Whether a school district offers public preschool programs can impact many things. One is how likely families in the district will be to be able to send their kids to preschool. Private preschool programs can cost quite a bit. So, some parents may, for financial reasons, not be able to send their kids to preschool when public preschool programs are not available.
Whether a parent is able to send their kid to preschool can have significant effects on the child in question. Going to preschool has been associated with many positive things for a child’s future, including lower likelihood of future problems with the law and better future financial situations.
The availability of preschool can also impact parents. When a parent is unable to send their kid to preschool, it could have effects on things like what kinds of child care costs the parent has and what hours they are able to work or pursue higher education.
Now, public preschool availability varies from region to region. This is another illustration of how where a family lives can have impacts on what sorts of issues arise for the family.
How does Texas sit when it comes to availability of public preschool? According to federal data, public preschool is offered in 85 percent of Texas school districts. This puts Texas 12th in the nation when it comes to public preschool access. One thing to note though about the public preschool programs in the state is that nearly half of them are only part-day programs.
What would you like to see happen with public preschool availability in Texas in upcoming years?
Preschool-related issues can sometimes be major ones for parents in a divorce. For one, issues over how future parental decisions regarding whether the children will go to preschool and which preschool they will go to will be made can be a significant child custody concern. Also, issues regarding how preschool-related costs, such as private preschool tuition if the parents opt for a private preschool program for their kids, will be split between the parents can be a major child support concern. Divorce attorneys can help divorcing parents who are at or approaching preschool age with addressing preschool-related matters in their divorce.
Source: CNBC, “Universal pre-K helps more than just toddlers,” Marguerite Ward, Feb. 22, 2016