08:58 PM CDT on Friday, June 30, 2006

By BRAD WATSON / WFAA-TV

WFAA

Military families will benefit from the new law

DALLAS -- Finding good child care or education opportunities for pre-schoolers can often be a run around, but for military families in Texas, the game just got easier.

Sergeant George Bernal and his wife Danise will enroll their four-year-old daughter, Angelica, into the pre-kindergarten program in Longview this fall.

The school finance law requires school districts to accept children whose parents are active duty, reservists called up, or whose parents were killed or wounded on active duty.

Currently, schools must only enroll children who don't speak English, or those from homeless and low income families.

The new school finance law expanded Pre-K for 5,000 to 6,000 children from qualifying military families. But space is tight in Pre-K classes.

So daycare organizations, like childcare group in Dallas County, will be offering classes where public schools can't.

“Who can help provide Pre-K on site in a child care location, with public school support, so that those children will have a place in their neighborhood to go to public Pre-K,” said Susan Hoff, childcare professional.

The Bernals appreciate the help in easing the cost of child care on military pay.

“The ones that I've looked at are between $80 a week for child care, for full time, so it adds up after awhile,” said Sgt. Bernal.

Texas becomes the first state in the nation to offer Pre-K to service families. Early childhood educators applaud the move, saying it gives stability to children whose lives are often disrupted by moves, or world events.

For more information, you can visit www.childcaregroup.org/

E-mail bwatson@wfaa.com