To be eligible for enrollment for Prekindergarten, a child must be at least four years of age on or before September 1 and meet a eligibility requirement as determined by the Texas Education Agency. No exceptions can be made.

State legislation provides a Prekindergarten program for children who will be 4 years of age on or before September 1 if they meet at least one of the following criteria listed below:

• is unable to speak and comprehend the English language; or
• is educationally disadvantaged (which means a student eligible to participate in the
  National Free or Reduced-Price lunch Program based on family income.; or
• Is educationally disadvantaged: Eligible by having a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid Free, Medicaid Reduced, or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) Eligibility Group Number (EDG#); or
• is homeless, as defined by 42 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; or
• is the child of an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who is ordered to active duty by proper authority; or
• is the child of a member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who was injured or killed while serving on active duty; or
• is or ever has been in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services (foster care) following an adversary hearing held as provided by Section 262.201, Family Code; or
• is the child of a person eligible for the Star of Texas Award as: a peace officer under Section 3106.002, Government Code; a firefighter under Section 3106.003, Government Code; or an emergency medical first responder under Section 3106.004, Government Code; or
• Transfer from previously enrolled district in Texas (appropriate eligibility and registration documentation required)

*LANGUAGE ELIGIBILITY

If the child is qualifying for Pre-Kindergarten because they are unable to speak and comprehend the English language, please work with the campus Registrar and Administration to fill out the required documentation. Students will be given an English Oral Language Proficiency assessment.

*INCOME ELIGIBILITY

2022-2023 Income Eligibility Guidelines ~ [Normas para la elegibilidad por ingresos]

If the child is qualifying for Pre-Kindergarten based on educationally disadvantaged eligibility, please provide the following at registration:

• Current payroll check stub (during the month prior to verification), OR
• Letter from employer stating gross wages paid and how often they are paid

Acceptable documentation for self-employment income is:

• Last year’s tax return (1040), OR
• Business or farming documents, such as ledger books and/or self-issued paycheck stub

If SELF employed, NET income is used. If not, GROSS income is used.

* MILITARY ELIGIBILITY

If applying for admission based on military criteria, appropriate documentation is listed below:

• Present Department of Defense (DoD) photo identification for children of active duty service members for documentation via district form.
• A copy of the “Statement of Service” from the Installation Adjutant General (AG) Director of Human Resources for children of active members or mobilized reservists or members of the Texas National Guard. This office would use the military personnel systems and documentation to verify that the service member is on active duty in Texas or a Texas mobilized reservist. For Texas National Guard members (Army or Air Guard), the Texas National Guard’s office of the Adjutant General (TAG) may provide documentation or an official letter from a commander (at or above the Lieutenant Colonel or, for the Navy at the commander level) confirming active/mobilized status may be accepted.
• A copy of the Death Certificate using the Service appropriate Department of Defense form, or a Department of Defense form that indicates death as the reason for the separation from the service for children of service members who died or were killed. If the Department of Defense form is not available, the family would ask the Casualty Assistance Office of the closest Casualty Area Command (in Texas) to provide a memorandum signed by the Casualty Office stating the service member was killed in action or died while serving.
• A copy of the Purple Heart orders or citation for children of service members or mobilized reservists/guardsmen who were wounded or injured in combat.
• A copy of the Line of Duty Determination documentation for children of service members or mobilized reservists/guardsmen who were injured while serving on active duty but were NOT wounded or injured in combat. If such documentation is not available, a copy of an official letter from a commander (at or above the Lieutenant Colonel or, for the Navy at the commander level) that stated the service member was wounded or injured while on active duty is acceptable.
• A copy of appropriate documentation for children of service members who are “Missing in Action” (MIA). Any one of the following three acceptable pieces of documentation will suffice for all services: (1) a copy of the transmittal letter from the Service Secretary stating the service member is in a missing status; (2) a copy of the DD (Department of Defense) Form 2811, “Report of Proceedings by Initial/Subsequent Board of Inquiry or Further Review Board;” or (3) a copy of the DD Form 2812, “Commander’s Preliminary Assessment and Recommendations Regarding Missing Person.”

Students qualifying for prekindergarten on the basis of being a child of 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, remain eligible for enrollment if the child’s parent leaves the Armed Forces, or is no longer on active duty, after the student begins a prekindergarten class.

*HOMELESS ELIGIBILITY

If the child is qualifying for Pre-Kindergarten because they are currently experiencing homelessness, please present the campus Registrar and Administration with proper documentation. 

*FOSTER CARE ELIGIBILITY

If the child is qualifying for Pre-Kindergarten based on having ever been in the conservatorship of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) or foster care please provide one of the following:

• Current 2085,
• Court documentation establishing foster care, OR
• Department of Family and Protective Services letter which verifies that a child has ever been in foster care. For additional information, contact your local CPS office.

*STAR OF TEXAS AWARD ELIGIBILITY

A student is eligible on the basis that his or her parent or guardian has received the Star of Texas Award for:  

• peace officers
• firefighters 
• emergency medical first responders

 To be eligible, the parent must have been awarded between 2004 and the current year of the awards ceremony.  Please present the proper documentation to the campus Registrar and Administration. 

*PREKINDERGARTEN TRANSFERS BETWEEN DISTRICTS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR

If the child qualified for Pre-Kindergarten an another Texas school district, please provide the following:

• if qualification was through ESL/Bilingual, attach documentation from the sending school district.
• If qualification was through identification of educationally disadvantaged, the student must requalify based on income during the month prior to enrollment.

The following documents are required when registering students for school in CFISD:

• a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate from the Bureau of Vital Statistics¹ (see details below).
• a current immunization record.
• a government-issued, photo ID for the child’s parent or legal guardian.
• proof of residency²(see details below).
• a social security card for each child, if available.

¹Birth Certificate: Please visit the City of Houston Bureau of Vital Statistics to obtain a birth certificate if the student was born in Harris County.

²Proof of Residency: At the time of registration, parents will be asked to provide proof of residency dated within the last 30 days. Documents that are provided should reflect the parent/legal guardian's name and street address. Please be prepared to submit one item from Line A and one item from Line B.

• Line A: (Lessee) Verification in the form of your current lease/(Homeowner)Verification in the form of HCAD records, a mortgage statement, or closing documents
• Line B: Verification in the form of your current gas, water, or light bill

To determine your child’s zoned prekindergarten campus, please check the PreK Feeder Pattern. (Link Pre-Kindergarten Campus Assignments)

If you are not aware of your home campus, check the School Finder to find your school.

School Finder page

The Prekindergarten program in CFISD is a time of exploration and discovery. It is a time of purposeful play when children learn to share, make lifelong friends and respect others. Our program is based on the 10 domains of the Texas PK Guidelines: social/emotional development, language and communication, emergent reading, emergent writing, math, science, social studies, fine arts, physical development and health, and technology.

• Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum