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Lakeville board hears growth, space and staffing pressure in early childhood programs at CLEC
Summary
District leaders told the school board the Crystal Lake Education Center serves more than 1,000 early learners over a week, faces space constraints, and anticipates teacher-licensing and recruitment challenges tied to new state requirements.
Molly Dexter, the district’s director of early learning, told the Lakeville Area School Board on Sept. 9 that the Crystal Lake Education Center (CLEC) now functions as a year‑round hub for the district’s early childhood programs and is running at high capacity.
CLEC houses five early learning programs including early childhood family education (ECFE), early childhood special education (ECSE), Small Wonders Preschool, WonderZone childcare and birth‑to‑3 services. "CLEC is a vibrant, very busy place, and it's the place where learning begins for so many of our Lakeville students and graduates," Dexter said.
The update matters because district leaders said CLEC is constrained for space and staffing just as demand grows. Dexter said some programs began with smaller enrollment but expanded: the district screened 763 children last…
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