FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PRE-K

Transcription

1 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT PRE-K QUALIFYING FOR FREE PRE-K... 2 Wh qualifies fr free Pre-K?... 2 What if my child is nt 4 years ld by September 1 st?... 3 What if my child desn t qualify fr free Pre-K?... 3 D parents have t be U.S. citizens?... 3 Is there a lttery system t get in?... 3 ENROLLING IN PUBLIC SCHOOL PRE-K... 3 What phne number d I call t enrll my child?... 3 What dcumentatin d I need t prvide t enrll my child?... 4 What if I dn t have all f these dcuments?... 4 What is the deadline fr enrlling?... 5 WHY SHOULD MY CHILD GO TO PRE-K?... 5 Why is Pre-K imprtant?... 5 Will my child like Pre-K?... 5 OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT PRE-K... 5 What happens in Pre-K?... 5 What are the hurs f public schl Pre-K, and where are classes held?... 5 Is there a bus t take my child t Pre-K?... 5 Is after schl care prvided?... 5 What if my child des nt speak English well?... 5 Hw much des Pre-K cst?... 6 What can I d at hme t help my child be ready fr Kindergarten?... 6 What phne number can I call fr mre infrmatin?... 6 Visit t access a FREE parent guide t schl readiness. 1

2 QUALIFYING FOR FREE PRE-K Wh qualifies fr free Pre-K? Qualifying fr free pre-k is a 2-step prcess. T qualify, a child must meet age AND eligibility requirements. The child must be: 1. At least 4 years ld by 9/1/ AND meet at least 1 f the fllwing criteria: a. Lw family incme (see chart). b. Child speaks a language ther than English at hme, s he/she is unable t speak r cmprehend English r has limited English. 2 c. Child has ever been in Fster Care r CPS custdy. d. Child is hmeless r lives in a shelter, r family is migrant. e. Mm r dad is an active member f the Armed Frces, including state military frces r reserves; r mm r dad was injured r killed while in active duty. Children with n dcumentatin f US Citizenship ARE eligible fr pre-k! Children with a disability may qualify fr District Preschl Prgram fr Children with Disabilities thrugh a different schl evaluatin prcess. Ask yur schl district. # f Husehld Members Grss Incme (effective July 1, June 30, 2017) Annual Mnthly Twice Mnthly Every 2 weeks Weekly 2 $29,637 $2,470 $1,235 $1,140 $570 3 $37,296 $3,108 $1,554 $1,435 $718 4 $44,955 $3,747 $1,874 $1,730 $865 5 $52,614 $4,385 $2,193 $2,024 $1,012 6 $60,273 $5,023 $2,512 $2,319 $1,160 7 $67,951 $5,663 $2,832 $2,614 $1,307 8 $75,647 $6,304 $3,152 $2,910 $1,455 Fr each additinal family member, add +$7,696 +$642 +$321 +$296 +$148 1 Sme schl districts serve children wh are 3 years ld as f 9/1/16. Ask yur schl district. 2 Yur child may need t cmplete a simple assessment at the schl t qualify. Visit t access a FREE parent guide t schl readiness. 2

3 What if my child is nt 4 years ld by September 1 st? Sme districts serve children wh are 3 years ld as f September 1 st. Ask yur schl district. Anyne can als access a FREE parent guide t schl readiness at It prvides easyt-use tls t help yur child successfully prepare t enter schl. Yu can als cntact 211 fr a referral t a high quality child care center that ffers Pre-K prgramming. What if my child desn t qualify fr free Pre-K? Families wh d nt qualify fr free pre-k can cntact 211 fr a referral t high quality childcare centers wh ffer pre-k prgramming. Sme districts als ffer tuitin slts fr children wh d nt qualify fr free pre-k. Ask yur district. Als, any caregiver can access a FREE parent guide t schl readiness at It prvides easy-t-use tls t help yur child successfully prepare t enter schl. D parents have t be U.S. citizens? N. Als, schls d nt ask fr immigratin status f children. Children brn in ther cuntries ARE eligible fr free pre-k. (See dcumentatin required n page 4.) Is there a lttery system t get in? N! All children wh meet eligibility requirements can enrll. ENROLLING IN PUBLIC SCHOOL PRE-K What phne number d I call t enrll my child? Cntact yur schl districts at the number belw: Austin ISD: PREK Bastrp ISD: Del Valle ISD: Elgin ISD: Gergetwn ISD: x6038 Hays CISD: Hutt ISD: Lake Travis ISD: Leander ISD: Lckhart ISD: Manr ISD: Pflugerville ISD: Rund Rck ISD: San Marcs CISD: Smithville ISD: Taylr ISD: Visit t access a FREE parent guide t schl readiness. 3

