Tomball ISD is targeting a fall 2019 opening for an early childhood center at Tomball High School, which would offer care for young children of full-time TISD employees, district officials said. The TISD board of trustees unanimously approved the district to move forward with the creation of the TISD early childhood center Nov. 13.

The proposed early childhood center will enroll 66 children ages 3 and 4, Superintendent Martha Salazar-Zamora said during a Nov. 12 workshop meeting. Children of full-time staff members will be selected on a lottery basis, she said.

"We would like for this district opportunity to begin in the fall, but the planning, of course, and some of the instruction and all would need to be looked at sooner than that," Salazar-Zamora said.

Funds for renovations to create the center come from the district's bond referendum approved by voters in 2013 as well as from dollars allotted for career and technical education programs, Salazar-Zamora said.

The center will include four classes of students and employ four additional daycare-certified teachers as well as a director for the center, Salazar-Zamora said. The center will also provide high school students pursuing the CTE educational pathway an opportunity for classroom observation and hands-on training.

The center will be housed in the CTE building at Tomball High School, Salazar-Zamora said during a Nov. 13 meeting.

"The plan is to have an opportunity for our full-time staff members in any department, in any facet in our district that have children ages 3 and 4 to be able to bring their children to our onsite district early childhood facility, which will focus on early literacy," she said on Nov. 13. "We will have four classrooms, four teachers and an onsite director, which will work closely with our CTE department so that our students that are entering into education will be able to continue to get the hands-on experience working with younger children."