North Texas School Districts Encourage Parents to Consider Pre-K

There are various options for pre-K out there and not all of them cost money.

School districts across the area are encouraging parents to place students in pre-K and are accepting applications for next school year.

Some districts are trying to educate parents on why enrolling for pre-K can make such a big difference in their child's education.

For years, pre-K was thought as being something extra, more like daycare. Now researchers know that children who attend pre-K are better prepared for Kindergarten than students who don't, according to a recent study. There are various options for pre-K out there and not all of them cost money.

Delilah Rodriguez teaches pre-K and says time and time again she has to reassure parents that pre-K is a good thing for their kids.

"We’re trained to work with children that young," she said. "We have patience with them. This is the first time they’re transitioning from home to school so it’s tough on them, but we work with them and go by their needs."

In Garland ISD, they’re trying something new in pre-K: AVID, which is Advanced Placement Via Individual Determination. It aims to bring out the best in students and close the achievement gap for students who are historically underserved in post-secondary institutions.

"AVID is going to help students with soft skills, a lot of programs focus on the instructional side only. AVID focuses on teaching those areas we don’t address, how to collaborate, talk to each other, address adults," said Ivan Cantu, AVID Administrator with Garland ISD.

If it sounds familiar, that’s because Carter in the Classroom showed you how AVID is working in Garland Middle Schools to help students develop confidence and send more of them to college.

The programs have been successful so the district wants to see what will happen if it's available at a pre-K level.

No matter the district or the program, the districts want parents to know pre-K matters and districts are trying to get more parents to make the commitment.

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