The Petra Story.

The vision, and ultimately the launching of Petra, was born out of the founders' frustration as they searched for a high-quality preschool that could accommodate their foster child. Read below for the full story!

A Need for High-Quality Care for All Children Experienced

Petra Preschool was created to meet a need for a quality early childhood education program for low-income and foster families by increasing opportunities for all to have access to subsidized child care spots, while creating a high quality academic environment for the benefit of families and children of all backgrounds.
 
Petra Preschool’s initial founders, Phil and Christal Murray, began working towards launching the school after experiencing a bias against them in 2013 as they tried to bring a foster child to an existing preschool their other children attended. After conversations with their church and others in the fostering community, our founders determined to set up a high-quality nonprofit preschool in a way that would welcome a large percentage of financially subsidized children, while still operating in a financial self-sustaining way.

Listen to the Podcast.

Click here to listen to a podcast recorded by Austin-area foster care advocate Kenneth Camp in November 2017 to hear an extended version of the founders' story and vision for Austin and beyond.

Putting the Pieces Together

Shortly after the Murrays began to put early plans on paper for what starting a new preschool might look like, they were blessed to meet Mindy Lee, who served on an early advisory board they had put together. Mindy ultimately joined the Murrays together as co-founders when Petra Preschool was formed as a not for profit corporation in May of 2017, and Mindy began work full-time as the Preschool Director around the same time. Significant time was spent researching an ideal location for Petra, and the founders were amazed when the opportunity to utilize a portion of a top of the line facility in North Central Austin arose.  With a Director and a facility secured and with a full board of directors in place, Petra Preschool opened its doors to its first students in August 2018, and we are excited to see how the school continues to grow and bless children and families around our city!