Parents tour preschools and ask about tuition. Smart parents tour preschools and ask about ratios. Here's why the second question is the more important one — and how Texas state minimums can mislead you.
Texas state minimums are the floor, not the goal.
Texas allows up to 1:18 for four-year-olds. 1:15 for three-year-olds. 1:11 for two-year-olds. "Meets state minimum" is the lowest legal standard — not the best practice.
Ratios decide how often your kid is seen.
In a 1:18 classroom, your child gets 3.3 minutes of focused adult attention per hour. In a 1:10 classroom, they get 6 minutes. Double the eye contact, double the language input, double the noticing when something's off.
Tuition usually correlates with ratios.
Cheaper schools often run at state max. More expensive schools sometimes do too. Ask. The honest schools will tell you their actual ratio without flinching.
Class size matters even at the same ratio.
1:10 in a class of 10 is different from 1:10 in a class of 20 (with two teachers). Smaller absolute group size = quieter classroom, fewer transitions, more focused work.
Ask: "Can I see your ratios posted somewhere?"
Texas requires daily ratios to be visible. If they hesitate, dig deeper. If they show you proudly, that's a school that's confident in its math.