Monticello presents annual community education review: early learning, child care, enrichment and ABE growth

Director of Community Education Jeremiah Mack and program leads presented the district’s annual Community Education review on April 21, detailing enrollment, staffing and operational changes across multiple program areas.

Early learning coordinator Jen Johnson reported more than 600 registered participants in early childhood family education (ECFE) classes and special events this year. School readiness programs served roughly 250 students at Eastview and 24 in the nature-based program. The district said it screened about 220 children ages three to five for early childhood screening and plans to launch the Imagination Library for ages 0–5.

Child care coordinator Andrea Greenwald said the child care program is the largest since it began in 2018: about 320 students served across sites and 56 staff members employed. For the coming summer she reported 285 summer registrations accepted so far and about 20 children on wait lists; staff hiring and scheduling were identified as key ongoing constraints along with facility-cleaning windows during long summer hours.

Enrichment marketing coordinator Stephanie Jude said the district offered 208 youth enrichment courses this school year with 586 participants, and 187 adult enrichment classes with 360 participants. Summer registration had strong early demand: the catalog release and online registration produced about 1,135 summer registrations at the time of the presentation.

Activities and recreation coordinator Jill Kudrowski said youth recreation offered 158 courses with 2,265 participant registrations and 1,243 unique users this year; adult recreation offered 16 courses with 284 participants. Kudrowski outlined summer camps (basketball, track, multisport, cheer) and said the district would expand pickleball offerings on new courts and host a girls flag-football program sponsored by the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings awarded a $15,000 grant for girls flag football; staff described it as a multi-year sponsorship intended to lower participant costs while the program grows.

Julia O’Neil, West ABE manager, described adult basic education services across 17 partner districts and four county jails; the consortium is fiscally hosted by Monticello. As of the presentation West ABE reported 723 students served year-to-date across the consortium, with students from 62 countries speaking 34 primary languages. O’Neil outlined workforce-oriented online course pilots (CDL, personal care assistant, paraprofessional certification, Microsoft Office) and an upcoming GED “express week” pilot.

Fine arts coordinator Ryan Seidel described revenue growth in auditorium rentals and events: six new full-weekend events were added this year, generating about $114,000 in revenue (roughly $35,000 above last year). Seidel also outlined summer theater programs and a new theater mentorship program for high school students.

Staff announced operational changes to facility rentals, including an online reservation system and updated facility-use policies and maps on the district website; the district reported about 9,000 facility-use hours for non-school events, roughly $220,000 in rental fees and 97 distinct facility users in the period covered. Aquatics coordinators reported 276 swim-lesson sections planned for summer, pending pool construction completion.

Board members asked about staff hiring and space constraints; staff said personnel is the larger limitation for child care and summer programming, with facility cleaning schedules a practical constraint. The board directed staff to bring policy-level proposals to address recurring operational obstacles and thanked the Community Education team for the program expansion and partnerships.

No formal board action was taken; the presentation served as the district’s annual report to the board.