HOUSTON, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Parents in Houston braved cold weather and rain to camp out for three days to secure one of 39 open slots at a prestigious preschool.
The Houston Junior Forum Community House Preschool began registration for the 39 open slots Monday morning, but parents began lining up outside the school Friday to ensure their child a coveted position at the school, the Houston Chronicle reported Monday.
"The statistics of the kids coming out of the school is well above average," said Susie Underwood, of Pasadena, who waited outside the school with hopes of enrolling her 3-year-old daughter. "Every opportunity you can do to give your child a step ahead, you should."
"We only have first-come, first-served," said Carolyn Kares, a spokeswoman for the Houston Junior Forum, the service organization that owns and operates the nonprofit preschool.
The school is known for helping Hispanic children from low-income families prepare for life in public schools.
"We try to assist them so when they go to public schools, they don't have to go to ESL (English as a Second Language) classes," Kares said. "Some of our children have gone on to be attorneys."
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