In Houston, some parents have been sleeping in tents and in their trucks since Friday, saving a place in line to enroll their children and grandchildren in the Houston Junior Forum Community House Preschool. There are 39 slots available for entering children, and these parents--many of them alum of the school themselves--are determined to secure places for their kids in the first-come, first-served registration process. One former grad, who also sent her daughter to the school, recently took camping shifts in line to help her nephew get a spot. She said, "Making a sacrifice like this for your child, with this weather, there's nothing you won't do for your kids."
What makes this school so special? The school has a reputation for preparing low-income, Hispanic children for public school so that they can forgo ESL classes, and even offers college scholarships for some former preschool alums. Seems like maybe the real story is "Why aren't there more programs like this so parents don't have to camp out?" but that's getting complicated, isn't it. And you can see why a few days in the rain and cold might be a price parents would be willing to pay if they believed this school could help prepare their children for success in life.
Would you camp out for your kid? What would you do to get your child into a school?
Photo: Houston Chronicle
