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Austin ISD will begin offering free after-school child care for eligible prekindergarten students at nine campuses this semester.
The Travis County Commissioners Court approved a $3.7 million, two-year contract to fund the new Apple Blossom Centers at an Aug. 26 meeting.
What parents need to know
The Apple Blossom Centers will provide extended after-school care for around 300 3-year-old prekindergarten students from 3-6 p.m. each school day, according to AISD information.
The centers will have dual-language and English-as-a-second-language classrooms. Classrooms will have a ratio of nine students per teacher with no more than 17 students in a class, according to AISD's website.
The program will be offered at nine elementary schools that have 75% or more economically disadvantaged students or are located in areas lacking adequate availability of child care services, known as child care deserts, according to Travis County information.
Participating schools include:
The details
Children must meet the following criteria to qualify for the program:
Additionally, 3-year-old students must be one of the following:
Visit the district’s website to view more information about eligibility.
The background
In November, voters approved a $0.025 per $100 valuation increase to the county’s tax rate, generating around $75 million annually to fund affordable child care and after-school programming.
County officials rolled out the first wave of local investments for the Creating Access for Resilient Families, or CARES, initiative at an Aug. 26 meeting.
Alongside the $3.7 million AISD contract, county commissioners allocated $2.6 million for Del Valle ISD and $3.4 million for Manor ISD to expand child care and after-school offerings for their students, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
The court also approved a $24 million contract with Workforce Solutions Capital Area to provide funding for student scholarships and fill in gaps in provider funding for subsidized slots.
Something to note
County funding for the Apple Blossom Centers has helped "fill the gap left by the state funding," according to AISD information. The state currently funds half-day prekindergarten for 3-year-old students, according to the Texas Education Agency.
This spring, state lawmakers passed a $8.4 billion school funding increase, including additional funding for prekindergarten.
Next steps
The AISD Apple Blossom Centers will begin this semester after the licensing process is complete, according to AISD information.
Haley McLeod contributed to this article.