General

Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
Texas Public School Prekindergarten

State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
Texas Education Agency

Availability of program:
1047 out of 1227 school districts (85%)

Are districts, counties, or towns in Texas required to offer this pre-kindergarten initiative?
Required for some1

Hours of operation per day:
Part day, 3 hours/day

Is there a formal partnership at the state level to provide extended day services through collaboration with other agencies and programs?
No

Enrollment

Fall 2013, Total children:
226,226

Fall 2011, by age:
13 under age 3; 22,565 3-year-olds; 203,648 4-year-olds; 5-year-olds2

Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 226,707

Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
Part day, 226,707

Eligibility

Minimum age for eligibility:
3 years, months by September 1

Maximum age for eligibility:
5 years, months by September 2

Kindergarten eligibility age:
5 years, months by September 1

Does state policy allow any exceptions to the age requirement for prekindergarten or kindergarten eligibility?
No

State policy on enrolling children in state pre-K when they are eligible for kindergarten:
Children may not enroll in pre-K if they are age-eligible for kindergarten4

Aside from age, how is eligibility determined for individual children for this state prekindergarten initiative?
Eligibility is determined by individual child or family characteristics in addition to age

What was the state-specified income requirement during the 2013-14 program year?
Eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or 185% FPL5

To whom, or to what percentage of children, does the income requirement apply?
All children that are enrolling under that criteria.

Is there a sliding payment scale based on income?
No5

Is child eligibility for this state prekindergarten initiative ever reassessed after a child has been enrolled in the program?
No6

Risk Factors

Risk factors besides income that can be used to determine eligibility:
Homelessness or unstable housing; Non-English speaking family members; Child history of foster care; Parental active military duty; Other state-specified risk factors: Parent was injured or killed on active military duty

How many of the specified risk factors must be present for eligibility?
1

How do these risk factors relate to the income cutoff for the state pre-K program?
Meeting the income cutoff can count as one of the risk factors

Class Sizes

Maximum class size:
3- and 4-year-olds, No limit

Staff-child ratio requirement:
3- and 4-year-olds, No limit7

Teachers

Minimum teacher degree requirement:
BA (public); None (nonpublic)10

Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Public: Generalist (EC-6); Bilingual (EC-6); ESL (EC-6); Special Education (EC-6)10

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 by percent:
BA, 100%

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 totals:
BA, 8389

Teacher in-service requirement:
150 clock hours per 5 years

Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
HSD or Equivalent (public); None (nonpublic)11

Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
None

Services

Meal requirement:
Depends on length of program day8

Support services for English Language Learners and families:
Bilingual non-English classes are permitted in pre-K; Professional development or coaching is provided for teachers; Programs are required to screen and assess all children; A home language survey is sent home at the beginning of the school year; Information must be presented to parents in their primary language; Translators or bilingual staff are available if children do not speak English9

Support services required for all programs:
Other; Support services locally determined

Regulations

Screening and referral requirements:
Required: Vision; Hearing; Immunizations; Locally determined: Height/Weight/BMI; Blood pressure; Psychological/Behavioral; Full physical exam; Developmental; Dental; Other

State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
Texas Prekindergarten Guidelines

For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=2147495508&menu_id=2147483718

Funding

Days per week the state prekindergarten initiative is funded to operate using state funds:
5 days per week

Annual operating schedule for this state-funded prekindergarten initiative:
Academic year

Actual fiscal year 2014 spending for this state prekindergarten initiative:
$799,347,078

All funding sources:
State, $787,147,078; Federal, $12,200,000

State funding sources and amounts:
Foundation School Program, $768,647,078; Texas School Ready! Grant Program, $3,500,000; Supplemental Prekindergarten Funding, $15,000,000

Federal funding sources and amounts:
Texas Workforce Commission, $12,200,00012

Is funding for this state prekindergarten initiative determined by a school funding or state aid formula?
Yes13

Agencies eligible to receive funding directly:
Public schools, Other settings: Charter schools

Agencies with which subcontracting is permitted:
Public schools, Head Start, Private CC

Is there a required local match for this program?
No

Select a state program to view details.


Texas Footnotes

  1. A district shall offer prekindergarten classes if the district identifies 15 or more eligible children who are at least four years of age by September 1 of the current school year. A school district may offer prekindergarten classes if the district identifies 15 or more eligible children who are at least three years of age.
  2. While 469 5-year-olds were also enrolled in the program, these students would need to be funded by district sources, and so are not included in the enrollment count.
  3. In addition to the children receiving special education services in the state-funded pre-K program, Texas also provides Early Education (EE), a grade level for students between the ages of zero and five who have not been placed in prekindergarten or kindergarten. This includes 9,908 3-year-olds and 7,936 4-year-olds receiving special education services who do not meet the two hours of instruction per day requirement for membership and students in Head Start programs who do not meet the requirements for state funds.
  4. The TEA specifically established the pre-K program to serve students who have not reached age 5. Five-year-olds do not receive state funding for pre-K and are paid for by the school district if enrolled.
  5. For students to qualify as educationally disadvantaged, they must be elgible to participate in free or reduced-price lunch.
  6. Districts are required to verify eligibility. Once a student is determined to be eligible, the student remains eligible for that year in the district in which he or she resides or is otherwise entitled to Foundation School Program benefits.
  7. There is no rule regarding prekindergarten class size or staff to child ratio, though school districts are encouraged to maintain classes no larger than 15 3-year-olds and 18 4-year-olds and not to exceed a staff-child ratio of 1 to 22. If a school district contracts with a private entity for the operation of the district’s prekindergarten program, the program must comply with child care licensing standards.
  8. Districts are not required to serve meals to pre-K students. However, most districts do serve either breakfast or lunch, and some offer both meals. All districts offering a full-day program provide lunch.
  9. Translators are used for Language Proficiency Assessment Committees for parents who do not speak English and during parent/teacher meetings. Each school district with an enrollment of 20 or more students of limited English proficiency in any language classification in the same grade level must offer a bilingual education or special language program.
  10. Credentials for nonpublic school teachers are overseen by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission and vary based on school accreditation. There is no set state requirement for degrees and certifications in nonpublic schools.
  11. Texas does not use the term assistant teachers though paraprofessionals serve as Educational Aides I, II, and III. Educational Aide I requires at least a high school diploma and experience working with students or parents. Educational Aide II requires at least a High School Diploma and one of the following requirements: two creditable years of experience; a minimum of 15 semester credit hours of college credit with emphasis on child development or related subject areas; demonstrated proficiency in a specialized skill area as determined by the school district; or experience working with students or parents. Educational Aide III requires at least a high school diploma and one of the following: three creditable years of experience; 30 semester credit hours of college credit with some emphasis on child growth and development or related subject areas; or experience working with students or parents.
  12. The Texas School Ready! program and the funds from the Texas Workforce Commission were for grant programs and were not available statewide.
  13. Prekindergarten students generate formula funding based on average daily attendance (ADA) in the same manner as K–12 students with the provision that they are eligible for a maximum of one half day ADA.
  14. Not applicable
  15. Districts are required to administer a kindergarten reading instrument from a list adopted by the commissioner or by the district-level committee. Children are assessed in kindergarten at the beginning, middle, and/or end of the year, depending on which instrument is chosen.