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Pre-Kindergarten Information

Does your child qualify for Pre-K in GISD?

Our Pre-K(4) program is eligibility-based in GISD. Children living in GISD attendance zones who will be four-years-old on or before September 1 and meet one of the entrance criteria below are eligible to attend pre-kindergarten at no cost. 

View our Family Engagement Plan 

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PK Registration Flyer

Eligibility-based Pre-K

Requirements for Enrollment

Our Pre-K program is eligibility-based in GISD. Children living in GISD attendance zones who will be four-years-old on or before September 1 and meet one of the entrance criteria below are eligible to attend pre-kindergarten at no cost.

What are the requirements for pre-kindergarten enrollment?

  • Children who live in GISD attendance zones who will be four-years-old on or before September 1 and meet one of the following entrance criteria are eligible to attend pre-kindergarten at no cost:
    • Qualify for free or reduced lunch or currently receiving SNAP(food stamps)/TANF benefits** 
    • Homeless**
    • Currently or previously in the DFPS foster-care system
    • Have one or both parents considered active-duty military
    • Unable to speak or comprehend the English language
    • Be the child of a person eligible for the Star of Texas Award 
  • Please upload your qualifying documentation with your online enrollment application for pre-k to expedite the approval process.
    Details on documentation required for eligibility for each of these criteria can be found on the TEA website (see eligibility).

Why does prekindergarten matter?

Attending high quality prekindergarten makes a big difference for small children. Children who go to high-quality 3- and 4-year-old prekindergarten enter school ready to learn and be successful, confident learners.

What does high-quality mean?

High-quality prekindergarten provides a learning environment that inspires curiosity, builds confidence, and fosters a love of learning. In high-quality prekindergarten, children learn essential skills for being successful in school like:

  • Paying attention
  • Following 2-3 step directions
  • Learning lots of new vocabulary words for objects and ideas that help them to comprehend what they read and hear
  • Learning the ABCs and the sounds associated with each letter
  • Learning how to read and write short words including their name
  • Learning numbers from 1-20 and counting
  • Sequencing, sorting and problem solving skills that will help them with reading and math
  • Following daily routines
  • Taking turns, sharing and appropriately communicating with others
  • Building strength and coordination of muscles for academic and nonacademic activities
  • Exploring
  • Asking questions
  • Seeking answers
  • Building confidence as learners and a positive relationship with school

Find more information and resources visit the TEA Website.

What will my child need to be ready for?

Strong family engagement in early childhood programs is central to promoting children’s healthy intellectual, physical, and social-emotional development; preparing children for school; and supporting academic achievement in elementary school and beyond.

One way to promote strong family engagement is to equip families with tools to enhance and extend their child’s learning. These Parent Guides have been created to help families understand some of the things their child will learn each school year. These resource documents have been developed for Prekindergarten 3, Prekindergarten 4, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and 2nd Grade and may be distributed to families at various times during the school year, including:

  • Beginning of school year and/or back-to-school events
  • Family conferences and/or home visits
  • When a new child enrolls in your class
  • End of school year in preparation for the following year
  • Family engagement events and activities

Use these documents to spark conversations and increase families’ knowledge on how they can support their child at home.

Prekindergarten Three-Year-Old Guide (Spanish version)
Prekindergarten Four-Year-Old Guide (Spanish version)