The new Kindergarten Readiness System (KRS) registration system has already been available for public school districts to enroll and is now opening up to private child care and Head Start providers in mid-April.
The purpose of the Kindergarten Readiness system is to evaluate the effectiveness of prekindergarten, Head Start, government subsidized, and other community-based child-care programs in preparing children for kindergarten.
The system:
- Recognizes the positive impact of a PreK program with a “PreK Center of Excellence” designation.
- Values local control and creative classroom efforts that prepare preschoolers for success in kindergarten.
- Provides parents with information that helps them make choices about a prekindergarten program and to enable them to select a program that prepares their children to be on grade level upon kindergarten entry.
A school’s Pre-K program can join KRS using a simple web-based application process. The program, offered through a partnership with the Texas Education Agency and Region 17 Education Service Center, is voluntary and offered at no charge.
Pre-K advocates have noted that any possibility of restoration of state funds cut from the program in the 2011 legislative session is quite dependent on the availability of data to support the effectiveness of the program. The KRS is designed to collect such data.
For more details: www.krstx.com.