More Than Playtime: The Academic, Socioemotional, and Physical Benefits of PreK in HISD

Interested families can find information about eligibility, the application process, and enrollment at the end of the article. 

This fall, thousands of Houston children will walk into classrooms as first-time students. For families weighing whether to enroll their child in PreK, the question of its worth may be lingering. 

In Houston ISD, the answer unfolds through the playtime workshops, physical education classes, and healthy social interactions. Through the HISD School Choice program, families can take advantage of specialized programming across 166 campuses, though all campuses incorporate a combination of approaches for Kindergarten readiness. 

HISD NOW took a look at Shearn Elementary, Bell Elementary, and Farias Early Childhood Center offerings to highlight aspects of the curriculum that families can consider in their decision to enroll their three- or four-year-old. 

Learning Through Play 

Shearn Elementary PreKers are in a space exploration play-based workstation where they learn fundamental lessons about science. 

Inside the PreK classrooms at Shearn Elementary in Braeswood, students rotate between stations that look more like playtime than formal instruction. 

Rather than sitting through long lessons, PreKers move through small-group activities designed to build foundational skills organically. Counting games introduce early math concepts and number recognition. Sentence formation exercises expands their vocabulary. Science lessons emerge through exploration of space, weather, and animals in play-doh sculpting. 

As a dual-language campus, part of the exercises are conducted in Spanish to prepare students for English and Spanish proficiency. 

PreK Teacher Maria Duarte de Gonzales described these play-based workstations as the “heart of the day,” a bridge between early childhood curiosity and the academic expectations students will eventually face in elementary school.

"PreK children learn fundamental skills... but they learn them without any academic pressure, which is the beautiful part,” Duarte de González said. 

As a dual-language campus, Shearn Elementary School offers instruction in Spanish and English to ensure students can achieve bilingual proficiency.

The timed workstations prepare students for fast-paced learning environments. During these sessions, teachers pull small groups of three or four students for personalized attention that allows teachers to identify where students may need extra support long before academic struggles emerge.

Motivating Movement and Confidence

Bell's Principal Joshua Perales said that the lessons students learn on the court translate into better listening skills and high-quality instruction in the classroom. 

At Bell Elementary in Brays Oaks, a magnet campus known for athletic programs that span seven sports, PreK students begin learning physical literacy almost as soon as they arrive.

While most campuses reserve PE until Kindergarten, Bell’s Principal Joshua Perales made it a priority for PreK. 

During the weekly 45-minute PE class, coaches introduced warmups and stretching routines that will familiarize PreKers with muscles and movement patterns. The students then shuffled through agility ladders, balanced on foam beams, and raced through relay courses while coaches and their peers shouted encouragement from the sidelines. 

Beyond improving coordination, balance, and mobility, Perales said students learn how to follow directions and work cooperatively—all skills they need in the classroom.  

“We build foundational athletic training because we know that it’ll translate right from the court to the classroom, making sure we have that strong base of high-quality instruction,” Perales said. 

For many students, the lessons become a source of pride. Teacher resident Aundrea Hines said children often go home eager to explain newly learned concepts, including the names of muscles and joints, to their parents. This confidence, she said, plays a role in students building a strong sense of self early on rather than being shaped by the opinions of those around them. 

“Being able to understand what your body is capable of doing is important,” Hines said. “You want them to believe in themselves more than anything.”

Teacher resident Aundrea Hines (pictured left) helps a PreKer complete the hula hoop agility course designed to strengthen gross motor skills. 

Learning Emotional Regulation 

Farias ECC PreKers use morning rituals to build social knowledge of how to recognize and celebrate their peers. 

At Farias Early Childhood Center on the Northside, some of the day’s most important lessons begin with a deep breath. Each morning, PreKers gather with teacher Laura Garcia for a calming exercise meant to help them transition into learning mode. Tiny hands rise and fall with each breath.

“The strategy is that oxygen reaches the brain of each child and helps them move into an executive state where they can be conscious, responsible, and ready to learn,” Garcia said. 

Students then greet classmates with affirming songs and hugs. When a child is absent, classmates place their hands over their hearts and send “well wishes” for their friend to return soon. Garcia then models how to ask politely for materials, and even how to accept hearing the word “no” without becoming overwhelmed by rejection.

The classroom also includes a designated safe place where students can retreat when emotions become difficult to manage. There, children use breathing exercises and “feeling puppets” to calm themselves before rejoining the group.

For many children, school is one of the first places outside of home where they begin to understand themselves and how they interact with others. A 2021 study published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly found that PreKers’ socioemotional development is an important predictor in future grades and their ability to learn in classroom settings.

A classroom safe place, or lugar seguro in Spanish, is reserved for students who need time away from the class.

“In their first few years of life, children develop the ability to regulate emotions, share with others, and follow instructions,” Farias’ Principal Maria Solis said. “Those skills become the foundation for literacy, numeracy, and long-term success in school.”

Interested Families 

Many families of three- or four-year-old qualify for free PreK if they meet criteria, such as low-income status, English learning, have parents who are active duty members, or are full-time HISD teacher parents. 

Families who do not qualify for free PreK can enroll for $6,744 annually, payable in installments. Interested families can apply online or visit their neighborhood school to enroll at an open campus or join a waitlist based on availability and preference.