Jeff Bezos’ education nonprofit is currently considering whether Fort Worth should be the next city in which to set up shop.
Bezos Academy, founded in 2018 as a part of the Amazon founder’s $2 billion Day One Fund initiative, aims to establish high-quality, non-profit preschools in low-income communities.
It currently operates 16 tuition-free, Montessori-based preschools across the country, two of which are in Dallas, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The new preschool would be situated in a 7.2-acre proposed development in southern Fort Worth that received approval from the city’s zoning commission on June 14. The Bezos Academy branch would likely be housed in a 300,000-square-foot structure adjacent to the community center.
Enrollment in the school would be determined through a lottery system, ensuring fair opportunities for eligible families. However, discussions are underway to give preference to residents of a proposed apartment complex in the development who meet the income eligibility criteria.
In a statement to the Fort Worth Report, a spokesperson for Bezos Academy said:
“At this time, we are exploring the possibility of opening a school in Fort Worth and are in the early stages of discussion. From our own research and conversations with community members thus far, we know there is a real need for an accessible preschool that operates year-round on a full-day schedule in Fort Worth, and Tarrant County in general.”
The potential Fort Worth academy is set to have two classrooms, each catering to a maximum of 20 students, and the student-to-staff ratio in each class would be capped at 10:1.
“The child is at the center of every decision we make. Each child’s culture, strengths, challenges, interests, and dreams inform our program design, instructional methods, and individual goals. Our child-centered approach meets children where they are and prioritizes all areas of their development,” reads the preschool network’s mission statement.
While zoning officials have approved the plans, the final decision rests with the Fort Worth City Council, which is set to consider the project in July.
