Last verified: October 2026
Who can get free pre-K through Memphis-Shelby County Schools?
Any Memphis-area parent can apply to MSCS Pre-K, and children who are three or four by August 15 are age-eligible. MSCS checks household income against the federal poverty guidelines to decide which funded classrooms a child can enter; over-income children can still be placed where seats allow.
For 2026-27, MSCS set aside 115 seats for over-income three-year-olds. Head Start collaboration rooms require poverty-level income or public assistance.
How does the MSCS Pre-K application work?
Families apply online at any time of year, then book an in-person eligibility interview; one parent attends, and the child does not need to come. Starting in 2026-27, parents learn the placement at the end of the interview, followed by an emailed acceptance letter within 48 hours.
Bring a birth certificate or similar age document. The Tennessee immunization certificate is due at parent orientation rather than at the interview. Children placed in VPK-funded rooms start about 30 days into the school year.
Does pre-K work the same way in Germantown, Collierville, Tipton or Fayette County?
No. Each district runs its own enrollment, so families zoned to a municipal district, Tipton County Schools or Fayette County Public Schools apply through that district rather than MSCS.
Statewide, Voluntary Pre-K gives priority to four-year-olds from income-eligible households, and districts can place VPK rooms with community child care partners.
| MSCS Pre-K & Tennessee Voluntary Pre-K is | MSCS Pre-K & Tennessee Voluntary Pre-K is not |
|---|---|
| District-run pre-K for three- and four-year-olds | Not a voucher for any private preschool |
| Applied for online year-round in MSCS | Not guaranteed for over-income families |
| Placed by income eligibility and open seats | Not part of EFS or the ESA, which start at kindergarten |
| Offered in district, VPK, First 8 and Head Start rooms | Not the same as TDHS child care assistance |