Alief ISD is a diverse, urban district spanning 36.6 square miles on the west side of Houston. 82.6% of students in Alief ISD qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the median household income is $46,655. Located on the corner of Bellaire Blvd and Howell Sugar Land Road, Alief ISD’s Jefferson Early Learning Center campus is organized into two villages providing students with a sense of community and place.  Each village is comprised of three neighborhoods: Discovery, Inquiry and Voyage.  Each neighborhood is made up of four houses or experiences with a shared collaboration area. Following the theme of connecting children to nature and sense of place, each village also has unique outdoor learning environments; a centralized courtyard and two outdoor exploration courtyards.  The villages surround a central building spine that shares administrative spaces, instructional support and shared core enrichment spaces like indoor play, art and music.