(Margaret Downing/Houston Press)
Two years ago, Monica Ochoa received a letter saying her three-year-old daughter would be admitted to her local public school’s pre-kindergarten program if there was enough room. “We bought uniforms, supplies, everything,” Ochoa says.
Then just a couple weeks before the start of school, someone called to say there wasn’t enough space after all. Priority was given to four-year-olds, and they’d filled up all the places…
So this fall, Ochoa tried again. She took her daughter’s information to the neighborhood school in the Houston Independent School District. Finally, her daughter was old enough. But she was rejected again. “This time it was because we chose English as her primary language,” Ochoa said.
…In 1984, a special session of the Texas Legislature authorized half-day pre-K for four-year-olds who were limited English-language speakers or economically disadvantaged, in House Bill 72. Part of the landmark education reforms enacted that year, it was designed to extend special services to kids who were often in most need — ones who would tend to fall by the wayside without early intervention.
The Texas Education Agency released guidelines for the program designed to get these kids “school ready.” Since then, the definition of students allowed in the program has been expanded to include the homeless, foster children and, most recently, military kids. As room allows, three-year-olds can attend.
(Read the full story at Houston Press)
OTHER NEWS LINKS:
- Houston Wants To Help Residents Trim Energy Waste (Houston Chronicle)
- New Study Suggests Climate May Not Be As Sensitive To CO2 as Some Fear (Houston Chronicle)
- Single Mom with Big Dreams Can Use Help from Goodfellows (Houston Chronicle)
- USO Airport Volunteers Welcome Troops on Holiday (KTRK-13)
- Don’t Occupy Wall Street—Transform It (Stanford Social Innovation Review)
- Many Big Charities Struggle to Raise Money in the Bad Economy (Chronicle of Philanthropy)