The Fort Worth ISD school board recently approved a new campaign to attempt to increase pre-K enrollment in the district. Kristen spent time in a classroom and spoke to experts about the benefits of pre-K.

• The district’s director of Early Learning, Olayinka Ojo, said play learning is a big part of pre-K. The students remember best by experience, so playing is a form of learning that helps them retain knowledge. 
• Some of the benefits experts agree on is pre-K allows for socialization, literacy exposure and using the imagination.
• Texas Christian University associate professor of early childhood learning Michelle Bauml said she would encourage parents to consider pre-K because of the exposure to materials outside of the home.

As part of Black History Month, Kristen met with an elementary school librarian for some book suggestions for your children. Here’s what librarian Lydia White recommends:

• “All Because You Matter” by Brian Collier and Tami Charles: She said this is one of her favorites and boys like to read it.
• “The Day You Began” by Jacqueline Woodson, which White said is about “how you could just begin as a person, how you find yourself.” 
• “The Skin I’m In” by Sharon Flake, this is on the sixth grade Fort Worth ISD list, White said. It’s about a dark-skinned girl and how she becomes comfortable being dark. “When I was the librarian at Forest Oak Middle School from 2002 to 2014, this was a book I pushed. A lot of the girls really love to read it,” she said.

Do your students attend Fort Worth ISD? The district has a new calendar for the 2023-24 school year. Jacob put together a list of dates you should remember.

• The biggest change was when winter break will be. Winter break will start closer to Christmas, but extend past New Year’s. In previous years, the district released earlier in December and returned closer to the start of the new year.

School board elections are set for May 6. Not sure of who’s running for Fort Worth-area school boards? Jacob has the details on contested races.

• The last day to register to vote is April 6. 
• Early voting is April 24 to May 2.

Looking for some free events to attend with your children this week? Here are a few from Parent Pass.

• The Fort Worth Public Library hosts its preschool storytime event starting at 10:30 a.m. today. The event is happening at Reby Cary Youth Library; Fort Worth Public Library – Northwest; and Fort Worth Public Library – East.
• MHMR Tarrant County is scheduled to host a Parent Cafe event starting at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Mental Health America of Greater Tarrant County.
• Have children between kindergarten and fifth grade who want to learn more about the world? Check out the library’s Worldwide Passport event at 3:30 p.m. Friday at the Northside library.
• Looking for more free events? Download Parent Pass through the App Store on iPhone or Google Play Store on Android.