SAN ANTONIO – Pre-K 4 SA is opening its prekindergarten enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year next week and staff says to sign up as soon as possible because spots fill up fast.
Pre-K 4 SA launched its first site in 2013 and since then, its impacted thousands of local children.
“Our independent evaluators have shown that children enter pre-K 4 SA on average below the national norm. And in just one year, they leave us well above national norm in key indicators, which means they’re more than ready for kindergarten. And then our long longitudinal studies have shown that children who attend pre-K 4 SA have better reading, better math and better attendance score in third grade and beyond. So, what we’re seeing is that one year of high-quality early learning makes a lasting difference,” Sarah Baray, CEO of Pre-K 4 SA said.
Baray says average enrollment is about 2,000 students a year. Due to the pandemic, that number dipped to about 1,500 students this school year.
“We’ve seen families that have been reluctant to send their kids, they are uncertain, especially with the Omicron variant. But every day we’re getting kids enrolling, families are getting ready to come back. They know that it’s important for children to be in school,” Baray said.
Baray said they have different safety protocols in place and are getting COVID tested weekly.
“We retrofitted all of our buildings have better air filtration, touchless water fountains and toilets and sinks and all of that. We have daily health screenings for both children and staff. And then we have weekly proactive testing so that everybody is getting tested in case any of them are asymptomatic and maybe are positive. That helps us to prevent the spread,” Baray said.
Prekindergarten enrollment starts Feb. 1 . Children must turn four-years-old by Sept. 1 to attend.
“If the family qualifies based on one of the TEA indicators, they can attend free. And if they don’t, we offer scholarships so that it’s available to every family, including full scholarships for families making up to $75,000 a year,” Baray said.
Parents of eligible students can apply in one of two ways:
- Online – complete the entire application process by clicking here.
- Call – talk to a Pre-K 4 SA staff member on the Enrollment Hotline at (210) 206-PREK.