MIDLAND, Texas — Midland ISD is launching a tuition-based pre-kindergarten program during the 2024-2025 school year.
It's an opportunity for families whose children may not be eligible for traditional Pre-K where students must meet certain qualifications.
"We want to extend our program to as many children as we can," said Kim Gamboa, the early childhood director for Midland ISD. "Part of our strategic plan is to grow our Pre-K program and so part of that involved looking at the availability at out campuses and we determined that we had two campuses that we could host a tuition-based program at."
The Pre-K tuition-based program will be available at Bowie Fine Arts Academy, where the district is looking to fill 11 spots. Meanwhile, 22 spots are available at Scharbauer Elementary School through the Pre-K tuition-based program.
The tuition for the program will be $350 every month, starting this August through May 2025.
"Pre-K is important because it builds that foundation of reading and math skills for example, and how to be a good student, how to be a learner," Gamboa said. "Our Pre-K classrooms utilize all of the strategies that help our kids get kindergarten ready. Our teachers are 100% certified and our curriculum is aligned to the Texas Pre-K guidelines."
According to Gamboa, the Pre-K program uses a platform called CLI Engage that assesses students three times during the school year to track the students' progress and the growth of their learning.
Parents can apply by visiting the MISD Central Office on Tuesday, May 28 or schedule an appointment by emailing pre-k@midlandisd.net between May 29 and May 31. Students will be selected via a lottery that will be held on Wednesday, June 5.