Illinois Preschool for All, explained.

Illinois Preschool for All (PFA) is a free, voluntary preschool program for three- and four-year-olds, administered by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) under the state's Early Childhood Block Grant. Unlike many state pre-K programs, PFA serves both ages, not just four-year-olds. Eligibility prioritizes children at risk of academic failure, but the program is structured to move toward universal access over the next several years under the Smart Start Illinois plan announced in 2023 and currently in mid-implementation.

This guide explains exactly who is eligible right now, how the school-day hours work, how PFA interacts with the private daycare you may already use, and how to enroll for the 2026 to 2027 program year. We use plain language, the rules as of the 2025 to 2026 cycle, and a worked example for the typical Illinois working family.

Preschool for All basics

Preschool for All is funded through the Early Childhood Block Grant (ECBG) and operated by individual school districts and community-based partners. Grant dollars cover the instructional program; family income is used to prioritize seats, not to charge tuition. PFA is free for every enrolled child.

Under the 2023 Smart Start Illinois plan, Illinois is funding a multi-year expansion to reach universal preschool access for every Illinois three- and four-year-old by 2027. Until that expansion is complete, districts must prioritize children identified as at-risk under the ISBE risk factors.

Who qualifies

• The child must be three or four years old on or before September 1 of the program year.
• The child must be an Illinois resident.
• Until universal expansion is complete, districts prioritize children at risk under ISBE criteria, including: family income at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level, multilingual learner status, homelessness, foster care, parent education level, low birth weight, developmental delay, and several other factors.

In counties and districts where universal expansion has reached the local level, all three- and four-year-olds are eligible regardless of risk factors. Chicago Public Schools has already opened universal four-year-old enrollment district-wide as of the 2024 to 2025 school year.

The school day

Districts run PFA in three formats: half-day (2.5 hours), full school-day (5 hours or more), and full school-day plus extended-day care. Chicago Public Schools predominantly runs a full school-day PFA. Suburban Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, and Will County districts vary; many smaller downstate districts run half-day.

High-quality PFA requirements

ISBE sets statewide program standards for Preschool for All. These include:

• A lead teacher with a Professional Educator License endorsed in Early Childhood.
• A maximum class size of 20 students.
• A maximum staff-to-student ratio of 1:10.
• A research-based curriculum aligned to the Illinois Early Learning and Development Standards.
• Family engagement plans and at least two formal progress reports per year.

These standards apply uniformly whether PFA is held inside a public school or at a community-based provider partner site.

PFA-daycare partnerships

Illinois actively funds partnerships between school districts and community-based providers, so that PFA classrooms can be held inside community daycares, Head Start centers, or YMCAs. Chicago Public Schools runs one of the largest such partnership networks in the country through its Office of Early Childhood Education. For families using a partner:

• The PFA instructional hours are paid by the state.
• The before-care, after-care, summer, and school-holiday hours are paid by the family at the provider's normal wrap-around rate (or covered by Illinois Child Care Assistance Program if the family qualifies).
• The child stays in one location with one familiar caregiver team across the whole day.

The wrap-around math

How to enroll

1. Identify your local district. Chicago families enroll through CPS Office of Early Childhood Education. Suburban families enroll through their local elementary school district.
2. Decide on delivery type. Public school site or community-based partner site. Families with a child already attending a partner daycare often choose the community site.
3. Gather documents. Child's birth certificate, immunization record, proof of residence, and any documents supporting risk-factor eligibility.
4. Submit the application. Most districts open PFA registration in late winter (January or February) for the August program start. CPS uses a unified online application.
5. Confirm placement. Districts typically confirm placement in spring; many run rolling enrollment year-round if capacity remains.

Common questions

Is PFA actually universal yet? Statewide universal access is the goal of Smart Start Illinois, but the rollout is incremental. CPS has reached universal four-year-old enrollment; many suburban and downstate districts have not yet. Apply early to maximize odds.

What about summer? PFA runs the 176-day school year, not the summer. Families using a partner provider typically continue full-time daycare through the summer at the provider's normal rate.

Can my child attend PFA and a separate daycare? Yes. Many families pair a public school PFA classroom with a private after-school program at a community provider or YMCA.

Where to go next

Browse our city directories for PFA-partner daycare details: Chicago. The broader Illinois state daycare guide covers ExceleRate Illinois QRIS, Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), and DCFS licensing across the state.

For comparison with other state pre-K programs, see our explainers on Florida VPK, Texas Pre-K, Georgia Pre-K, Oklahoma universal Pre-K, and the broader cost pillar. For families weighing private preschool against state PFA, our Preschool cost explainer and Preschool vs Pre-K guide cover the trade-offs. Before any first tour, use the comparison checklist and the cost calculator to estimate your real out-of-pocket.