SAN ANTONIO — Big changes are coming for San Antonio’s Pre-K 4 SA program and parents have a lot to look forward to.
Members of the San Antonio Arts and Culture Department took a field trip to the early childhood initiative's west education center to present a new piece of artwork.
"We had this piece and we were just thinking, 'Where can we put this?' And we have this fantastic partnership now, with Pre-K 4 SA," said Krystal Jones, interim department director.
She was on hand to help unveil a mural, now hanging above the entrance to the Professional Learning Center along Enrique M. Barrera Memorial Pkwy and visible from Highway 90. It was previously on display downtown during the city's tricentennial celebration.
Pre-K 4 SA CEO Sarah Baray said having the artwork at the school is a reminder to students of the importance of art.
“The arts a really critical part of what we teach children,” Baray said. “We believe that art is an expressive language and so we incorporate that into our classrooms.”
Artist Jennifer Khoshbin created the mural to depict refugee and migrant women working in San Antonio's textile industry.
"I hope that it now inspires these young students to celebrate the different cultures that create the fabric of San Antonio," Khoshbin said.
Soon, it can inspire even more young people.
"We are very excited to announce that, in the coming year, Pre-K 4 SA will begin to serve 3-year-olds,” Baray said.
"There's a kind of a little joke I have with the parent Liaison where I tell her I wish my son could be here another year," said Brenda Ross, who's been called a veteran parent with Pre-K 4 SA.
Her oldest child started in the program when it first launched in 2013.
"Just the way that they were able to get a head start to their education does put them ahead of their peers," she said.
Though she is a stay-at-home mom, she enrolled each of her kids in Pre-K 4 SA for the educational benefits.
"I'm not a teacher, I don't have the skills to be able to help my children in that aspect," Ross said.
Enrollment for 3-year-old infants begins May 9. Pre-K 4 SA is also introducing a scholarship program to allow families making up to $75,000 a year to take advantage of the program at no cost.
"We know that 90%of the brain develops by the age of 5,” Baray said. “And so we really need to make sure that all of our young children and families have the opportunity to have access to high-quality early learning."