Pre-K 4 SA is a city-funded initiative to provide full-day prekindergarten to thousands of four-year-old children in San Antonio. In addition, it provides professional development for teachers in early childhood education and makes grants to early childhood programs across San Antonio to expand access. The vision of Pre-K 4 SA is that the widespread availability of high quality early childhood education will, within a generation, elevate San Antonio’s workforce to a world class level. This guide will share what parents and caregivers looking for San Antonio preschools need to know about enrolling their children at one of the four education centers around the city. Open enrollment for the 2021–22 school year began on February 1, 2021, and continues until all spots are full.
About Pre-K 4 SA
Since its founding in 2013, Pre-K 4 SA has provided full-day prekindergarten for thousands of students at its four education centers. By focusing on four-year-old children, the program lays a foundation that will help these children perform better in school for years to come.
Children who attend do what they naturally do—play. However, the program is designed strategically so that the children’s play also helps them build memory and imagination. The materials and activities at the centers introduce language, math, science, and art. Students also build language and social skills.
The 2020–21 school year is unusual because they are offering two tracks: remote learning and in-person learning. This video, featuring CEO Dr. Sarah Baray, explains more about their plan.
Pre-K 4 SA has a broader impact on the community through its grants program that increases quality and access in San Antonio preschool programs. Also, educators who teach prekindergarten to third grade are welcomed for free professional development to support best practices.
For more information, we recommend you read some of the many news stories linked at the bottom of this post. Also, we invite you to join the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook and ask questions; the group includes current and former Pre-K 4 SA families who can comment with answers about their own experiences.
Pre-K 4 SA Centers in San Antonio
Pre-K 4 SA has four education centers in San Antonio: East, North, South, and West. Each center has capacity for 500 students. For information about safety, we have included links to search Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) child care records, where available. The only grade level offered at each campus is prekindergarten for four-year-old children.
- East Education Center: 5230 Eisenhauer Rd., San Antonio, TX 78218; 210-206-2850; DFPS Child Care
- North Education Center: 3635 Medical Dr., San Antonio, TX 78229; 210-206-2800; DFPS Child Care
- South Education Center: 7031 S New Braunfels Ave., San Antonio, TX 78223; 210-206-2700; DFPS Child Care
- West Education Center: 1235 Enrique M. Barrera Memorial Pkwy, San Antonio, TX 78227; 210-206-2900
Find more information about San Antonio preschools and other local early childhood education centers in our guide, San Antonio Charter Schools Pre-K Options and Resources.
Classroom at the North Education Center on January 24, 2018
Enroll at Pre-K 4 SA
Families can apply online or call 210-206-PREK (7735) to enroll their children. The application timeline for the 2021–2022 school year started on February 1, 2021. Spots are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Starting on the first Monday in February, families whose children are accepted begin receiving notifications by email. More waves of emails will go out each Monday until all the slots at the centers are full.
To enroll their children, families need to meet certain eligibility requirements. You can find more information in the FAQs, but here are some key points:
- The program is for four year olds. To be eligible, students must turn four by September 1 of the year they will be attending the program.
- To attend for free, families need to meet the eligibility requirements. They must live in the City of San Antonio or its extraterritorial jurisdiction. Also, they must live in one of the participating school districts—East Central ISD, Edgewood ISD, Harlandale ISD, North East ISD, Northside ISD, San Antonio ISD, South San Antonio ISD, and Southwest ISD—or enroll their children through New Frontiers Public Schools, a participating charter school. In addition, they must meet Texas Education Agency (TEA) requirements for free public school prekindergarten.
- Families who don’t meet the eligibility requirements to attend for free can enroll their children through the sliding scale tuition program, with monthly payments based on family income and household size. Ten percent of seats are reserved for tuition paying students.
If you are researching San Antonio preschools and looking ahead to the future, you can sign up for the interest list to get email updates and to learn about events like tours and open houses. We also recommend following their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube) and joining the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook.
Garden at the North Education Center on January 24, 2018
Facts About Pre-K 4 SA
The education centers are full of joy and play, but they are also calm and soothing. Behind the scenes, a lot of research and preparation goes into making the students’ explorations meaningful and creating a long term impact on San Antonio’s workforce development.
Early childhood education is important, but sometimes families face obstacles to access San Antonio preschools. Pre-K 4 SA strives to be welcoming by providing free transportation to and from the centers at depots across town. The special buses have seats designed for young children, including five point safety harnesses.
The school day starts at 8:00 AM and ends at 3:00 PM. Early drop off begins at 7:20 AM, and families can pick up their children as early as 2:45 PM. For working families, there is an extended day program from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
The program supports healthy eating. Students eat free daily breakfasts, lunches, and snacks. All of the centers are peanut free. Meals with meat may include chicken or turkey, but not pork or beef; special meals (e.g., gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian) are also available.
All of the centers offer services for parents, such as Parent Cafés that provide space for parents on campus, and Parents as Partners groups to welcome families as leaders and advocates.
Pre-K 4 SA is preparing young children to be part of the transformation of a world-class workforce in San Antonio within a generation. This San Antonio preschool program has a direct benefit for the 2,000 four-year-old students who attend prekindergarten at the centers each year, and has broader impacts on the early childhood education centers that receive grants and the teachers who receive professional development and training. If this sounds like a good opportunity for your family, we recommend that you apply online. Even if your children are not eligible, please help spread the word about how the program is strengthening the next generation of San Antonio citizens.
Classroom at the North Education Center on January 24, 2018
Charter Moms Chats
Watch Dr. Sarah Baray, CEO of Pre-K 4 SA, speak with Inga Cotton on Charter Moms Chats on February 2, 2020 at 4 PM Central live on Facebook and YouTube.
