Universal pre-K sets Dallas ISD students up for long-term success

For Dallas ISD’s youngest students, early education isn’t just about academics.

It’s a chance to eliminate possible fears of starting school for the first time, manage emotions, and build a trusted community away from home where students feel loved, welcomed, and supported.

And now, through the universal pre-K program, Dallas ISD offers pre-K 3 and pre-K 4 programs at no cost to all families, giving more opportunities to set children up for success. 

The sooner children start school, the better they perform as they move into kindergarten and upper grades, said Katie Lewis, principal at Martha Turner Reilly Elementary School.

“Sometimes parents are hesitant to send their kids to school because they're so little, but pre-K 3 is a great launching pad,” Lewis said. “If a child comes to school anxious or hesitant to participate, they're going to have a harder time retaining information and developing skills that are the foundation for everything after kindergarten.”

In Omar Sigala’s pre-K 3 classroom, mornings begin with circle time, which includes stretching, exercise, or a quick song, followed by a literacy block where students recite a daily morning message tied to an educational theme.

“School is the first time they are exposed to many concepts like shapes, colors, letters, numbers, and counting,” he said. “It's all part of the experience of learning how to be in a school setting: following rules, understanding expectations, and communicating their needs and wants.”

By pre-K 4, students step into new academic and social challenges with growing confidence.

“Offering children a foundation in pre-K 3 and pre-K 4 by learning language skills, how to interact with others, and how to ask for help builds independence,” said Lindsey Hudman, pre-K 4 teacher. “Those things aren't explicitly written in a curriculum, but as a pre-K teacher, you teach them every single day.”

Across both pre-K 3 and pre-K 4 classrooms, interactive center time allows students to rotate through hands-on stations focused on art, STEM, writing, construction, and more. As setups evolve throughout the year, introducing new educational tools, teachers and teaching assistants use small group instruction to provide targeted instruction on skills like pencil grip, early reading, and relationship-building.

“It's more than book learning; it's really more about the interactions between students and learning what community looks like,” Lewis said.

Throughout the day, students learn about science, social studies, and math, and close the day with flexible time dedicated to science activities, arts and crafts, dancing, or music.

Learn about universal pre-K enrollment.