Full-day pre-K program shows results in Cy-Fair ISDHalf-day pre-K programs are available at 48 campuses across Cy-Fair ISD, but two full-day programs in the pilot stage are outperforming similar programs across the state.


The district first teamed up with AVANCE—a nonprofit organization seeking to break poverty cycles through education—to launch a full-day program at Holbrook Elementary School in 2009, said Linda Macias, associate superintendent of instruction, curriculum and accountability. The curriculum was a collaboration between CFISD and AVANCE.


In 2014, the district had enough funding through Title I—a federal program that provides assistance to schools with a high number of children from low-income families—to provide a pilot program with its own curriculum, Macias said. The district chose Francone Elementary School for the program.


The new program soon proved stronger than the AVANCE partnership. Holbrook earned all possible distinctions from the Texas Education Agency in the 2015-16 school year, putting it in the top 5 percent of elementary schools in Texas. After earning half of the possible distinctions in 2016, Francone has improved to the point where it is currently outperforming Holbrook, CFISD board trustee Tom Jackson said.


“As pre-K students roll over, they become role models for academic success in those classrooms,” he said. “Francone was picked by management and the board because it was our lowest-performing school, and right now it is outperforming Holbrook.”


Because about half of the district is living in economic distress, Jackson said quality pre-K could give children a better chance of future success.


Early literacy is a major focus of pre-K in CFISD, and the district’s programs teach oral language and vocabulary. Children work on speaking, read-alouds and socialization, Macias said.


“The kids who qualify for pre-K are typically economically disadvantaged kids and kids who have challenges—there may be [performance] gaps,” she said. “Having them all day is certainly an educational benefit.”



Need for funding


Cost and space are the primary factors holding the district back from expanding full-day pre-K to other campuses, Macias said.


Half-day programs only need one classroom for every two classes because students are split between morning and afternoon sessions. Full-day programs need more space for the same number of children.


Passed in 2015, House Bill 4 provided $118 million to improve pre-K programs for the 2015-17 biennium. Abbott said he would like to see the program doubled to $236 million for the 2017-19 biennium. However, a House budget proposal released Feb. 15 called for $73 million to be distributed to districts based on the number of students instead.


Macias said she is hopeful to see a funding increase. The $2.4 million CFISD received from HB 4 in 2015 did not provide enough funding to expand the full-day program to other campuses.


“Every year, we’re having to add teachers,” she said. “The demand is larger than what we have available. With our district still growing, we have schools that are busting at the seams.”