By Early Years blogger Julie Blair
Many families ineligible for San Antonio鈥檚 new Pre-K 4 SA program or other district preschool offerings and unable to afford private schools are being invited to home school their children under the tutelage of district coaches if they live in Southwest ISD, one of San Antonio鈥檚 15 independent school districts.
The program, currently dubbed the Southwest ISD Virtual Pre-K Program, is giving iPads loaded with a literacy curriculum to 400 families over two years, said Brenda Patrick, the director of community education for the 13,000-student district. Parents will then meet with early-childhood coaches to help them implement the course over the year, to design learning strategies, and to and monitor student progress, she said.
The cost to families is between $30 and $40 annually, Patrick said.
鈥淵ou鈥檝e got a child and parent working shoulder-to-shoulder on building literacy skills,鈥� she added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about student progress: When you鈥檝e empowered a parent, you鈥檝e empowered the whole family.鈥�
It became clear during this year鈥檚 preschool enrollment fairs that the web of programming currently offered by the city and the school district wasn鈥檛 reaching the entire population that could use it, Patrick said.
鈥淭he thought of any 4-year-old turned away from school just crushes us,鈥� she added.
The program will cost the district $550,000 over two years, said Bill Atkins, the assistant superintendent for business and finance for the district.