Daycare created for staffers’ kids
THRALL – After a year of research and discussion, Thrall Independent School District opened its Tiny Tigers childcare facility in August specifically for the tiny tots of teachers and staff.
Jolena Pokorny, director of programs, and Blake Schneider, currently the interim superintendent, promoted the idea as part of the district’s retention plan to keep staffers in a town where childcare can be hard to find.
The 2026-27 school year opened with six Tiny Tigers 2-year-olds in the facility, which is the only licensed childcare program in the Thrall community.
While the facility is located inside the district’s elementary school, Tiny Tigers is not under the jurisdiction of the Texas Education Agency but the Texas Health and Human Services Department.
“They are the ones who licensed the daycare. We have to follow all of their requirements,” Pokorny said.
Thrall ISD already had prekindergarten programs for 3- and 4-year-olds, but the district had nothing in place for younger age groups. For now, the district is not prepared or licensed for infants.
“That’s a different, more in-depth process,” Pokorny said.
Another caveat to the Tiny Tigers program is that daycare availability will be determined annually.
“We have to understand that we may not be able to continue (the daycare program) if we don’t have a number of kids to support it,” Pokorny said.
In May, Pokorny and Schneider—who at the time was the district’s business manager — presented a revised daycare plan to school board trustees that included not hiring a staff member specifically for the facility but rather utilizing staff already on the Thrall ISD payroll.
In addition, a price increase for the program was proposed to the teachers and staff.
“Nobody balked at the (higher price),” Pokorny said.
Thrall ISD employee Brittany Ross is one of the parents using the program. Even with the increased cost, Ross said, “It saves on money because it’s a very good price.”
The one big expenditure the district made was in the purchase of the Tiny Tigers “bus,” a six-seater passenger wagon that straps the tiny students in place when they go outside or to the library.
“They love it,” Pokorny said.
Ross added she and her daughter are happy with the Tiny Tigers program; mom also appreciated that it was in her workplace.
“I know these people and I love them. They do so well with the kids,” Ross said.
