Jeff Bezos simply opened a free preschool inside an Arizona retirement neighborhood

The newest school, Bezos Academy Glendale–Sahuaro Glenn, sits on the grounds of the Glencroft Center for Modern Aging, a senior living community in suburban Phoenix. It’s part of Bezos Academy, the nonprofit preschool network Bezos founded, which opened its first school in 2020 and offers Montessori-inspired education at no cost to qualifying families. The campus is the network’s second in Glendale, following Bezos Academy Glendale–Desert Garden Park, which opened in fall 2025 in partnership with the Glendale Elementary School District.

The opening comes as families across the U.S. grapple with childcare costs that are growing more unaffordable and a shortage of preschool options. Head Start generally serves families at or below the federal poverty line, while childcare assistance programs in many states face waitlists and funding constraints.

Bezos Academy now operates more than 40 preschools across Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Texas, and Washington, offering full-day programming for children ages 3 to 5. Families with household income up to 400% of the federal poverty level qualify, meaning a family of four earning up to $132,000 a year could apply for the 2026–27 school year.

“Bezos Academy aims to nurture the potential in every child to become a creative leader, original thinker, and lifelong learner,” the organization says on its website.

A preschool inside a retirement community

The Glendale campus, located at 6511 W. Alice Ave., is expected to grow from four classrooms this year to five by the 2027–28 school year, reaching capacity for 100 students.

The location may seem unusual, but it reflects a broader effort to connect young children with older adults. Glencroft residents can volunteer in a range of activities, from classroom support and arts programming to community service projects. School leaders say the arrangement gives children regular exposure to older adults while offering residents social engagement and a sense of purpose.

The model isn’t new for Bezos Academy. Its very first school, in Des Moines, Wash., opened in 2020 in a facility provided by Wesley Homes, a nonprofit retirement community operator. A Dallas campus sits on the grounds of the Presbyterian Village North senior living community.

As more older Americans step in to help with childcare for their own families, intergenerational programs have drawn growing interest from educators and aging specialists. Research reviews have linked regular contact between older adults and young children to reduced loneliness and improved mood among seniors, and to greater empathy, higher self-esteem, and less age stereotyping among kids—though outcomes vary by program design.

Filling the middle-income gap

According to school leaders, many families fall into a middle ground: They earn too much to qualify for programs like Head Start but still face significant financial barriers to high-quality preschool.

In Arizona, demand for subsidized care far outpaces available resources. As of Sept. 25, 2026, 9,088 families and 15,044 children were on the waiting list for state childcare assistance, according to the Arizona Department of Economic Security. That program is capped at 165% of the federal poverty level, well below Bezos Academy’s threshold.

Bezos Academy covers operating expenses, educational materials, meals, books, field trips, and classroom supplies, so families pay nothing. The network is funded largely through Bezos’ personal philanthropy, including gifts of Amazon stock to Day 1 Academies, the nonprofit that operates the schools—about $117 million in 2024 and nearly $97 million in 2025—along with host partners that provide space. The effort traces back to the $2 billion Bezos Day One Fund he announced in 2018. Separately, the Bezos family donated $100 million in May toward one of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises.

The organization’s Montessori-inspired curriculum emphasizes hands-on learning and individualized instruction. According to Bezos Academy, children are encouraged to progress at their own pace while teachers use research-based developmental standards to guide learning and track growth.

The Glendale opening marks another step in Bezos’ push to build a national preschool network focused on underserved communities. It also lands as states such as New Mexico experiment with universal free child care and some argue investors are overlooking part of the solution to America’s $172 billion child care problem. With soaring childcare costs pushing young mothers out of the workforce, private investment in early learning is likely to keep drawing attention.