Result 3. All children are curious learners progressing towards their full potential

Indicator 3.3. % of 3 and 4 year olds enrolled in school

41.9%2020

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About the Data

This indicator includes all 3 and 4-year-old children. The margin of error based on a 90-percent confidence interval is presented alongside each estimate.

All quantitative data and narrative related to the data on this page was prepared by CI NOW for ReadyKidSA.

Why Is This Important?

Attendance is an important factor in school success among children and youth. Studies show that better attendance is related to higher academic achievement for students of all backgrounds, but particularly for children with lower socio-economic status. Beginning in kindergarten, students who attend school regularly score higher on tests than their peers who are frequently absent. (http://www.childtrends.org/indicators/student-absenteeism/)

Race/Ethnicity

SCHOOL TYPE: Bexar County, 2020

	2020
	# of Children Enrolled (MOE)	% of Enrolled Children (MOE)
Public School	17,475 (±1,335)	70.9% (±2.7%)
Private School	7,158 (±740)	29.1% (±2.7%)
Total	25,633 (±1,508)	41.9% (±2.1%)

Source: US Census Bureau; 2020 ACS 5-Year Estimates, Table S1401.

RACE/ETHNICITY: Bexar County, 2020

	American Indian or Alaska Native	Asian	Black or African American	Hispanic or Latino	Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander	Other	Two or More Races	White, not Hispanic
% of Enrolled Children	6.6%	29.0%	46.3%	41.6%	NA	25.2%	52.4%	50.1%
(MOE)	(±12.3%)	(±11.8%)	(±12.1%)	(±3.9%)		(±24.1%)	(±17.2%)	(±5.5%)

Source: US Census Bureau; American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Samples: 5 Year estimates, 2020. All race categories are not Hispanic

Geographic Distribution

Bexar County, 2020

Story Behind the Curve

What factors are pushing up on the data?

Pre-K 4 SA
Additional $ in 2015
Increase in Public Awareness

What factors are pushing down on the dat?

Decreasing in State $
Accessibility - Transportation
Half-days scheduling issues with/parents
Not enough spots
Eligibility Requirements
Decrease Workforce Participation
Value of Early Education

Partners

School districtsgsgsgsg
COSA
SA mayor
Elected officials

Community Agencies
Family, friends, neighbors
Corporations
Hospitals

What Works

Evidence-based practices

Expanding Pre-K SA
Home-based programs
Group based programs

Promising Practices

No Cost/Low Cost

Increase of Public Awareness
Integrate information into 0-3 programs

Outside the Box Thinkingafafaffeafeafeafasgfsgfaf

More State $
More Slots
Universal Pre-K
Office of Early Education

Solutions and Strategies

Direct Service

Full day Pre-K within all school districts, instead of providing half-day Pre-K

Policy

Help make the case for the re-authorization of Pre-K 4 SA by explaining the benefits
- Utilize Parents describing the benefits to their children and families
- Describing any changes reflected in EDI data
Encourage all public and private early childhood education (ECE) centers serving SA/Bexar County to adopt a consistent, standardized enrollment process and enrollment period
Shift the public's perception of, and value for, universal Pre-K and Kindergarten

System Change

Address the reality of the benefits cliff by modifying eligibility requirements, so that the working poor are also able to continue to access services until they are financially stable
Align enrollment and eligibility policies across the city and all school districts serving children in SA/Bexar County

Funding

Highlight the funding and policy gap with regards to Pre-K
Increase funding for extended/full day Pre-K, ensuring more children have the opportunity to participate in quality early childhood learning and development

Other

Use local celebrities, i.e., the Spurs, to raise public awareness on the importance of Pre-K 4 SA
In order to better understand the landscape of Pre-K service opportunities available to children across the city and county, strengthen the data analysis of the population density in relation to the number of centers, number of available slots, and the anticipated cost to afford ECE for more children in the region