Marion Preschool Sign-Up for 2025-2026
Mark Your Calendars for Friday, February 14th!
About the Program
The Statewide Voluntary Four-Year-Old Preschool Program provides opportunities for Iowa children to attend quality preschool. Children who are age 4 by September 15, 2025 are eligible to attend our preschool program. Children who are age 5 by September 15, 2025 should register for kindergarten and are not eligible for MISD preschool. The Marion Preschool program is housed at both Longfellow Elementary and Parkview Elementary.
Sessions MISD will be offering for the 2025-2026 school year:
AM Class (8:20-10:50 AM) Tuition Fee: $0
PM Class (12:50-3:20 PM) Tuition Fee: $0
Full Day (8:20 AM-3:20 PM, MISD resident students will be placed first) Tuition Fee: $350/month ($210/month reduced rate)
*Note: MISD does not provide before/after daycare for preschool students. See our FAQ section below for more information.
Full Day program tuition will be $350 per month for nine months (September-May) and must be paid before the first of the month. Failure to pay your student’s tuition will result in your student not being able to continue attending the Full Day program. If a spot in our Half Day program is available, your student will be placed in the Half Day program. Questions regarding tuition payment can be directed to MISD Business Manager Christie VanWey (cvanwey@marion-isd.org).
The district will once again be partnering with the Marion Head Start Program for some spots in our full day program. This program offers financial assistance to full day students who qualify based on income. Please visit this link (https://www.hacap.org/children) prior to applying to learn more about the Head Start Program to see if you qualify. If you are interested, there is a question in the sign-up form asking if you can be contacted by a Head Start representative.
Step 1: Sign-Up – Let Us Know You Are Interested!
Will your child be four years old on or before September 15, 2025? If so, fill out this sign-up link to show your interest in a spot in our preschool program for the 2025-2026 school year. Use THIS SIGN-UP LINK to select a preschool program for your student.
*NOTE: The above form will go live at Noon of Friday, February 14.
In the sign-up form you will be able to indicate your preference (in order) of enrolling in the half-day morning session, half-day afternoon session, or full-day session, as well as your preferred attendance center.
Step 2: MISD Confirms Your Student’s Enrollment
Marion ISD will email you on Friday, March 28 of your student’s preschool placement. Student placement will be placed in order of: MISD resident students, siblings of open enrolled K-12 MISD students, all other applicants in the order received. Every effort will be made to place MISD resident students in the attendance center that they are assigned for K-2nd grade.
Step 3: Complete eRegistration & Deposit
Once student placements have been communicated, you will have 30 days to complete eRegistration to secure your spot in a Marion ISD preschool program. Those students that are placed in a full-day program will also need to pay their $100 non-refundable deposit. The deposit will be applied towards September’s tuition payment.
Instructions on how to complete eRegistration and make the deposit (if applicable) will be included in the placement email. Included in registration you will need to provide:
Proof of Name/Age (i.e. adoption record, certified statement of a health care provider, hospital records, or passport. If only a birth certificate is available, please bring the paper copy to the office of your student's attendance center.)
NOTE: If eRegistration and the deposit (if applicable) are not completed by April 30, your student’s placement will be forfeited and the next student on the waiting list will be offered the spot.
Step 4: Final Confirmation In June
After fully reviewing the submitted eRegistration form, Marion ISD will email you to confirm that your student is approved and good to go for the 2025-2026 school year. After that communication in early June, the next communication will not be sent out until the middle of August once staff begin returning to the buildings. Be sure to follow the district on social media and check out our website for continued updates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What if I missed the deadline to sign up? Can I still sign up after March 28?
A: Yes, you can still sign up. On Friday, March 28 the sign-up form will change to a Wait List form. You will be contacted when a spot opens up. If a student from the Wait List receives a placement into the full day program, they will advance to Step 3 (as listed above) and will then have 30 days following placement to complete the $100 non-refundable deposit and complete eRegistration to secure their student’s placement.
Q: Is there a fee?
A: State funding provides for a partial day program, but the full-day program does have a fee. We only receive 0.5 FTE funding from the state for preschool students, which is why our half-day programs are free. Rather than cutting our programs and staff, we feel that charging a tuition fee for the full-day program provides the best option for us to continue to provide our current high-quality programming while also being fiscally responsible.
Q: What happens if I cannot pay the tuition fee for the month?
A: Failure to pay your student’s tuition will result in your student not being able to continue attending the full-day program. If a spot in our half-day program is available, your student will be moved to the half-day program.
Q: Who do I contact if I have questions regarding the ability to make a tuition payment?
A: Those questions can be directed to MISD Business Manager Christie VanWey (cvanwey@marion-isd.org).
Q: How would I know if I qualify for the reduced rate?
A: Students who qualify for free/reduced lunches will receive the reduced monthly tuition rate of $210/month. The Free/Reduced Lunch application is available online from our district website and navigating to District Information > Food Service Information > Free Reduced Lunch Application (https://www.marion-isd.org/page/free-reduced-application-information). NOTE: The application for the 2025-2026 school year will not be available until after July 1, 2025. Completing the application now will only require the application being completed again after July 1.
Q: Does MISD provide before/after school care for preschool?
A: No. MISD does partner with a local daycare provider (Hand In Hand) that does provide before/after school care within Longfellow Elementary and Parkview Elementary. The care provided by Hand In Hand is outside the school day of 8:20am-3:20pm. There are other area daycares that provide care and transportation for before/after care.
Q: Can my student who attends an AM class of preschool receive after school care from Hand In Hand?
A: No. The after-school care provided by Hand In Hand does not begin until 3:20pm. Similarly, the before school care provided by Hand In Hand ends at 8:20am so a PM preschool class student cannot receive morning care.
Q: What if I have other questions that are not answered?
A: You can contact Nicole Harmer, Longfellow Principal (319-377-0183, nharmer@marion-isd.org) or Chad Zrudsky, Parkview Principal (319-377-4698, czrudsky@marion-isd.org).
