HOUSTON, Texas — No one ever suspected what was just around the corner when we sat in on a Spring Branch ISD pre-k class in 2019.
But COVID-19 hit enrollment among that age group especially hard.
"We had about 2400 students that were missing or didn’t show up," said SBISD Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Blaine. "And about a third of them, around 800, were pre-k.”
Blaine said many students have returned during the course of the school year. But learning loss and funding based on enrollment will be top concerns come next fall.
"So it’s important for us to get the word out because we want as many kids back as we can get,” said Blaine.
A number of districts are currently sharing messages on social media that encourage families to pre-enroll.
Aldine ISD staff members from different schools recently hit the streets to promote pre-k and kindergarten.
"They went to local business in the area and they posted flyers,” said Garcia-Leza Primary School principal Patricia Willis.
She said outreach also included apartment complexes where many families live.
Garcia-Leza, which houses only pre-k and kindergarten classes, had more than 100 fewer students this school year.
State leaders recently reported a 22 percent dip across Texas.
"That's disappointing," said Willis. "Because pre-k and kinder is what they need to get both academic and social skills so they’re ready for elementary.”
Districts are ready to get things back to normal as soon as possible by building up enrollment beginning with the lowest grade levels.
"We believe our kids are going to come back and we’re trying to do as much outreach as we possibly can,” said Blaine.
Most districts have web pages dedicated to pre-k and kindergarten enrollment.
Here are the ones mentioned in this story:
