District staff told the Board of Education on Aug. 12 that a proposed agreement with a community partner would add UPK (universal prekindergarten) seats and help reduce a waiting list of roughly 50 students.

The presenter described a memorandum with a local community partner (referenced in the transcript as Child Time) to provide additional full‑day seats. Under the proposal the partner would hire a teacher and a teaching assistant and offer approximately 16 additional spots; the district would pay $5,400 per child, the amount the state provides for its program, while families would remain responsible for any before‑ or after‑care fees the provider charges.

District staff explained the current enrollment process: families receive lottery numbers when they register; the district fills full‑day slots first, then half‑day and community‑partner options. If a family is offered a half‑day slot and declines, the presenter said that family is removed from the waiting list and the next number on the list is offered a slot.

Why it matters: expanding full‑day UPK increases access to early education for district children, but the proposal would not eliminate the waiting list. The district said it will continue to look for additional partners to expand seats across the district.