HISD Teams with Local Nonprofits to Grow PreK Enrollment Across Houston

As enrollment challenges persist across urban school systems, HISD is taking a two-pronged approach to early childhood education—growing its PreK footprint while intensifying efforts to connect families to available seats.

Through a new, proposed state-backed 1882 partnership with early childcare nonprofit Collaborative for Children and an expanded door-to-door outreach campaign led by canvassing nonprofit Groundwork Outreach, the district aims to address a rising demand for PreK alongside uneven enrollment, with some campuses with high waitlists while others have empty seats. 

District leaders said the strategy — combining facility expansion, community-based providers, and hyper-local recruitment—is designed not just to grow enrollment, but to ensure more Houston children enter kindergarten prepared to succeed.

“This is about making sure every 3- and 4-year old has access to a high-quality PreK program,” said HISD Deputy Superintendent Kristen Hole. “By combining expanded program sites with on-the-ground outreach, we’re meeting families where they are and setting Houston kids up for long-term success.”

Record-growth, Empty Seats, and Waitlists 

PreK enrollment, mirroring K-12, has been varied across HISD. Some PreK programs are enrolled at or over capacity, while some classrooms have dozens of empty seats.

By targeting recruitment while expanding program sites through partnerships with community-based providers, administrators say the district aims to better balance enrollment across campuses, fill persistent gaps, and ensure more eligible families — particularly those in underserved neighborhoods — have access to high-quality early childhood education.

“This isn’t just about adding more seats — it’s about making sure every seat is filled by a child who needs it,” said Kelsey Lippitz, HISD executive director of school choice and specialized programs. “When we align recruitment with capacity, we can deliver on the promise of equitable access to early education.”

Learn about HISD’s Newest Partner

Under the proposed 1882 partnership, about 150 PreK students will be co-enrolled at one of Collaborative for Children’s partner centers, allowing them to remain in their familiar community settings while gaining access to HISD’s instructional materials, special education supports, and student data systems. 

Hole said the goal is to create a "seamless transition" into the HISD K-12 pipeline, particularly in zones where HISD programming is at capacity. 

The partnership would be supported through added subsidies from the state that will support the instructional operations and administrative duties related to co-enrollment, Hole said.

Collaborative for Children brings more than five decades of experience supporting early childhood education in Houston. Established in 1987, the nonprofit combines expertise in both instructional guidance and business coaching to support its 125 privately owned early childhood center partners. 

“This longstanding presence provides a distinct advantage through deep, trusted relationships with providers and families,” said Dr. Precious Parks, Collaborative for Children’s Chief Programs Officer. 

Eligible centers for the HISD dual-enrollment model must meet rigorous standards, including holding a Texas Rising Star 3- or 4-star certification, which evaluates teacher training, curriculum quality, and student outcomes beyond minimum state requirements. Participating sites must also be equipped to provide extended-day and year-round care, along with services such as developmental screenings, community referrals, and bilingual programming. 

Parks said the partnership also addresses ongoing workforce challenges in early childhood education, including compensation and work-life balance. Through evidence-based coaching and professional development provided by Collaborative for Children, the model aims to strengthen teacher retention within a high-quality, outcomes-driven system.

Ensuring Kindergarten Readiness for All

At the core of the partnership is a data-driven strategy designed to track and improve student outcomes in real time.

“Using real-time data allows us to see exactly how children are progressing and where support is needed,” Lippitz said. 

Parks said Collaborative for Children will deploy its proprietary iWonder system, a data platform powered by Microsoft Dynamics that leaders said is capable of comparing instructional performance across Houston’s child care landscape. The system will monitor student progress throughout the year using CIRCLE assessments—administered at the beginning, middle, and end of the PreK year similar to Measurement of Academic Progress exams—to measure developmental milestones and early academic skills.

To evaluate long-term impact, Parks said the partnership will also analyze kindergarten readiness data. Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, students who participated in the program will be assessed using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), a widely-used tool for measuring early reading proficiency.

Regular data-sharing agreements and structured progress monitoring meetings — held at least three times annually — will allow both partners to assess performance, identify areas for improvement, and ensure accountability, Parks said. 

Door-to-door Outreach

While the 1882 partnership focuses on expanding PreK locations for families, HISD is continuing its year-long relationship with nonprofit canvassing group Groundwork Outreach to handle the boots-on-the-ground recruitment. Last year, their outreach to 56,0000 families contributed to one of the largest grade-level growth in the district amid declining enrollment affecting all urban districts, according to a district analysis based on 2025-26 school year fall enrollment data. 

This year, the organization has announced an expanded campaign that now supports enrollment from PreK through fifth grade across an increased 65,000 families in the high-density Chavez, Milby, Sterling, and Yates high schools feeder patterns. 

The campaign utilizes a data-driven approach. Canvassers, many of whom are local residents or HISD employees working on their days off, record real-time data on school enrollment—features which may not be captured according to census data. 

"Every single conversation is one of thousands of data points in our system," Groundwork Outreach Founder and Chief Executive Officer Marie Appel said, explaining the goal is to understand the "real stories" behind the numbers to improve district recruitment strategies.

Appel noted that families may opt out of PreK for a variety of reasons, including lack of awareness — particularly among immigrant families from countries where early childhood education is not standard — along with barriers created by online-only registration systems and increasing competition from charter schools.

Still, Appel emphasized that face-to-face outreach remains a powerful tool. By meeting families where they are, canvassers help build trust and strengthen relationships with HISD — an approach leaders say is critical to reconnecting families with public education.

“Every conversation at a doorstep is an opportunity to reconnect a family with their child’s education,” Lippitz said. “That face-to-face time builds trust and opens doors that digital outreach alone can’t reach.”

Timeline and Next Steps

While the district’s board of trustees has approved the application for the 1882 partnership, the implementation is still pending approval from the Texas Education Agency, which allocates the increased subsidies. 

If approved, district leaders said that because the district can partner with multiple hubs, this model provides a scalable way to extend early childhood services to many different centers across Houston in the future.

Hole said the long-term goal remains ensuring that every child is kindergarten-ready, strengthening the city's educational foundation one doorstep at a time.