A district shall offer PreK if they have identified at least 15 children who meet eligibility requirements and are at least 4 years old. This shall be offered on a full day basis.
A district may offer PreK if they have identified at least 15 children who meet eligibility requirements and are at least 3 years old. This may be operated on a half day basis.
To be eligible for enrollment in a free prekindergarten class,
- a child must be at least three years of age on or before September 1 of the current school year (if a 3-year-old program is available) or
- four years of age on or before September 1 of the current school year.
And they must meet one of the following requirements:
- Are unable to speak or understand English;
- Are educationally disadvantaged (eligible for the free/reduced lunch program);
- Are homeless;
- Have parents serving in active military duty, in an activated reserve unit, or who were killed or wounded in action; or
- Are in or who have ever been in Foster Care (i.e.,Texas Department of Family and Protective Services conservatorship)*
- have a parent or guardian eligible for Star of Texas award (peace officers, fire fighters, emergency medical first responders)
If your child is eligible for Early Childhood Special Eduction (ECSE) services, you may consider placement in a pre-kindergarten program offered in many Texas school districts. School districts may draw on other funding sources to provide a full-day program or open the program to three-year-olds. Additional funding sources may also be used to include preschoolers with disabilities. Some school districts partner with local Head Start programs and community daycare providers.
Pre-Kindergarten programs are designed to help at-risk preschoolers develop the skills they need to be successful when they reach public school. Emphasis is on language development, pre-reading and mathematics, and social skills. Like Head Start, state-funded pre-kindergarten programs can provide the inclusive programming that benefits children both with and without disabilities.
To find out if there is a pre-kindergarten program available in your school district, contact your neighborhood school or your district’s administration office.
Least Restrictive Environment/Inclusion
- Preschool LRE Environments/Settings Question & Answer Document – Access to General Curriculum (Region 20 ESC)
- OSEP Dear Collegue Letter Regarding LRE for Preschool Children (pdf) – This letter clarifies how least restrictive environment (LRE) requirements apply to the placement of preschool children with disabilities.
- Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center – Proposed Benefits of Inclusion and Research & Studies on Inclusion
- Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center – Early Childhood Outcomes (Social Emotional, Knowledge and Skills, Behavior)
- Division of Early Childhood (DEC) and National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – Joint Position Statement on Early Childhood Inclusion
- Inclusive Schools Network – Early Childhood Resources
- Disability is Natural articles by Kathie Snow – Environment, Environment, Environment and Special Education Preschools, Help or Hindrance
Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE)
Dual Enrollment
Head Start
Texas Education Agency
- Services for Texas Students with Disabilities – Ages 3-5
- Early Childhood Education FAQs (Eligibility FAQs, Program FAQs, High Quality PreK FAQs)
- Curriculum)
- Student Attendance & Accounting Handbook – See Section 4
