There’s a lot to like about a proposal under consideration in Dallas ISD to offer free, full-day pre-kindergarten to all 3- and 4-year-olds in the district.
High-quality early childhood education helps set kids on a path toward success in school, and early education is not just about learning letters and numbers. In a strong pre-K program, children develop and practice motor skills, learn how to interact positively with peers and how to calm themselves and behave appropriately in different settings — all abilities they will use and refine for the rest of their lives.
The district already offers early childhood education in elementary schools and through partnerships with some child care centers. Pre-K is free for kids from low-income or active duty military families, and for those who don’t speak English, are homeless or in foster care, or who have a parent who is a Dallas ISD classroom teacher. Other children may be eligible for scholarships.
Families that aren’t eligible for those programs pay $5,500 in tuition annually for full-day pre-K. Only 267 families currently pay pre-K tuition.
Opinion
Now district trustees and administrators want full-day pre-K to be free for any 3- or 4-year-old child who lives within Dallas ISD boundaries. It’s a savvy strategy that could help the district stabilize enrollment and assist financially stretched middle-class parents.
Dallas ISD has been focused on expanding early childhood education for years, and about 10,700 students enrolled in pre-K classes last fall. But district leaders say they won’t need to hire more teachers or add classrooms for expansion because Dallas ISD already has the capacity to serve more preschoolers than currently attend.
Free pre-K would introduce more families to Dallas ISD earlier. A good pre-K experience might persuade some parents to keep their sons and daughters in the district rather than send them to charter or private schools.
The potential benefits for families are obvious. They would have the option of free, full-day, high-quality pre-K at a local Dallas ISD elementary. The district’s lead pre-K teachers are certified and have additional early childhood education credentials, said Chelsea Jeffery, chief of strategy, insights and talent at the Commit Partnership, a nonprofit working to improve public education in Dallas County.
Private child care providers might be affected by the proposal. They would have to compete with the free public school option. However, the state’s new education voucher program might ease the financial strain for a few private child care centers whose families otherwise couldn’t afford their tuition.
Dallas ISD trustees are expected to vote on the proposal later this month. We hope they approve it. Then district officials need to market the expanded, free pre-K program everywhere.
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