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Windsor Unified highlights rapid growth in preschool and before/after-school programs
Summary
District staff told the school board that preschool enrollment and before/after-school (Well) program participation have expanded this year, with new preschool classrooms and partnerships to train future preschool teachers.
Windsor Unified’s early education director, Jessica Borland, told the Board of Trustees on April 17 that enrollment in the district’s preschool and before- and after-school (Well) programs has grown substantially this year.
Borland, introducing her staff, said the district now serves 478 students in its preschool and Well programs combined. “So you can see that our numbers have jumped up to 478 students,” Borland said. She said the total includes preschool classrooms and that some students have left since being served earlier in the year.
The presentation outlined staffing and program changes across district campuses. Borland said the district has expanded preschool capacity on Maddie Washburn’s campus and added a second preschool classroom on the Cali campus. She described a new apprenticeship partnership with Santa Rosa Junior College intended to develop preschool teachers: an SRJC apprentice will work toward the 2,000 hours required to earn a preschool permit while attending college classes.
Preschool staff described program activities during the presentation. Sherilyn, a site supervisor, said, “We’ve been doing a lot of activities recently, incorporating a lot of STEM, physical, and strategy as well as art. We’ve been taking advantage of nature and the sunshine out there and just making sure the kids are being provided with a nourishing environment.” Candy, who coordinates the Well program at Brooks, described lessons that mix hands-on learning and teamwork: “One of the things that I love about this program is that we can expand, to do so many different things because of their age group,” she said, adding examples such as cooking projects that reinforce fractions and structured outdoor activities that emphasize sportsmanship.
Board members praised the expansion and asked no major clarifying questions during public discussion. The board later approved consent items that included acknowledgments and donations tied to district sites.
The district’s presentation also included staffing counts by site: Borland reported roughly 27 Well staff districtwide serving before/after care and several dozen preschool staff across campuses, with Brooks and Cali noted as sites of significant growth. She told the board the majority of program participants are in transitional kindergarten and kindergarten.
Board members and staff said the district plans to continue building capacity next year to meet demand at campuses where Well programs are in early years of operation. Further budget or staffing actions tied to the program were not decided at the meeting.
