My family and I recently moved here from Illinois. Our son is 4 and won't be 5 until December. Im wondering when registration/preschool screening take place out here? A neighbor of mine gave me the impression that it already did. Im also a little confused about a few other things. You see we moved from a small town with only 2 public elementary schools, 2 public jr. highs and one high school so it was obvious which school you would go to. It seems like there are schools around every corner in our area and i don't know which are private and which are public. In Illinois they would do free preschool screenings no matter what your income or living status was. Is it the same here? We live in the Medical Center area, 78249 zip so any suggestions would be soooo helpful!
To qualify for public 4 year old Pre-K you have to be within the income guidelines (you can find out what they are by calling the school district offices), be non-english speaking, or military. The registration is usually in July. If you can't get into the public system, check out some churches near you. Many have great pre-k programs (if you are able to afford them). Good luck and welcome to the area!
Correct. No screening for preschool is needed for English speaking children. Many churches have preschool programs. Some day cares offer preschool programs a couple mornings a week, but the church programs are wonderful!
My boys went to the Day School at University United Methodist Church, 1-10 and DeZavala. Which is very close to you. The teachers are fabulous! You will be put on a waiting list there....they fill every year. I would check out 4 or 5 programs, take your son and tour each one to see what is a good fit.
The preschool that is offered at the public elementary schools is half day for lower income, military status, or bilingual students only. You have to qualify. You can walk up to the closest elementary school near you and ask them if you would be in their zone. If not, they will tell you what school you would go to. All schools have a packet you can fill out to see whether or not you qualify for the preschool and if they have openings or not. All other preschools would be paid by you and they would not be at the main school but their own facility. Most of them would look like regular daycare centers. Any private school would offer preschool, most likely, as well as the other grades. There is generally a different look about them. You can look up schools in the phone book too. That would help you know if it private or public. Look under your school districts name (Northside ISD, Northeast ISD, San Antonio, ISD, etc.) and it will list the schools for you. If the school you are thinking about isn't on that list, look it up individually. Chances are it is a private school. Then call and ask. You do need to register now, as soon as you can, for the fall.
This is what I was told back in Aug. of last year when we moved here. You have to be at a certain income level, can not speak engish or have some kind of disabilities(sp) like autisum(sp). The town I went to school in was like yours in a ways. I had to put my son in like a daycare that had a circuliam like school. He went to Country Home. I know their is one over at the medical center area. But as far as public schools they don't allow regular kids to go to public 4yr old school. We have to pay for it at a priviate school of some kind. Good luck... Hope this helps.. Any other questions I can you with just holler.
Preschool registration is in Feb/March. However you can get on a waiting list and at most schools, if the list is not too long, there is a good chance you could get in. I had to do that when we moved here, then again for my second child and both times they called me a few weeks later that I had a spot. Don't worry. There are tons of pre-schools. Don't know about the free preschool screening. I've not heard of it here. I have a friend in Florida who has something similar. Most all the preschools here are in churches or daycare centers. To qualify for the one in public schools, I believe you have to meet an income requirement - not positive about that.
Check the website for the school district you are in and it should have a map of boundaries for the schools so you can find out wich elementary school your child would go to.
Hi. Welcome to San Antonio. The JCC###-###-####) still has some summer openings in their preK program I think. Otherwise you can check out naeyc.org to find other nationally accredited preschools.
Hi W.! Welcome to San Antonio! We have moved here about two years ago from Dallas. My four-year-old girl at that time started pre-school at the Acorn school for young children which is on Broadway, 78209 zip. Although it would be a longer drive for you - probably about 20 min or so, the school is so great that many parents sacrifice the time. You would meet lots of great families that way. You may just call them or go on their website to find out details.
Phone # ###-###-####
In SA, there are guidelines and qualifications that need to be met, before registering your child for Pre-K or even Kinder in a public school. May be different for private schools, not sure.
For your son to qualify for Pre-K, he needs to speak only Spanish, have one parent or both in the military, or come from a low income home.
To qualify for Kinder, he needs to turn 5 on or before Sept. 1st. If not, he can start kinder next school year, 2010-2011.
Sounds like he will be attending a Northside I.S.D. school, which is a public school.
Feel free to call the Northside I.S.D. main office @ ###-###-####. Explain to them, you are new to the area and would like a list of schools in your attendance area. Just give them your zip code.
For a listing of private schools, you can call 311 and ask for assistance. This is our information number.
Good Luck!
P.S. Welcome to San Antonio!
hey!
i'm from IL too! anywhoo....you just register for preschool..wherever you choose to enroll him. most moms in my area pick a preschool at a local church. i'm not that familiar w/ school in your area...but i'd get on it b/c you might find yourself on several waitlists, since registration took place in february. good luck!
