PK Eligibility

To be eligible for the Pre-Kindergarten program, your child must be 3 or 4 years of age by Sept. 1 and meet at least one of the eligibility requirements listed below as required by Texas law.

The child is unable to speak and comprehend the English language. (Must complete a Home Language Survey and the child must qualify based on a proficiency test, which will be administered at registration.)

The child is educationally (economically) disadvantaged: Eligible to participate in the National Free or Reduced-Price Lunch Program based on family income. Eligible by having a food stamp or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Eligibility Group Number (EDG#).

The child is homeless, as defined by 42 United States Code (U.S.C.) Section 1143a, regardless of the residence of the child, of either parent of the child, or of the child's guardian or other person having lawful control of the child.

The child has a parent or official guardian that is an active duty member of the Armed Forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserved component of the armed forces, who is ordered to active duty by proper authority. This includes uniformed service members who are Missing in Action (MIA).

The child has a parent or official guardian that is a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserved component of the armed forces, who was injured or killed while serving on active duty. The term “member of the armed forces” includes: active duty uniformed members (parents or official guardians) of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard who are assigned to duty stations in Texas or who are Texans who have eligible children residing in Texas; activated/ mobilized uniformed members of the Texas National Guard (Army or Air Guard), or activated/mobilized members of the Reserve components of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard who are Texas residents regardless of the location of the reserve unit; and uniformed service members who are Missing in Action (MIA).

The child has ever been in the conservatorship (foster care) of the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), as well as children in a conservatorship as a result of an adversary hearing. This includes children returned to home, kinship placement, and/or adoptions.

 The child has a parent eligible for the Star of Texas Award as a peace officer (3106.002), firefighter (3106.003), or emergency medical first responder (3106.004).