4 What dcumentatin d I need t prvide t enrll my child? T enrll in a public schl Pre-K prgram, parents must prvide the fllwing dcuments: 1. Child s fficial birth certificate Schls d nt ask fr immigratin status f children. If a child is brn in anther cuntry, parents can prvide that birth certificate. If a child des nt have a birth certificate, parents can instead prvide any 1 f the fllwing dcuments: A statement f the child's date f birth issued by the divisin f the Texas Department f State Health Services respnsible fr vital statistics fr schl admissin purpses Passprt Schl ID card, recrds, r reprt card Military ID Hspital birth recrd Adptin recrds Church baptismal recrd Any ther legal dcument that establishes identity and age. 2. Child s up-t-date immunizatin recrd. 3. Current prf f address: like a utility bill, lease r tax bill with parent name and address. 4. Parent/guardian pht identificatin. 5. T establish eligibility based n status, 1 f the fllwing dcuments may be required: Current prf f family incme: like a current paycheck stub r pay envelpe; a letter frm emplyer stating grss wages paid & hw ften they are paid; unemplyment dcument; Wrker s Cmpensatin r Disability payment stub; OR dcumentatin f eligibility fr SNAP r TANF benefits. Fr current r frmer Fster children, a letter frm DFPS. Fr children f active members f the armed frces, a cpy f mm r dad s Department f Defense ID r a statement f service. Fr hmeless r migrant children, parents will cmplete a residency questinnaire r migrant survey at time f registratin. What if I dn t have all f these dcuments? Yu ll need all f these dcuments t fficially enrll yur child, but yur schl will wrk with yu t make sure yu have everything yu need. Call yur schl r schl district and let them knw what yu have and dn t have. Visit t access a FREE parent guide t schl readiness. 4

5 What is the deadline fr enrlling? Schls enrll all year lng! It is best t enrll yur child ver the summer s that he/she can attend all year, but if yu dn t enrll befre the schl year starts, yu can still enrll yur child in the fall, winter r even spring. WHY SHOULD MY CHILD GO TO PRE-K? Why is Pre-K imprtant? Pre-K activities build the fundatin f academic and scial/emtinal skills needed fr schl success. Students wh attend pre-k are less likely t need t repeat a grade r receive special educatin services. AND students wh attend pre-k have higher graduatin rates and even higher wages as adults! Will my child like Pre-K? Mst children lve pre-k, s yur child prbably will t. Children enjy meeting and playing with friends, learning letters and numbers, playing games, listening t and making up stries, playing utside, and learning frm a lving, caring teacher. OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT PRE-K What happens in Pre-K? Children participate in individual and grup activities like stry time, learning centers, music and mvement lessns, art prjects, and letter and number lessns. Children als play with friends and practice learning with ther children. In Pre-K, children build creativity and curisity, and learn prblem slving skills. This will help yur child be ready fr schl n his/her first day f kindergarten! What are the hurs f public schl Pre-K, and where are classes held? Class times vary by schl district. In general, full day Pre-K is abut 6 hurs/day, and part-time Pre- K is abut 3 hurs/day. Ask yur schl district fr exact times. Is there a bus t take my child t Pre-K? Sme schls prvide transprtatin t/frm schls and sme d nt. Call yur schl r schl district t find ut the answer. Is after schl care prvided? Afterschl childcare may r may nt be available. Ask yur schl r schl district. What if my child des nt speak English well? That s kay! The classes will help yur child learn English s that he/she is ready fr Kindergarten. Visit t access a FREE parent guide t schl readiness. 5

6 Hw much des Pre-K cst? Fr families that meet eligibility requirements, Pre-K is free! (See eligibility requirements n page 2.) Sme schls ffer tuitin slts fr students wh dn t meet the eligibility requirements fr free Pre-K. Ask yur schl r schl district. What can I d at hme t help my child be ready fr Kindergarten? Children get ready fr schl at hme by listening, talking, playing and lving. Simple things yu can d with children can make a big difference. The E3 Alliance has a free schl readiness guide yu can dwnlad with easy-t-use tls t prepare yur child fr schl. It s in English and Spanish. Visit What phne number can I call fr mre infrmatin? Cntact yur schl districts at the number belw: Austin ISD: PREK Bastrp ISD: Del Valle ISD: Elgin ISD: Gergetwn ISD: x6038 Hays CISD: Hutt ISD: Lake Travis ISD: Leander ISD: Lckhart ISD: Manr ISD: Pflugerville ISD: Rund Rck ISD: San Marcs CISD: Smithville ISD: Taylr ISD: Sme districts ffer tuitin slts fr nn-eligible students s just ask if yu wuld like t participate! Visit t access a FREE parent guide t schl readiness. 6