Albany County schools expand preschool to two more elementary schools
ACSD#1 is adding preschool at Indian Paintbrush and Spring Creek, but each room holds just 14 children and families must manage their own transportation.
Parents looking for a preschool seat in Albany County now have two more district options, but space will be tight. Albany County School District #1 is expanding preschool for the 2026-27 school year to Indian Paintbrush Elementary and Spring Creek Elementary, while continuing programs at Velma Linford Elementary and Slade Elementary.
The change matters most for families in Laramie, Rock River, Centennial and the district’s rural attendance area because preschool access will now depend on both location and timing. ACSD#1 is capping enrollment at 14 students per classroom, and the district says preschool will run from Aug. 25, 2026 through June 3, 2027, on a Monday-through-Friday schedule from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pickup is required between 1 and 1:15 p.m., and the district does not provide transportation.
The district has also split enrollment into two phases. Phase 1 ran from June 1 through July 24 for Title I-qualified students, including English learners, children with active 504 plans, IEPs or IFSPs, students who previously failed a developmental screener and children who participated in Head Start. Families selected in that first round are scheduled to be notified July 30. Phase 2 begins Aug. 10 for remaining students who live within neighborhood school boundaries, making the second round the main opening for families who do not qualify for the first priority group.
To get in, children must be 4 years old by Aug. 1, 2025 and must also be fully potty-trained and able to handle basic self-care in a classroom setting, including zippers, buttons, bathroom independence and handwashing. Families will need a birth certificate and immunization record. That puts the preschool program squarely in the district’s early-learning pipeline, not as a casual childcare option, and it also gives parents a direct bridge to kindergarten planning. ACSD#1 says kindergarten registration for 2026-27 requires children to be 5 years old on or before Aug. 1, 2026.
The expansion builds on an existing preschool setup rather than starting from scratch. For 2025-26, Linford offered one class from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Slade offered two half-day classes from 8 to 11 a.m. and 12 to 3 p.m. Families who cannot get a district seat can still look to the Albany County TANF Preschool Partnership, which offers free preschool in four Laramie locations for income-qualifying children ages 3 to 5 who are not yet in kindergarten.
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