MMSD reports gains from full‑day 4K and details expansion, community partnerships

Colleen Matoon, director of Early Learning for the Madison Metropolitan School District, told the Board of Education’s Instruction Work Group that the district’s full‑day 4K expansion and community partnerships are producing measurable gains and that leadership plans further targeted growth.

Matoon described a portfolio of school‑based and community partner 4K sites, play‑and‑learn family programs and a push to expand access for children from families with low incomes, multilingual households and other priority groups. She said the district now serves roughly 1,450 4K students and is adding new full‑day sections next year at multiple locations.

“This year we are up to about 1,450,” Matoon said, describing the district’s mix of school‑site and community partner slots. She told board members that full‑day sections were added deliberately in locations with higher concentrations of students of color and bilingual learners.

Matoon reviewed independent evaluation findings commissioned by the district. Madison Education Partnership (MEP) analysis of Teaching Strategies GOLD and other measures showed that in the 2023–24 school year full‑day 4K classrooms outperformed half‑day classrooms on district literacy measures by an average of about 11 points; math scores averaged about four points higher in full‑day classrooms; social‑emotional development showed modest gains as well, staff said. The district also added the state’s literacy screener to 4K this year, she said.

The early‑learning director described the district’s “play and learn” family programming — parent‑education sessions held across community centers that provide early interactions and peer inclusion opportunities for young children. Matoon said play‑and‑learn operates at eight sites and reaches families across the city; the program is often used to support families whose preschool‑age children need peer inclusion opportunities.

Matoon also explained the district’s community approach, which embeds Department of Public Instruction‑licensed teachers inside partner early‑care programs so families can access both 4K instruction and wraparound child care at the same location. She said that, when the district plans new full‑day sections or partners, it considers geography and equitable access: several neighborhoods on Madison’s north side have fewer community‑partner wraparound options, she said.

Board members asked about enrollment trends, outreach and whether the district tracks 4K students into kindergarten and beyond. Matoon said about 70–75 percent of 4K students remain in MMSD kindergarten; the district flags full‑day 4K participation in its student information system to allow longitudinal analysis and said it will continue to track cohorts as they progress through the elementary grades.

Matoon described workforce challenges in partner sites, noting that community providers sometimes lack staff with a DPI license; district staff said they work with partners on emergency licensing and other supports but that staffing and retention remain constraints for some centers. Directors and board members discussed advocacy for broader state support for infant‑toddler and early‑childhood staffing.

Matoon described next steps as continuing to grow full‑day 4K where space and need align, deepen partnerships with community providers and sustain professional learning and family outreach. She said the district will continue working with external evaluators and partners such as Roots & Wings and Madison Education Partnership to expand community practice and to fund professional development and materials.