the reality too many people in this city live with every day. We cannot let this become normal. We must invest in opportunity, and we must continue working to keep people safe."