'Every child will have equitable opportunities for education': Bezos Academy to open new Houston preschool offering free tuition for underserved children

The City of Houston recently announced that it has approved an agreement with Bezos Academy to open a Montessori-inspired preschool in the Denver Harbor area.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the contract is for 10 years and calls for a 4,967-square-foot building space and an additional 6,345-square-foot outdoor space located in the Denver Harbor Multi-Service Center at 6402 Market St. The school will educate children between the ages 3-5. Classes meet five days a week year-round beginning this fall.

"When we look for partners to host Bezos Academy preschools, we try to find opportunities that meet more than just the educational needs of the child," Mike George Bezos Academy president said, according to Houston Chronicle. "The City of Houston helped us identify a site at Denver Harbor that will situate our tuition-free preschool in the midst of residential support programs for families ranging from a food pantry to health education. We couldn’t be more excited to join and support this community."

The program offers free preschooling and admission based on a lottery that is open to families earning no more than 400% of the federal poverty limit with children aged 3-4.

"Underserved children will have access to education that inspires their creativity and challenges them to succeed in the classroom," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said, according to Houston Chronicle. "By focusing on underserved communities, we are ensuring that every child will have equitable opportunities for education that propels them to a meaningful and successful future."

According to Houston city council member Karla Cisneros, the program will help mothers return to the workforce.

"We are helping women get back to work, and we are giving young children a good shot at a better life," Cisneros said, according to Houston Chronicle.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos founded the free, nonprofit preschool program in 2020 and opened the doors to its first school in Des Moines, Washington. 

The program is opening three schools in Texas for 2022, including two in Dallas.