To be eligible for enrollment in a free pre-kindergarten class, a child must be at least three years of age as of September 1 of the current school year (if a 3-year-old program is available) or four years of age as of September 1 of the current school year (if only a 4-year-old program is available) and meet at least one of the following eligibility requirements:  

• is unable to speak and comprehend the English language; or
• is educationally disadvantaged (which means a student eligible to participate in the
  national free or reduced-price lunch program... guidelines can be found here); or
• is homeless, as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 1143a, regardless of the residence of the child, of either parent of the child, or of the child's guardian or other person having lawful control of the child; or
• is the child of an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who is ordered to active duty by proper authority; or
• is the child of a member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who was injured or killed while serving on active duty; or
• is or ever has been in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services (foster care) following an adversary hearing held as provided by Section 262.201, Family Code; or
• is the child of a person eligible for the Star of Texas Award as a peace officer under Section 3106.002, Government Code; a firefighter under Section 3106.003, Government Code; or an emergency medical first responder under Section 3106.004, Government Code.

Age is always calculated as of September 1 of the current school year (for the purposes of establishing eligibility). If school starts before the student's birth date, the attendance is eligible for the entire school year as long as the student will be the required age on or before September 1 of the current school year.

The income level is based on the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) income eligibility guidelines established annually by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Those guidelines may be found at http://www.squaremeals.org/Publications/IncomeEligibilityGuidelines.aspx#C

Yes. In order for a student to qualify for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), the student's family is required to provide the school district with current income level documentation. Many districts pre-register pre-kindergarten students to determine and plan for the size of the next school year's prekindergarten program. Since income level documentation must be current for a student to qualify for prekindergarten based on eligibility for the NSLP, your district must verify income level documentation no earlier than the April 1 before the next school year. Qualifying a student for prekindergarten on the basis of the student's meeting the NSLP income eligibility requirements does not automatically qualify the student for the NSLP. To qualify a student for the NSLP, your district must provide documentation to the TDA in accordance with the TDA's requirements.

Income documentation is not necessary for children who are automatically eligible for NSLP under criteria in federal law 42 United States Code (USC):

• a child who is a member of a household receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
• a child who is enrolled as a participant in Head Start or Even Start
• a child who is considered a migrant child
• a child who is considered homeless
• a child who is considered a runaway
• a child who is a foster child

When providing written evidence of proof of income, parents or those standing in parental relation to the student must submit documents that show income received by the household during the month prior to verification. The document should contain the name of the person standing in parental relation, and the amount and the date the income was received. A pay stub with no date would be insufficient. Gross income to be reported is any money received on a recurring basis including gross earned income. Specifically, gross income means all money earned before any deductions, such as income taxes, employee's social security taxes, insurance premiums, bonds, and charitable contributions. Acceptable documentation for earnings (wages and salary) include:

• Current paycheck stub
• Current pay envelope
• Letter from employer stating gross wages paid and how often they are paid
• Unemployment, Worker's Compensation or Disability payment stub
• Acceptable documentation for self-employment income include:

-Business or farming documents, such as ledger books and/or self-issued paycheck stub

-Last year's tax return

• Acceptable documentation for cash income include:

-A letter from the employer stating wages paid and frequency