South Washington County Schools outlines scope and reach of early learning programs

South Washington County Schools district staff presented a report on early learning services March 27, describing programs that serve infants through age 5 and the district’s role in enrolling, screening and partnering with community providers.

The report, led by Jake Winchell, director of community education, and delivered primarily by Joyce Beard, supervisor of community education early childhood programs, summarized program enrollment, staffing, sites, funding streams and outreach efforts and noted a July 2024 transfer of some state early learning responsibilities to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families.

Beard said the district’s community education early learning portfolio includes early childhood family education (ECFE), preschool and early childhood screening and emphasized research on early brain development and long‑term returns on investment. “The early years are a critical window of opportunity shaping a child’s ability to learn, think, and thrive,” Beard said.

Beard and Winchell told the board the district’s community education early learning programs served 3,677 unduplicated participants in the 2023–24 program year, operate across 12 sites (10 elementary schools and 2 centralized sites), and run 44 preschool class sections with a current capacity of about 800 slots for 3‑ and 4‑year‑olds. The team reported 76 program staff (71 instructional, 5 support) and said ECFE is the district’s largest early‑learning enrollment program. The presentation said the district provided 487 parent consultations during the year and trained 209 local licensed child care providers in evidence‑based early learning practices.

Winchell described funding as “varied” and said community education early learning relies on a mix of state aid, local levies, tuition and nine distinct funding streams governed by state statute and program guidelines. Beard noted that in July 2024, public school early learning oversight moved from the Minnesota Department of Education to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families, a reorganization intended to centralize programs and services.

Board members asked how the district manages slot allocations and what limits program expansion. Jake Winchell said slot mixes (for example, full‑pay, financial assistance and special education placements) shift as students are identified for ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education) and that capacity and transportation are primary constraints to expansion. “The classroom space availability is kind of the rate‑limiting step,” Winchell said, and he flagged transportation as an ongoing barrier to attendance.

Beard and Beth Quist, the district’s ECFE outreach coordinator, described outreach efforts aimed at underserved populations, multilingual ECFE classes, parent consultations and partnerships with Washington County and local providers. Quist highlighted a February collaboration with Washington County Child Care Licensing that trained 27 licensed home child care providers on managing challenging behaviors and explained early childhood screening to providers.

The presentation concluded with staff thanking the board for support and saying they look forward to continued collaboration to expand early learning access.

The board did not take action at the meeting; the item was presented as information.