Fort Bend ISD will begin offering full-day prekindergarten to low-income students beginning this fall, after the district entered into a partnership with a Houston nonprofit to run the new program that will have room for 172 students.

Terms of the partnership call for BakerRipley—a charter school operator affiliated with United Way—to run full-day pre-K classes at three FBISD locations—Ridgemont Early Childhood Center, Hunters Glen Elementary School and the FBISD education complex, said Claudia Vasquez, BakerRipley senior vice president and chief program officer.

Only students who meet federal poverty standards will be eligible for the full-day program, Vasquez said.

Classrooms will follow the FBISD curriculum, and the program will serve to provide a stronger foundation for a more seamless transition to kindergarten, FBISD spokesperson Amanda Bubela said.

FBISD offers half-day pre-K at more than 20 locations in the district, Bubela said.

The BakerRipley Head Start program, which provides childhood development services and instructions, will extend hours to a full school day, operating the same hours as all other schools in the district.