Pre-K 4 SA’s New South Education Center
A Bold New Vision for Early Education
Imagine a space where every detail is thoughtfully designed to encourage exploration and enable San Antonio’s youngest learners to flourish. A space which draws inspiration from the local culture and natural landscape to foster community, inspire collaboration, and empower the families and children we serve.
Created through an innovative, public-private partnership with Holt Group, Pre-K 4 SA’s new South Education Center represents a bold vision for what a model early childhood education center should be.
Welcome Plaza
CREATING CONNECTIONS, BUILDING COMMUNITY
More than an entryway, the Welcome Plaza is a vibrant space that invites children and families to come inside and feel at home. Thoughtfully designed for connection and collaboration, it features comfortable areas for meaningful conversations, small-group gatherings, and community meetings. Warm and full of life, this space fosters belonging and welcomes everyone into our learning community. A living wall at the entrance creates a seamless connection between indoors and outdoors, while colorful light fixtures and natural materials reflect the spirit of San Antonio and the families we serve.
Family Café
THE LIVING ROOM OF THE SOUTH CENTER
Step into the Family Café and feel the sense of belonging that makes being part of the Pre-K 4 SA community so special. The Family Café has a welcoming atmosphere where families feel connected, supported, and empowered. They can come here to meet with our Family Engagement team, discover valuable community resources, or simply relax and enjoy time together. But no matter the reason, every visit to the Family Café is an opportunity to build relationships and be reminded that they’re part of something bigger.
Motor Lab
READY BODIES, LEARNING MINDS
The Motor Lab is where learning comes alive through movement. Ready Bodies, Learning Minds is a playful, yet purposeful program through which children connect with the sensations of their own bodies in motion. Each session is an adventure that teaches children to move with intention and supports focus, coordination, and confidence, the first steps on the path toward becoming lifelong learners. The skills children develop here extend far beyond physical development. They form the foundation upon which future academic success is built.
Welcome Plaza
CREATING CONNECTIONS, BUILDING COMMUNITY
More than an entryway, the Welcome Plaza is a vibrant space that invites children and families to come inside and feel at home. Thoughtfully designed for connection and collaboration, it features comfortable areas for meaningful conversations, small-group gatherings, and community meetings. Warm and full of life, this space fosters belonging and welcomes everyone into our learning community. A living wall at the entrance creates a seamless connection between indoors and outdoors, while colorful light fixtures and natural materials reflect the spirit of San Antonio and the families we serve.
Family Café
THE LIVING ROOM OF THE SOUTH CENTER
Step into the Family Café and feel the sense of belonging that makes being part of the Pre-K 4 SA community so special. The Family Café has a welcoming atmosphere where families feel connected, supported, and empowered. They can come here to meet with our Family Engagement team, discover valuable community resources, or simply relax and enjoy time together. But no matter the reason, every visit to the Family Café is an opportunity to build relationships and be reminded that they’re part of something bigger.
Motor Lab
READY BODIES, LEARNING MINDS
The Motor Lab is where learning comes alive through movement. Ready Bodies, Learning Minds is a playful, yet purposeful program through which children connect with the sensations of their own bodies in motion. Each session is an adventure that teaches children to move with intention and supports focus, coordination, and confidence, the first steps on the path toward becoming lifelong learners. The skills children develop here extend far beyond physical development. They form the foundation upon which future academic success is built.
Outdoor Learning
Pre-K 4 SA’s Outdoor Learning spaces are designed to spark curiosity and uncover every child’s sense of exploration. Equipment made of natural and recycled materials call for running, jumping, climbing, and digging. Winding paths encourage movement between areas and connect to new adventures. Gardens where children grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers nurture a sense of wonder with nature.
Every element is intentionally crafted to inspire creative play wellness, and nourishment that strengthens the children’s bodies and minds while building resilience, confidence, and problem-solving skills that last a lifetime.
