House Bill 2395 by Rep. Brian Hill (R-Mustang) would amend existing law to allow schools to offer half-day or full-day pre-kindergarten for three-year-olds.
Current law allows schools to start pre-kindergarten for children who are four years old on or before Sept. 1. The law does not require students to attend pre-kindergarten, nor does it require schools to offer pre-kindergarten.
The bill passed through the House Appropriations and Budget Education Subcommittee with a 7-1 vote.
Hill said in his district, Mustang Public Schools houses a three-year-old program, but it’s only open to high-needs families. He said this policy would allow programs like that to expand to everyone.
“[Mustang has] 48 spots for three-year-olds, but that is exclusive to special-need-type situations, such as a single parent, such as two parents that didn’t graduate high school,” Hill said. “This would simply allow a school district like Mustang, or like one of the other 500-plus school districts, to be able to… make a local decision.”
Concern was raised by Rep. John Waldron (D-Tulsa) about whether the measure would take clients away from daycares, which subsidize more expensive care for newborns and babies with older child enrollment.
“If we take three-year-olds out of the system, we increase the pressure on… the early childhood education centers and the remainder of that population,” Waldron said. “So, how do we address that? How do we make sure that you can make a living with it?”
In 2019, Texas required districts to offer pre-kindergarten for four-year-olds, leading to a strain on early childhood centers.
As a former childcare businessman, Hill responded the current daycare system is operating under a “broken model.”
“I believe we are at a moment where there is a transition happening,” Hill said. “There is a reason that my family is no longer in the business in any of the three states that were in. … But I think it’s a viable conversation that if our kids really are the goal here and education is really is the outcome we’re seeking — better outcomes for our kids — I think this is a tough conversation we should be willing to have.”
The bill now heads to the House Appropriations and Budget Committee.
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