Jeff Bezos Launches Over a Dozen Tuition-Free Preschools in Texas, Citing Personal Montessori Education as Inspiration
Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon, is launching ten tuition-free preschools in Texas, offering cost-free education to students. “He attributes his and his family’s success to his Montessori preschool education and prioritized this initiative when deciding how to allocate his wealth,” explained Allison Leader, a spokesperson for Bezos Academy.
Bezos Academy has established preschools in Old East Dallas, North Dallas, Lancaster, and Cockrell Hill, with plans to expand into Denton and Oak Cliff, Houston and a location in San Antonio, among other national sites.
For San Antonio, Bezos Academy’s Website states: Bezos Academy Universal City will open in 2024!
“We’re thrilled to announce the home of our next Bezos Academy preschool in San Antonio, TX. Our new school will be located on Northeast Lakeview College’s campus. We plan to open our doors in 2024, pending the completion of construction.”
“We offer tuition-free education for families earning under $120,000 annually,” stated Kanetria Doolin, director at the North Dallas campus, located within the Presbyterian Village North senior living community. Admission is through a lottery system, with significantly better odds than Powerball, catering to children aged three to five, with classes held five days a week. Applications are closed for this year but will open again next year.
“Approximately 50% of children aged three to five in the U.S. are not in preschool, mainly due to lack of access and affordability. We aim to address these barriers,” added Allison Leader. Lavoris McGruder, who once paid $400 a month for daycare, found a more affordable option for her son at Bezos Academy.
“And then when they said it was tuition free, me and my husband were like ‘Hey! We will take it,” she exclaimed.
McGruder said they can already tell a difference in their 4-year-old son.
“He’s so much more comfortable doing things on his own. We’re to the point where he can go downstairs and make his own toast for breakfast, and I owe that to Bezos because they are constantly challenging him,” she added.
Bezos appears invested for the long haul. The schools sign 10-year leases with partners they identify from communities in need.
A recent study from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin said the lack of affordable childcare is costing the Texas economy more than $11 billion per year.
Parents cannot go to work because preschool is either too costly or doesn’t exist in some Texas communities.
