DALLAS — A new chain of preschools in Texas is looking for students, and the best part is parents pay nothing for their children to attend.
Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is opening 10 preschools in Texas, and they are all tuition-free.
“He credits having a Montessori preschool education for really setting him and his family up for success. And when he was determining what avenues that he wanted to use to spend his money, this was right at the top of his list,” said Allison Leader, a spokesperson for Bezos Academy.
There are campuses in Old East Dallas, North Dallas, Lancaster, and Cockrell Hill with others planned in Denton and Oak Cliff.
Houston and San Antonio also have schools, along with others nationwide.
“We are tuition-free. So, a family that makes under $120,000 per year could qualify to attend here,” said Kanetria Doolin, director of the Bezos Academy in North Dallas, which is located on the campus of Presbyterian Village North – a senior living community.
It is a lottery to get enrolled, but your chances are much better than Powerball. Bezos Academy is for children three to five years old. Classes are five days a week.
But interested parents should hurry. Applications are open until Monday, May 13. Applications for Universal City are open until Monday, July 15.
“We know that about 50-percent of 3 to 5 year-old kids in the U.S. are not enrolled in preschool. And a big reason for that is accessibility and affordability. So, there’s nothing near me and things that are near me I cannot afford to participate in and that’s really what we are trying to solve for,” Leader added.
Lavoris McGruder and her husband were paying $400 a month for their son to attend a daycare until she discovered Bezos Academy.
“And then when they said it was tuition free, me and my husband were like ‘Hey! We will take it,” she exclaimed.
McGruder said they can already tell a difference in their 4-year-old son.
“He’s so much more comfortable doing things on his own. We’re to the point where he can go downstairs and make his own toast for breakfast, and I owe that to Bezos because they are constantly challenging him,” she added.
Watch our full interview with Lavoris McGruder here:
The North Dallas campus has four classrooms and can accommodate 80 children. It opened last November.
Bezos appears invested for the long haul. The schools sign 10-year leases with partners they identify from communities in need.
A recent study from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin said the lack of affordable childcare is costing the Texas economy more than $11 billion per year.
Parents cannot go to work because preschool is either too costly or doesn’t exist in some Texas communities.
UT researchers lay out potential policy solutions in this week’s episode of Y’all-itics.