BRYAN, Texas — While COVID-19 cases may not be at the forefront of the news, it is still a prevalent factor around the United States, affecting schools everywhere. Bryan ISD has also been affected by the virus, and has seen lower enrollment numbers in schools.
Now, they're looking to turn things around by adding more preschool students to their classrooms.
"Right now in Pre-K our numbers are a little low and so we currently have a little over 300 seats we really need to fill," said Bryan ISD assistant director of Early Childhood Education Schronda Burns.
While many parents may have still been uneasy post Uvalde, the coronavirus's lingering effects are to blame, according to Burns.
Burns also shared sympathy with how parents might be hesitant to send their children to preschool, saying "I do think some of our parents are still fearful because to be honest with you, we are still dealing with COVID-19, a lot of our young 3s and 4s are still at home with grandma so I totally understand that."
Additionally, Bryan ISD's focus is to make this school year a return to normalcy, especially for Kemp Carver elementary students. However, their preschool numbers are down considerably compared to pre-pandemic levels, making Bryan ISD encourage parents to sign their children up for Pre-K to fill the many vacancies in their classrooms.
"We really want to encourage parents you know if you have a four year old at home, come to school. We have room, we have some amazing teachers in the classroom. Children not only learning academics but learning social emotional skills," said Burns.
She encourages parents to reach out to school officials with any concerns and also encourages parents to sign up for classes.
"I know a lot of our parents sometimes are a little reluctant either getting on the website. But every now and then we have parents who really wanna talk to a person, so we're here for everyone," said Burns.
If you're interested in registering your child up for preschool, you can do so on the Bryan ISD website here. Also, Bryan ISD has released a full Return to Learn plan for the 2022-2023 school year, which can be found here.