Dr. Sarah Baray joined Pre-K 4 SA in 2016, bringing more than 25 years of education experience to the program. Before joining, Dr. Baray was a professor at Texas State University where she directed the Ph.D. in School Improvement program and served as a researcher and instructor in the Educational and Community Leadership program. Prior to Texas State, Dr. Baray worked in the Austin Independent School District, serving in various roles including teacher, principal, and district administrator.
Dr. Baray holds a Ph.D. in Executive Public School Leadership from the University of Texas at Austin, where she also earned Master of Education and Bachelor of Science degrees. Her research interests center on policies and practices related to educational equity. As a scholar-practitioner, Dr. Baray utilizes research to inform practice, particularly as it relates to the role of high-quality early learning in educational outcomes. Dr. Baray has authored dozens of articles and book chapters and provided extensive professional development to help educators become more culturally responsive.
Dr. Baray enjoys living along the river in the heart of San Antonio and is active in the community. She serves on the boards of the Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas and the UP Partnership. Dr. Baray is married to Ray Baray, a native of San Antonio. Their daughter attends American University in Washington, D.C.
Read More About
- “Charter Moms Chats—Pre-K 4 SA, With Dr. Sarah Barah,” YouTube, October 1, 2020
- “Civic leaders call for Pre-K 4 SA renewal, early education for infants,” Iris Dimmick, San Antonio Report, September 25, 2020
- “Education leaders to convene ahead of Pre-K 4 SA tax reauthorization vote,” San Antonio Report, September 23, 2020
- “Pre-K 4 SA a lifeline for kids, families,” Sandra Contreras, San Antonio Express-News, September 22, 2020
- “Support S.A. workforce, pre-K, transit propositions,” San Antonio Express-News, September 22, 2020
- “San Antonio Leaders Prepare For 2020 Vote To Renew Pre-K 4 SA,” Camille Phillips, Texas Public Radio, September 16, 2020
- “San Antonio Pre-K 4 SA equips its remote-learning kids with new iPads, internet access,” Liz Hardaway, San Antonio Express-News, September 8, 2020
- “‘Keep Pre-K 4 SA’ campaign event highlights program successes ahead of November election,” Lindsey Carnett, San Antonio Report, August 29, 2020
- “Discussing the Future of Pre-K 4 SA,” San Antonio Express-News editorial board, Facebook Live, August 27, 2020
- “To address poverty in San Antonio, invest with care,” Robert Rivard, San Antonio Report, August 16, 2020
- “San Antonio Pre-K Program Seeks To Fix Achievement Gap,” Michael Martin, NPR, July 11, 2020
- “After leaving the program, South San Antonio ISD again partners with Pre-K 4 SA,” Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, June 19, 2020
- “Pre-K for SA honors young students with graduation parade,” Danielle Moody, FOX San Antonio, June 3, 2020
- “San Antonio City Council moves Pre-K 4 SA sales tax election to November because of coronavirus,” Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, April 9, 2020
- “Council Postpones Pre-K 4 SA Funding Election to November,” Emily Donaldson, San Antonio Report, April 9, 2020
- “November will be the time to renew Pre-K 4 SA,” Elaine Mendoza and Rad Weaver, San Antonio Express-News, April 8, 2020
- “City, school leaders want to know if kids who go to Pre-K 4 SA return to neighborhood public schools,” Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, March 11, 2020
- “If Renewed, Pre-K 4 SA Plans To Expand Access To Middle Income Families,” Camille Phillips, Texas Public Radio, February 19, 2020
- “Pre-K 4 SA campaign merely requires voters to preserve a good thing,” Gilbert Garcia, San Antonio Express-News, January 18, 2020
- “Pre-K 4 SA is increasingly an option for San Antonio families too affluent for free pre-k,” Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, December 23, 2019
- “San Antonio’s Pre-K 4 SA ranked high among programs nationwide,” Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, December 12, 2019
- “San Antonio Charter Schools Pre-K Options and Resources,” Amy Johnson, San Antonio Charter Moms, November 29, 2019
- “UTSA Urban Education Institute releases full Pre-K impact study,” UTSA, August 13, 2019
- “United Way, Pre-K 4 SA offer to organize business alliance for child care providers,” Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, June 7, 2019
- “Pre-K 4 SA, Edgewood Partnership May Be Temporary,” Camille Phillips, Texas Public Radio, February 21, 2019
- “Report: Students In Pre-K 4 SA Scored Better On State Tests, Missed Fewer Days Of School,” Camille Phillips, Texas Public Radio, January 29, 2019
- “Study: Students in San Antonio’s Pre-K 4 SA program did better on state tests,” Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, January 28, 2019
- “UTSA Study Indicates Pre-K 4 SA Positively Affects STAAR Scores, Attendance,” Emily Donaldson, San Antonio Report, January 28, 2019
- “Edgewood fielding questions on proposed partnership with Pre-K 4 SA,” Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, January 24, 2019
- “Pre-K 4 SA offered to run schools in San Antonio—and Edgewood ISD said yes,” Krista Torralva, San Antonio Express-News, January 18, 2019
- “Measuring success at San Antonio’s public preschool program,” Bekah McNeel, Hechinger Report, July 17, 2018
- “High Demand For Pre-K 4 SA Continues As San Antonio’s Population Grows,” Camille Phillips, Texas Public Radio, January 30, 2018
- “Pre-K 4 SA South Education Center Is a Model of High Quality Early Childhood Education,” San Antonio Charter Moms, October 2, 2017
