Pre-K 4 SA’s New South Education Center Opens the Door to Possibilities

A view of the modern welcome plaza at the Pre-K 4 SA South Education center.

Pre-K 4 SA and HOLT Group are continuing work on the state-of-the-art early learning center on San Antonio’s south side. This new South Education Center is a significant step towards addressing the area’s child care desert and expanding access to high-quality early childhood education.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new center took place in February 2024, marking the beginning of construction on the project. Construction has been moving, with the last beam being placed atop the structure in September. The center is scheduled to be completed by summer 2025, in time to open for 3- and 4-year-olds for the 2025-2025 school year.

A crane raises a steel beam at a construction site with an American flag.
Construction workers sign a beam while working on the Pre-K 4 SA South build.

 

“The top out is a celebration of the last steel structure member being installed. We celebrate that with the team that has helped make this happen. It’s a major milestone that was met and a major accomplishment.”

— Mark Spielman, superintendent for GW Mitchell Construction

 

This project is made possible through a public-private partnership between Pre-K 4 SA and HOLT Group. Pre-K 4 SA ’s collaboration with HOLT Group is an example of how we are working with the private sector to build a more productive workforce, foster healthier and more engaged families, reduce poverty, and create civic-minded young adults to take San Antonio into the next generation.

The new South Education Center is designed to foster the growth and development of children from birth to age 4. Every space in the building has interactive and play-based features to ensure ample opportunity for learning. Dedicated spaces for adults – including a large family cafe, educator collaborations rooms, and large training rooms – mean the building supports adult learning, too.

The South Education Center is a testament to Pre-K 4 SA, HOLT Group, and the City of San Antonio’s commitment to expanding access to high-quality early childhood education in an effort to bridge educational gaps and ensure a strong foundation for future success. This investment in our youngest learners will have a lasting impact on our community, helping to create a brighter future for generations to come.

Empowering Parents: A Commitment to Child Safety Through Education 

Guests pick up materials from a table

The safety of children is a top priority at Pre-K 4 SA, not only while they are at our Centers but also while they are at home. Through our recent partnership with University Health, we are strengthening our commitment to providing children with a secure and nurturing learning environment. Our relationship provides invaluable resources to families, equipping them with the tools and knowledge needed to foster a safer home environment.

A speaker gives a kitchen safety presentation

“The saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ characterizes our partnership with Pre-K 4 SA. Injuries that happen at home or on the road bring many children to our Level 1 trauma and pediatric center. Safe Kids San Antonio, led by University Health, is proud to partner with Pre-K 4 SA to educate and empower caregivers and children to think about safety first. Together, we can provide education and resources on how to keep kids safe at home, at play, and on the way,” said  Fara Smith, BS, CPSTI, University Health, Safe Kids San Antonio.

Home Safe Home Presentations 

Across all five campuses, 56 families participated in Home Safe Home presentations. These safety-centered sessions provide essential information and distribute practical resources to enhance childproofing efforts.  

  • 97 Cable Gun Locks: Strengthening firearm safety at home. 
  • 91 two-Minute Timers: Encouraging time management for children’s activities. 
  • 53 Temperature Ducks: Ensuring optimal bath water safety. 
  • 69 Fire Hats: Promoting fire safety awareness. 
  • 80 Furniture Wall Straps: Securing furniture to prevent accidents. 
  • 98 Blind Cord Wind Ups: Enhancing window blind cord safety. An additional 25 packs of blind cord wind-ups were delivered to each campus. 
  • 60 Cabinet/Drawer Locks: Preventing access to potentially harmful items.
An officer and staff stop for a selfie
Image courtesy of Jennifer Northway, Director of Adult and Pediatric Injury Prevention at University Health


International Walk to School Day 

In celebration of International Walk to School Day on October 4, we extended our safety outreach, directly impacting parents and students. 

  • 100 Clifford Takes A Walk Books: Promoting pedestrian safety awareness. 
  • 450 Reflective Blinky Lights: Enhancing visibility during low-light conditions. 
  • 150 Reflective Bracelet Sets: Combining style with safety. 

