The Austin School District will offer tuition-supported prekindergarten classes for four-year-olds for the first time this fall. Children who are four years old on or before September 1, and who do not qualify for either the Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities or the state-mandated prekindergarten program, are eligible.

The program will offer students a six-hour day of quality educational programming led by certified teachers who are specifically trained to work with young children. Tuition-supported prekindergarten will be offered at the following schools:

Allison, Baldwin, Becker, Boone, Brentwood, Casey, Casis, Davis, Dawson, Govalle, Gullett, Hill, Kocurek, Mills, Odom, Palm, Perez, Ridgetop, Summitt, Sunset Valley, Travis Heights and Zilker.

Parents must apply at the Carruth Administration Center, 1111 W. 6th Street, before June 15, to be considered for the first-round lottery. Parents may choose to send their student to any tuition-supported campus in AISD but parents must provide their own transportation if the campus selected is not their designated home school.

When applying for the program, parents must bring the child's official birth certificate, photo identification of the parent/guardian who is enrolling the student, social security card of the child (if available), proof of residency in AISD (such as a current electric bill or lease), and a current immunization record signed by a physician.

The annual tuition is $4,656 per student. A $50 non-refundable application fee (payable by check or money order only) will be collected with the application. A $100 non-refundable supply and materials fee will be collected at the time of notification of placement in the program. Parents will be notified by June 30 if their student has been placed in the program.

For additional information about the Austin School District's prekindergarten program, parents may call the office of Early Childhood Education at 414-4790.