CUSD leaders outline expansion plan for preschool and pre-K but warn funding gaps will limit growth

Chandler Unified School District officials on April 9 delivered a study-session update on the district's early childhood programming, describing the current program mix, data showing enrollment gaps, and plans to expand preschools and prekindergarten classrooms in the district.

District leaders said the goal is to expand high-quality early learning options so more 3- and 4-year-olds in Chandler can access preschool before kindergarten. Presenters framed the issue as both a local and national shortage of early learning access: nationally, presenters cited U.S. Census-based research showing roughly 18 million children ages 0 to 4 and that only about 18 percent of those children have access to an early childhood program; in Arizona, they said about 400,000 children age 0 to 4 live in the state and roughly 32 percent of Arizona's youngest learners participate in high-quality early-learning settings, an 11-percentage-point increase over two years that presenters said relied heavily on temporary federal dollars.

Why it matters: District staff told the board that early childhood programs improve school readiness for kindergarten and can increase district enrollment retention (the district reported a 72 percent retention rate from pre-K 4 into CUSD kindergarten). Leaders said maintaining and expanding programs will require continuing to braid multiple funding streams and addressing workforce and facility capacity.

What presenters said: Doctor (first name not formally given in the transcript) Fletcher opened the session with national and state enrollment context, then Doctor Marshall reviewed the district's history of preschool offerings and program design choices. Doctor Edgar described curriculum and professional-development work, and other staff detailed current operations. Highlights included: - Program scale and growth plans: Staff reported that CUSD has consistently served about 1,000 early learners over the last five years but that the district's demographer counts roughly 16,000 children age 0 to 4 inside the CUSD boundary. The district said it hopes to operate approximately 47 preschool/prekindergarten classrooms beginning in the 2025'26 school year, though presenters noted some specialized classrooms still require licensing. - Program types and sites: The district operates tuition-based Community Education preschools (including a Little Explorers program serving younger children), Title I full-day preschool classrooms where applicable, and inclusive classrooms that mix typically developing children with students who have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Dual Language Exploration (DLE) programs for early learners were noted at Tarwater, Liberty and Freedom elementary sites. - Staffing, licensing and curriculum: Presenters said all preschool teachers and paraprofessionals participate in common professional development, and the district has standardized curriculum and furniture procurement so classrooms are more consistent across sites. Preschool teachers use the My Teaching Strategies GOLD portfolio system historically; the district also said it is transitioning to an in-house early childhood outcomes survey and other curriculum-based measures for continuous monitoring. - Funding and ''braided'' funding: Staff described a layered funding model that combines tuition (Community Education), First Things First scholarships/Quality First, Title I allocations (for families living in Title I boundaries), and federal special education funding required under IDEA for students with disabilities. Presenters emphasized that much of the recent expansion was enabled by federal ESSER dollars and warned that those one-time funds are temporary and that enrollment and service levels can shift when they expire. - Measured results: District staff said preschool students show gains on early-childhood outcome surveys and that they have historical SACE-number tracking for students who attended district preschools; those historical analyses showed higher kindergarten readiness for children who attended CUSD preschool versus those who had limited or no preschool in earlier studies, though staff said a longer-term statewide tracking of outcomes no longer exists.

Concerns and limits: Board members and staff repeatedly returned to two constraints: (1) funding uncertainty once ESSER and other temporary grants end; and (2) workforce and licensing capacity, especially additional certified or licensed staff needed to operate and license new specialized classrooms. Staff said the Arizona Department of Health Services sets staff-to-child ratios for licensed preschool classrooms and that some specialized classrooms are still completing DHS licensing work. Presenters also noted practical issues such as drive patterns and site space that shape where preschools can be sited to support families' work travel.

District direction: Presenters did not seek formal board action at the April 9 session. Instead they asked the governing board for continued engagement on design choices and funding strategies while the district refines rollout plans. Staff outlined next steps including additional enrollment outreach, continuing to braid funding sources to sustain programs, finalizing licensing for specialized classrooms, and further aligning preschool curriculum with the K'12 continuum.

What the board asked: Board members asked for more quantitative tracking of cohorts (how preschool attendees fare in K'2), clarification on how many sites will host classrooms (staff later confirmed 17 of 31 elementary campuses host early childhood programs), and how enrollment projections will be updated as the district continues ongoing enrollment throughout the spring and summer.

Ending: District leaders told the board that more funds and more certified staff are required to reach the full expansion goals and that the district will return with implementation details and updates on enrollment and licensing as plans progress.