These resources were distributed directly to families and left at Pre-K 4 SA campuses, fostering a culture of safety from the ground up.

Guests pick up materials from a table

Our joint commitment to pedestrian safety included distributing 250 Clifford Takes a Walk Books, 750 Reflective Blinky Lights, 450 Reflective Bracelet Sets, and Pedestrian Safety tip sheets in English and Spanish as part of our comprehensive educational resources. 

University Health leads Safe Kids San Antonio, which offers trained staff, operational support, and resources to partners in hopes of achieving its goal of keeping San Antonio children safe. Evidence-based programs like car-seat checkups and safety workshops to prevent childhood injuries are implemented based on community needs.  

Our collaboration with University Health has impacted child safety within our homes and on the journey to school. By providing educational resources and tangible tools, we actively work together to create a safer environment for our children. 

Keeping the Pre-K 4 SA Promise – Increasing Access to Early Learning for San Antonio Families

children and adults pose in front of a step and repeat with colorful blow up guitars and props

The Parent Café was already buzzing with new families talking with enrollment team members and registering their 4-year-olds for the 2022-2023 school year. You could hear the excitement in the children’s voices as they spoke to their parents and wandered around, smiling at new faces or sitting down on the couch with a cautious enthusiasm to share a book with another child.

And as of May 9, Pre-K 4 SA has opened enrollment for 3-year-olds too. When the news reached one of the families in the Parent Café, both the mom and little boys smiled and clapped together, knowing they could enroll both children.

Research indicates 90% of brain development occurs before the age of five. This is when the foundations of language, social, and emotional growth, key factors in future academic success, are created and developed.

“We know that one year of high-quality early learning has demonstrated proven long-term success for children,” Pre-K 4 SA CEO Sarah Baray said. “National research indicates that two years of pre-k is exponentially better and has immediate, short term and long-term benefits to children, families, and the community. And we are seeing a need for access for 3-year-olds, especially coming out of the pandemic.”

Pre-K 4 SA also saw a need to help San Antonio’s working, middle-class families who may need financial support but do not already qualify for free, high-quality pre-K through Texas Education Agency (TEA) guidelines. Families can receive additional tuition assistance through its expanded scholarship structure, which now provides free pre-K to those families making up to $75,000. Families can easily determine their personal investment in their child’s learning at Pre-K 4 SA by accessing the scholarship calculator.

Brenda Rosas has three boys who attended Pre-K 4 SA. She feels her children were better prepared for elementary school than their peers.

“Pre-K 4 SA gives them a great head start to their education,” said Rosas. “I have an ongoing joke with the family liaison where I wish my children could have been here another year. The benefits are tremendous – they are prepared for elementary and beyond. And an extra year would have been great to give them the extra one-on-one time with the teacher but also help them thrive.”

Mrs. Rosas has seen the positive impact on high-quality early learning for all three of her boys. She believes her children are not only prepared more academically, but she has also seen social and emotional development of her children, which has helped her oldest son, who is now in middle school.

At Pre-K 4 SA, we understand that family members are a child’s first and most important teachers. Learning is collaborative and extends far beyond the classroom. Now, the same teachers, children, and families will work together for two years allowing for deeper learning and development both in and out of the classroom.

Just like our 4-year-olds, the 3-year-olds will receive the same benefits from Pre-K 4 SA, such as transportation with the 5-point safety harness, nutritious family-style meals and snacks, as well as access to extended-day care for our working families. We offer integrated, full inclusion classrooms with both 3- and 4-year-olds. This will help older children develop better leadership skills while the younger students learn from their interactions.

Opening enrollment to 3- and 4-year-olds and expanding the scholarship structure is part of Pre-K 4 SA’s commitment to providing high-quality, research-based early education that empowers children at a critical age for school and life success. To learn more about enrollment, please call 210-206-PREK or apply online. An enrollment specialist is available to answer any questions and support our families throughout the application and enrollment process.

