Pre-K 4 SA, the city’s landmark early childhood education program, is starting to lay out what the program could do if voters reauthorize it for 20 more years.
In August, San Antonio City Council voted to put Pre-K 4 SA, funded through a voter-approved 1/8-cent sales tax, on the November ballot — three years before the program’s funding was set to expire in 2029.
This time, the city is also asking voters to reauthorize for 20 years, a longer timeline compared to when voters first passed it under Mayor Julian Castro in 2012.
On Monday, Pre-K 4 SA CEO Sarah Baray explained to City Council that extending the program’s timeline and funding could expand access to early childhood education and affordability.
If voters agree to reauthorize, Baray said Pre-K 4 SA would increase access to toddler seats, which could be through its own campuses or with other providers that are part of its San Antonio Shared Services Alliance.
When Pre-K 4 SA first launched in 2012, the program focused on serving 4-year-olds, but it was always designed to evolve as the early childhood environment changed, said Baray.
Last year, the program opened up 40 spots for toddlers and infants at its South Education Center, one of its four standalone campuses. Baray says expanding access for this age range could look like a combination of opening more seats at Pre-K 4 SA and helping other providers open more seats through coaching and training.
With reauthorization, the program would also invest more in early childhood services for families that work nontraditional hours, like nights, weekends and situations that need “drop-in” care. Pre-K 4 SA has been piloting a nontraditional childcare program at three of its centers with other providers to test how that could work on a larger scale.
“We actually have been doing a pilot with that over the last year…to figure out what does it take cost wise to outfit the centers to be able to have the equipment they need.
For example, if children are overnight, they need beds. What does it cost on the staffing, and then what does it cost in terms of knowing how to expand?” Baray explained to council members.
Reauthorization would also help Pre-K 4 SA improve the quality of early childcare in San Antonio overall and make it more affordable.
“We want to leverage public-private partnerships to continue to make high-quality early learning and care more affordable for families,” Baray said.
But the mechanics of how those partnerships could work are still very conceptual. Baray floated the idea of a “tri-share” model, where the cost of childcare is spread across employers, local government and families. Another possibility is getting more employers on board to invest in local early education providers.
Most of the city council spoke favorably of Pre-K 4 SA, including Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones. Though they did ask Baray to bring more specifics and numbers to what Pre-K 4 SA hopes to achieve with reauthorization.
Councilwoman Marina Alderete Gavito (D7) asked whether the way Pre-K 4 SA currently operates is what was sold to voters in 2012, pointing to the program’s small enrollment at its four standalone campuses and the city’s current budget crisis.
“We’re looking at around a $62 million budget. We’re looking around just shy of 2,000 kids, so that’s $31,000 a student… that’s more than St. Mary’s Hall,” Alderete Gavito said.
But framing Pre-K 4 SA as a $31,000 investment per students misunderstands the program, Baray said.
The program’s $62 million budget is spread across its direct education services, business support and professional development for other providers, partnerships with local school districts and wraparound services.
“That’s one of our challenges,” Baray said. “It’s a comprehensive program, which is what makes it so successful. But it isn’t easy to chunk out in song.”
Baray also pointed to Pre-K 4 SA’s results on the education and business side, even playing a short video of three students from the program’s first cohort which is about to graduate from high school.
Independent research studies have shown that students who take just one year of Pre-K 4 SA are kindergarten-ready at higher rates than the whole of Bexar County and the state. Children enrolled for two years show even more readiness.
The program also addresses, whether directly or indirectly, childcare gaps and their effect on workforce development. Pre-K 4 SA targets the city’s childcare deserts and has long been working on getting more employers to support early eduction needs.
“We’ve made good on the promise of high-quality early learning here at home in San Antonio,” Baray said. “External research and validation are baked into the DNA of Pre-K 4 SA.”
Pre-K 4 SA staff are expected to go back to city council with more “meat” on what voters can expect if they reauthorize the program. They are also working on voter guide resources, which are expected to come out in a few weeks.
