STARTS EARLY

No. This is not a new tax. Voters are being asked whether to continue the existing 1/8 cent sales tax that funds Pre-K 4 SA. San Antonio voters first approved the funding in 2012 and renewed it in 2020 with 73% support.

Yes. Research shows Pre-K 4 SA students continue to see benefits after they leave the program. A UTSA impact study found that by third grade, Pre-K 4 SA students had higher math and reading scores than peers who did not participate.

Pre-K 4 SA also focuses on quality. Its Education Centers are National Association for the Education of Young Children accredited and meet all 10 national quality benchmarks tracked by the National Institute for Early Education Research, while Texas currently meets two of the 10 benchmarks.

No. State-funded pre-K is not universal, and significant gaps remain in both eligibility and funding. Texas limits free public pre-K eligibility to specific categories, while Pre-K 4 SA is open to any 3- or 4-year-old in San Antonio, with priority given to children and families with the greatest need.

The state also still funds eligible 4-year-olds at only a half-day formula rate, even though districts are required to offer a full day, and 3-year-olds receive only half-day funding. Pre-K 4 SA helps fill those gaps and expands access to affordable, high-quality early learning.

Pre-K 4 SA’s impact extends well beyond the children enrolled in its Education Centers. To date, the program has served more than 21,000 students throughout San Antonio. It also invests more than $4.2 million annually in grants to private, parochial and public schools to expand access to high-quality early childhood learning.

Pre-K 4 SA is also helping address one of San Antonio’s largest remaining access gaps. It serves roughly 1,000 three-year-olds each year, helping increase the share of eligible 3-year-olds enrolled in public pre-K from 12% in 2022 to 20% in the 2024-25 school year.

Pre-K 4 SA’s per-student spending is comparable to K-12 education. Pre-K 4 SA’s published Education Center cost is approximately $11,470 per student, compared with a national K-12 average of $12,903. Pre-K 4 SA also provides a 10-hour program day, compared with a typical 7-hour school day.

Pre-K 4 SA's approximately $61 million annual budget supports more than its roughly 2,000 Education Center students. Funding also supports grants to private, parochial and public schools, nearly 100 independent child care providers, and other community partnerships. For example, through the Shared Services Alliance program, Pre-K 4 SA funding has benefited nearly 5,000 children and supported more than 850 educators.

A 20-year renewal provides the long-term stability needed to plan responsibly, retain high-quality educators, maintain facilities and build lasting partnerships across San Antonio’s early learning system. Pre-K 4 SA is a long-term investment in children and the city’s future, not a short-term program.

School districts are important partners, but state funding and eligibility rules limit what they can provide. Districts do not receive full funding for full-day pre-K, and state law restricts which children qualify for free public pre-K.

Pre-K 4 SA complements district programs by helping expand access, improve quality and invest in early childhood education throughout the community.

In 2022, only 12% of eligible three-year-olds in San Antonio were enrolled in public pre-K. By the 2024-25 school year, citywide enrollment for three-year-olds in public prekindergarten had risen to 20%, almost entirely due to the roughly 1,000 three-year-olds served by Pre-K 4 SA.

No. Pre-K 4 SA’s impact extends throughout the early learning community. It awards more than $4.2 million annually in grants to private, parochial and public schools and provides coaching and quality support to nearly 100 independent child care providers.

That broader reach is important because early learning begins well before a child enters a pre-K classroom.

Pre-K 4 SA has demonstrated both broad reach and measurable results. More than 21,000 young learners have been served, and a UTSA impact study found that Pre-K 4 SA students had higher third-grade math and reading scores than peers who did not participate.

Pre-K 4 SA works across San Antonio’s early learning system. In addition to operating Education Centers, it supports educators, families, school districts and child care providers through grants, professional development, coaching and quality-improvement programs.

The program provides professional development to early learning educators across San Antonio and quality support to nearly 100 independent child care providers serving children younger than pre-K age.

Pre-K 4 SA was created to address early learning needs that state funding and the private market were not fully meeting. Its approach brings together public, private and community partners to expand access and improve quality across San Antonio.

Pre-K 4 SA’s current voter-approved funding runs through 2029, so the program would not end immediately if the renewal does not pass. Pre-K 4 SA would continue operating under its existing authorization through 2029.

Without renewed voter authorization, the dedicated sales tax funding that supports the majority of Pre-K 4 SA’s annual revenue would not continue beyond the current authorization period. Last year, the sales tax generated $51.7 million of the program’s approximately $61 million in annual revenue.