SPRING, Texas – In most school districts, Pre-K is only offered to families who meet certain requirements.
However, Spring ISD is making Pre-K accessible to every child in their district, believing what’s happening at home shouldn’t matter; every single student in Spring ISD deserves a high-quality education.
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Carino Frausto teaches Pre-K at Reynolds Elementary School. Her students are part of Spring ISD’s Pre-K program, which started back in 2022.
“We need to set that strong foundation of enjoying school, enjoying learning, being curious, problem-solving, being a mathematician, being a scientist. And that all starts here in the primary grades, in the foundational level,” Frausto said. “It is one of my favorite things about being a teacher is watching kids grow. It’s like you’re tending a garden. You know, when you’re watering your plants, you’re giving them sunlight, and then you get a beautiful flower.”
While many districts have faced financial hardships, Spring ISD has made cuts to other places to make sure that they can provide Pre-K to every student.
“We’ve had tremendous budget cuts,” Superintendent Dr. Lupita Hinojosa said. “We’ve had to make very difficult decisions. We are moving money from one program to another. But one thing that we know is Pre-K makes a difference.”
The district has partnered with Rice University’s Kinder Institute. Researchers found that English-speaking students who attended Pre-K in Spring ISD were 22% more likely to be ready for kindergarten compared to those who did not.
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The difference was greater among Spanish-speaking students. Those who went to Pre-K were 62% more likely to be ready for kindergarten.
“Our board believes all children deserve a Pre-K, a high-quality Pre-K, regardless of if they’re learning a second language, regardless of they come from a low socioeconomic background,” Hinojosa said. “It doesn’t matter; a child is a child and they deserve a high-quality education.”
Spring ISD believes the program is laying a foundation that will lead to success. One parent, Violeta Aguirre, tells us her 4-year-old son Xavier is blossoming in Pre-K at Reynolds Elementary School.
“He has grown so much since he started,” she said. “His ABCs—oh my gosh—like, he talks more than he would normally would at home. He has learned so much.”
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“Just watching them grow and their faces light up and then noticing things that I’ve taught them is the most rewarding thing in the world,” Frausto added.
The district has put the Pre-K students in three categories. They have monolingual English classrooms, a two-way dual language program for students learning English, and a blended program for those with special needs and other educational needs.
This year, Spring ISD also started a pilot program for Pre-K three at three of their schools and next year, they plan to expand.
