Arlington ISD is expanding access to pre-k to all four year olds in the district. Starting this fall, all children will be eligible regardless of family income.
Superintendent Marcelo Cavazos says Arlington ISD will also include STEM curriculum in pre-k.
"We know STEM education helps the foundation of our youngest learners so they can be successful in their future," Cavazos says.
He says kids who attend pre-k have been shown to be 50% better prepared to enter kindergarten. Cavazos says expanding access can help spark kids' interest in science and problem-solving.
"This is discovery, this is fun, this is play, and for them, it's beginning their journey in learning and their love of learning," he says.
Arlington will pay for the expanded access from its own budget. State funding only applies to the number of students who meet eligibility requirements.
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"What you all are doing here today by starting pre-kindergarten and making it free is unbelievable," says Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley.
Mayor Jim Ross says free pre-k and the focus on STEM will start all kids on a level playing field.
"It doesn't matter your ethnicity, what party you belong to, this is about human rights," he says.
Registration begins April 1. More information is available HERE.
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