This is a fantastic change! I know many families at our school who earn too much to qualify for the free preschool but are still far to poor to afford the $1000+ a month to enroll their kids in a private preschool program. A low cost, sliding scale preschool program is exactly what these families need. I hope the district continues to do more to plug the gap for middle income families.

$24,300/year for a family of 4 is lower than what one parent would make in a full-time minimum wage job with the new $13/hour minimum wage.

When my son was 3, I was looking for a preschool for him. I wasn't eligible for low income preschool.
I was told it was almost impossible to get into this program at 3 yo unless you have an IEP, but at 4, he would most probably get in. However, when we were offered a spot, it was an afternoon class (12 to 3 I believe) which conflicted with nap and just wasn't convenient by any means. The morning class would start super early at 8.
Anyway, what I mean is it is a program with an inconvenient schedule, only 3 hrs a day, the new requirement would allow
For 24 kids per class which is a lot at this age (I hope at least there will be 2 teachers), and most probably it won't be too much but play, exploration, hands on learning.
I honestly do not see much incentive for any family to put their kids into the program. For working parents 3 hrs a day is nothing. For a parent who wants their child to develop social skills without paying an arm and a leg, a parent nursery school or even the preschool at the Rec Center is a much better choice.