Infant & Toddler Classrooms
For the first time, Pre-K 4 SA is extending its high-quality curriculum and nurturing approach to the city’s very youngest learners. The South Education Center proudly introduces classrooms for infants and toddlers, designed to provide comfort, security, and a seamless path to early learning.
Each suite includes two connected rooms, one for infants, the other for toddlers. Together they function as a cohesive classroom. This design provides continuity of care, allowing children to build trusting relationships with a team of familiar, caring adults who support their growth as they transition from one stage to the next. Each room is thoughtfully equipped with features that ensure their health, cleanliness, and safety, creating a nurturing space where young children can explore, learn, and thrive.
Observation Rooms
As model demonstration sites, Pre-K 4 SA schools show what is possible when young children have access to high-quality early learning. They are places where both children and adults grow as learners. Dedicated observation rooms allow visitors to see and hear into classrooms without interrupting instruction, offering an authentic view of powerful teaching and learning in action. These spaces are used in partnership with universities to prepare future educators through real-world observation and practice. Families visit to better understand how young children learn and how play supports healthy development.
Pre-K 4 SA teachers also use the rooms for professional learning—reflecting on instructional strategies, collaborating with colleagues, and continuously improving practice. Whether used by educators, university partners, or families, the observation rooms help share best practices, strengthen teaching, and elevate early learning across our community.
Arts & Culture
Art is an essential part of high-quality early learning. It not only encourages children to develop creative talents and interests, but also helps them process emotions and express themselves. Seeing their experiences represented in art invites children to draw connections between real life and imagination, identity and creativity, opening their minds to endless possibilities.
At the South Education Center, art is not just part of the curriculum, it’s purposefully woven into the learning environment. Murals from celebrated local artists imbue the halls with tradition and community, bringing local stories to life through imaginative, inspiring artwork.
Lucas Aoiki is an award-winning visual artist with a focus on murals, art installations, paintings, sculptures, and kinetic pieces. He is known for creating mysterious, dreamlike worlds with strong elements of surrealism and fantasy. Nature inspires his textured, colorful scenes, and his unique creatures capture viewers’ curiosity. Aoiki is a native of Córdoba, Argentina, and is based in Austin, Texas. His mural, Ciudad Magica, depicts San Antonio’s cityscape and can be viewed in Hallway C.
Kat Cadena is a celebrated muralist, multimedia artist, and independent illustrator who was commissioned to portray San Antonio’s beautiful, natural landscapes. Raised by multiple generations of strong, proud, and fierce mestiza women in San Antonio, Cadena depicts unflinchingly emotional subjects, most often women. Surrounded by monumental, flowing medicinal herbs and flowers, her works are a nod to both keeping tradition and breaking cycles. Her murals, Agua es Vida; Water is Life and The Spirit of the River; El Espìritu del Rio, can be found in Hallway B.
Chris Montoya is a muralist known for depicting historical and cultural icons, instilling pride in San Antonio’s culture. His work includes many notable murals in San Antonio’s inner city that combine traditional and contemporary icons using several techniques and mediums. He is known for signature use of Serape and Mesoamerican-inspired patterns in his work. His murals, Fun at the Splash Pad and Night Lights, can be found in Hallway A.
Corporate Office
The South Education Center is home to Pre-K SA’s corporate offices, which are designed for collaboration at the highest level. Our Professional Learning Team invites our own staff, and educators from across the city, into strategically designed, high-tech training rooms where they can share knowledge and elevate services together. These spaces are also available for use by community members, supporting collaboration and lifelong learning beyond our organization.
This adaptable space features a living wall and uses natural materials to bridge indoor and outdoor environments, creating a refreshing and invigorating workspace. Thoughtful integration of sustainable elements, from native landscaping to electric car charging stations and solar panels, protect our natural resources and benefit future generations.
Address | 3510 S WW White Rd, San Antonio, TX 78222
Phone | 210-206-2721