Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs will be updated to reflect 24-25 programming soon.
Child must be 3 or 4 years old on or before September 1, of the year you are enrolling and meet one of the following eligibility criteria:
- Child is unable to speak or comprehend the English language
- Family meets free/reduced lunch income eligibility guidelines
- Family meets criteria of “homeless”
- Child is an active duty military dependent
- Child of a member of the armed forces, injured or killed while on active duty
- Child of a person eligible for the STAR of Texas Award
- Child is or has been in foster care
Yes, before- and after-school care is available, however seats are limited. Please contact the xPlore! office for more information.
If your neighborhood elementary campus does not offer Pre-K, RISD will provide daily transportation from your neighborhood campus to your assigned Pre-K campus.
No, in order for a child to be enrolled in our 3 year old program the child must be 3 years old on or before Sept. 1st of the enrolling school year.
Yes, but the specifics may vary according to each full-day campus.
Yes, you will need to complete an inter-district transfer request if you live outside of the district to complete enrollment.
Students are initially identified as an Emergent Bilingual student via the Home Language Survey (HLS) which is given to all students upon enrollment. If the HLS indicates that any language other than English is spoken at home, students are referred to the Newcomer Center for language evaluation and program recommendation. If the child does not score ‘fluent’ then they are then considered an Emergent Bilingual student and qualify for free Pre-K.
A student is eligible to participate in the national free or reduced-price lunch program. Visit the Texas guidelines for more information.
Here is a list of acceptable forms of income documentation:
Please review the Acceptable Pre-K Documentation for Proof of Income to determine which forms of documentation are and are not acceptable. Household income documentation should reflect any gross income received on a recurring basis for each individual in the household receiving income.
- Current paycheck stub
- Current pay envelope
- Letter from employer stating gross wages paid and how often they are paid
- Unemployment, Worker’s Compensation or Disability payment stub
- Acceptable documentation for self-employment income, including:
- Business or farming documents, such as ledger books and/or self-issued paycheck stub
OR - Last year’s tax return
- Business or farming documents, such as ledger books and/or self-issued paycheck stub
- Acceptable documentation for cash income:
- A letter from the employer stating wages paid and frequency
- Current SNAP or TANF approval letter
- A letter from the employer stating wages paid and frequency
- Lone Star Card account numbers are not acceptable SNAP case numbers on the application.
The proof of income document should contain:
- The name of the Pre-K student’s parent or guardian whose income is being reported
- Amount and the date the income was received
- A pay stub with no date is not sufficient
- Gross income amount is all money earned before any deductions