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Pre K for SA briefs council on FY2026 budget, opens South Center with infant and toddler services
Summary
Pre K for SA presented its FY2026 operating budget and program updates, including plans to open a South Center serving infants and toddlers, continued inclusion services and a stable personnel complement of 502 positions.
Pre K for SA presented a program and budget update to the San Antonio City Council on May 8 ahead of its formal budget adoption later in the month.
CEO Sarah Bray told the council Pre K for SA currently operates four model centers serving about 2,000 children plus the Gardendale early learning program serving 275 children, and that the organization is expanding services for children with exceptional needs and strengthening career pathways for educators.
Bray said Pre K for SA will open a new South Center in August that will be its first site to serve infants and toddlers as well as 3- and 4-year-olds. The center is intended to address a documented shortage of infant-toddler care in San Antonio and will include spaces designed for staff wellness and teacher planning.
On the budget, Bray said there are few changes for FY2026 and that staff is budgeting conservatively in light of a weaker sales-tax forecast. She said the organization expects a gross ending balance of about $92,000 entering the next year, and that it will maintain its personnel complement at 502 positions while holding select vacancies longer as a fiscal precaution.
Bray also reviewed the work of Pre K for SA's shared services alliance for small childcare providers, which serves 94 small businesses, 435 classrooms and about 736 educators and helps participating providers achieve higher Texas Rising Star quality ratings. She said average wages among alliance providers rose from roughly $11.67 to $14.25 an hour, and described enterprise activities to help local employers and communities develop child-care solutions for employees.
Bray said the board will adopt the operating budget at its May 20 meeting and the council will consider the agency's budget on May 29. No additional council action was required at the May 8 briefing.
The presentation emphasized both the expansion of direct services and efforts to strengthen supply and quality across the city's early-learning ecosystem.