Gracias San Antonio, Children’s Art Making a Difference within the San Antonio Community

teacher and young students work on an artwork together

For the last eight years, Pre-K 4 SA’s 4-year-olds have inspired local artists to create quality art pieces to benefit nonprofit initiatives.

At Pre-K 4 SA, through an innovative curriculum-driven program called Gracias San Antonio: Children Are Citizens, 4-year-olds are learning how to become civic-minded individuals; and they love every moment of supporting the community, creating art, and learning about local nonprofits. Gracias San Antonio is grounded in the belief that children are not just future citizens, but also are citizens of the city in the here and now, with the right to express their opinions and participate in the civic and cultural life of San Antonio.

“This is my eighth year with Pre-K 4 SA, and I feel Gracias gets better every year! It’s such an awesome event that allows our students to work alongside some of San Antonio’s best artists,” said Stephanie Flores, East Center master teacher.

Since 2013, Gracias San Antonio has raised more than $33,000 for the following nonprofits: Good Samaritan Community Services, San Antonio Humane Society, Any Baby Can of San Antonio, Children’s Shelter, Child Safe, St. Pj’s Children’s Home, and Therapy Animals of San Antonio.

Gracias San Antonio is a six-month project where children have the opportunity to vote for a nonprofit, explore the best of San Antonio’s landmarks, and bring their inspirations to life through art right in their classrooms.

Every year, in November, Pre-K 4 SA children vote in a school-wide election to select a nonprofit organization the children learn about and support throughout the year. On election day—scheduled on the same day as the actual election—Pre-K 4 SA’s Parent Cafés are transformed into mock-up voting polls. American flags and red, white, and blue streamers adorn the voting polls, and children one-by-one cast their vote as they choose their nonprofit of choice. Also, Pre-K 4 SA children, families, and staff participate in volunteer opportunities with the nonprofit.

In December, teachers invite children and their families to engage in City Explorations around San Antonio to help children learn about their city. San Antonio becomes the classroom and the children the explorers as they visit local parks, historic city sites, art exhibits, monuments, and local establishments. These explorations serve for children to gain ideas and inspiration for their art collaborations with their classroom artists.

In January and February, the art creation process begins. Pre-K 4 SA strongly believes that by engaging students in art experiences at a young age, children more deeply develop their thinking and creativity, learning to express themselves. Therefore, local artists join children in the classroom to create authentic art pieces using a variety of artistic mediums to express the children’s perspective of their city and the places they visit and explore. More than 100 art pieces are then displayed in a public gallery exhibit in April and auctioned to raise money for the selected nonprofit organization.

“Their own fearless creativity inspires me to create an art piece. As adults, we get used to being told, ‘this won’t work’ or ‘it has to be done this way’ that we hold our own creativity back. Kids don’t buy into that. Their imagination allows them to think outside of the box,” said Mary Klonek-Reyes, local San Antonio artist and returning Gracias volunteer. “I love how energetic and excited the kids get to learn new techniques and use new tools. Anything you teach a child has the ability to breathe new meaning into their existence, to open their eyes to new possibilities and new ways of thinking and feeling.”

The THRU Project was selected by children and their families as the 2021-2022 school year beneficiary nonprofit. Their mission is to help foster youth overcome the challenges of growing up in a foster care system by providing guidance, support, and advocacy to prepare them for life after foster care.

“The THRU Project team was thrilled to be selected as this year’s Gracias Project beneficiary by the youth and families at Pre-K 4 SA,” said Courtney Laverty, CFRE and CEO of THRU Project. “This partnership will enable us to provide mentors, life skills training and housing for current foster youth and those who have aged out. Thank you for helping to bridge the gap between foster care and adulthood!”

As the world becomes increasingly more globalized and connected, knowledge of ourselves as individual learners and as members of a community becomes more important. Through Gracias San Antonio children have the opportunity to become active contributors within their community in order to make their city a better place to work, play, and live.

Stay connected to Pre-K 4 SA’s social media platforms to find out more about our Gracias San Antonio yearly activities and to be the first one to know when the 2021-2022 Gracias San Antonio Online Art Auction opens.