When the Whole Family Goes to Pre-K

SAN ANTONIO—A meaningful pre-kindergarten experience is increasingly seen as a critical part of a child’s education, and parents are expected to play a much more significant role. In this city, like many around the country, poorer families must first overcome powerful hurdles to be more present in their children’s education. That’s why Pre-K for San Antonio was designed to support and engage parents and extended families in ways that bolster their pre-schoolers’ chances to excel.

While students are taught by master teachers with advanced degrees in classrooms filled with the latest educational tools and technology, parents also receive specialized attention from trained professionals. Parent Specialists plan activities, provide support and guidance in parenting, encourage parents’ professional development, and generally foster in them the idea of active citizenship. A central part of their role is to identify areas in which Pre-K 4 SA can help families cross over from poverty and physical isolation in San Antonio, where urban sprawl and multiplying highways effectively section off the haves from the have-nots.

“We service a community