After-school program has 100 enrolled, 215 waiting; licensing ratio review could change capacity

The district's TAS after-school program reported serving 100 students program-wide and maintaining a waiting list of 215 students, staff said.

The program coordinator said the waiting-list breakdown is 37 for Frontier, 132 for Legacy and 46 for Adventures; an additional 60 on the list are summer-only requests. The coordinator said current staffing meets the state licensing ratio the program expects to operate under, and that licensing is hosting a listening session this month to collect public feedback about possible ratio changes.

The coordinator described the state's Quality Recognition and Improvement System (QRIS) and said Frontier has signed up for QRIS coaching; district staff member Alexis Fisher was accepted into the coaching program, which will include observation and targeted training. "Shortly, they will come in and come alongside her, do some observations of her and what she needs for additional training," the coordinator said.

Board members and staff clarified that the district currently staffs some sites at a 1:12 ratio for programming, while licensing language cited in discussion referenced a 1:15 staffing ratio; speakers said a change by the state (for example, to allow 20 students per staff) would affect capacity and the ability to remove children from the waitlist. The coordinator said the district has adequate facility space at some sites but that staffing limits enrollment.

No board action was taken. Staff said they will monitor the licensing listening session and may share the meeting information with board members and staff.