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Now entering it’s third year, Pre-K 4 SA provides high quality pre-kindergarten education for children across San Antonio, including 1,500 kids last year.
Over eight years, Pre-K 4 SA will educate a projected 22,400 four-year-old children. This year’s enrollment goal is to serve 2,000 throughout San Antonio at four education centers located around town:
- North Education Center, 3635 Medical Dr.
- South Education Center, 7031 S. New Braunfels Ave.
- East Education Center, 5230 Eisenhauer Rd.
- West Education Center, 1235 W. Old Highway 90
How’s Pre-K 4 SA doing so far?
The goal of Pre-K 4 SA is to prepare four-year-olds for Kindergarten. But, is it working? Yes! A recent Year 2 assessment, conducted by Edvance Research in conjunction with National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) and Rutgers University in New Jersey, demonstrated that, while students were behind their peers (drawn from a nationally representative sample of children) when they entered Pre-K 4 SA, the program successfully closed key educational gaps. Kids are leaving Pre-K 4 SA ready for Kindergarten.
Pre-K 4 SA is addressing disparities in a child’s early learning experience and it is making progress in closing the achievement gaps. By the end of the pre-kindergarten year, the initial gap was reduced or eliminated across all six kindergarten readiness outcomes of interest.
Pre-K 4 SA students’ scores on the measures of Cognitive, Literacy and Mathematics exceeded that of the national sample, the gap in Oral Language skills was completely eliminated and the gap in Social-Emotional and Physical Skills were reduced significantly. We are thrilled at this progress and looking forward to building upon it this year.
– Pre-K 4 SA CEO Kathleen Bruck
Pre-K 4 SA includes a full day of instruction (from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) five days a week, as well as breakfast, lunch, and two snacks daily, before- and after-school care (provided from 7:15 to 8 a.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m.), and transportation.
The application period is now open!
The application period for the 2016-2017 school year for Pre-K 4 SA is now open. Spaces in the Pre-K 4 SA program are filled by a lottery conducted on Monday, April 11. The deadline for participating in the lottery is Sunday, April 10. While parents can apply for the program any time during the year, you’ll have the best chance of getting your child a spot in Pre-K 4 SA if you apply now!
Apply for Pre-K 4 SA online or call (210) 206-7735.
Notification of lottery status will begin (by mail and email) on April 12.
Children not receiving a spot in the program during the lottery process are added to a waitlist. Anyone applying for Pre-K 4 SA outside of the application period will be added to the bottom of that waitlist.
Who is eligible for Pre-K 4 SA?
Children must turn four years old by September 1, 2016, to attend Pre-K 4 SA for the 2016-2017 school year.
Some four-year-olds may qualify to attend Pre-K 4 SA for free if they meet the following requirements:
- Must live within the City of San Antonio limits,
- Must live within a participating school district:
2016-2017 participating school districts include Edgewood ISD, Harlandale ISD, North East ISD, Northside ISD, San Antonio ISD, Southside ISD, and Southwest ISD.
South San Antonio ISD, Alamo Heights ISD, East Central ISD, and Judson ISD are not participating in Pre-K 4 SA for the 2016-2017 school year. Families residing within these districts may still apply for the lottery to be selected for the tuition program (see details below).
And, they must meet one of the following criteria outlined by the Texas Education Agency:
- Is eligible for the National Free and Reduced Lunch Program or receives Food Stamps or TANF benefits; or
- Is unable to speak and comprehend the English language (as determined by assessment); or
- Is homeless, as defined by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act; or
- Is the child of an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who is ordered to active duty by proper authority; or
- Is the child of a member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who was injured or killed while serving on active duty; or
- Is or has been in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services following an adversary hearing.
If your child doesn’t qualify for free Pre-K 4 SA, can he/she still enroll?
Yes, if your child meets the eligibility guidelines for Pre-K 4 SA’s Tuition Program, and if your application is selected via the lottery. Pre-K 4 SA reserves 10% of available slots for tuition students. Tuition rates are calculated on a sliding scale based on gross household income and adjusted for household size. For more details visit Pre-K 4 SA’s Tuition Program page.
Make sure your child is Kindergarten ready! Apply for Pre-K 4 SA today:
Fill out an application online for your child for Pre-K 4 SA or call (210) 206-7735 by the Sunday, April 10 deadline. Questions? Visit Pre-K 4 SA.
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