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Community Education reports enrollment shifts as pandemic-era grants expire
Summary
The district’s Community Education division described summer-academy, Kids Express before‑and‑after care and preschool operations, noting declines in some program enrollments after a $6 million stabilization grant expired and outlining capacity and registration figures.
Chandler Unified’s Community Education director, Scott Vandermillen, on Tuesday reviewed the department’s five divisions—Summer Academy, sports and enrichment, facility rentals, early childhood (Little Explorers and preschool/pre‑K) and Kids Express before‑and‑after care—and presented enrollment and financial trends.
Vandermillen said Kids Express operates at 26 elementary campuses, serves kindergarten through sixth grade and runs roughly 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; four sites provide busing to Kids Express locations. He said spring intersession camps recently served 606 children across three sites and that one recent trip included 506 students to the Phoenix Zoo. For summer, the district plans Kids Express intersession camps at two sites with 350 slots each; Jacobson Elementary was full at the time of the presentation, while Carlson Elementary had openings.
Vandermillen explained a child‑stabilization grant—approximately $6 million—that allowed the district to offer many enrichment programs at no charge in 2021–23. Those grant funds have expired, he said, and the loss of free programming partly explains enrollment declines in some categories. “Free is a nice four‑letter word,” Vandermillen observed when describing the grant’s effect on participation.
He provided preschool metrics: the district’s preschool and pre‑K seats are currently about 84% filled for the current year, and registration for 2025–26 is about 65% complete three months before registration closed. Vandermillen said the department is monitoring enrollments and adjusting offerings and pricing to remain competitive with community providers such as YMCA and AAU programs.
On sports and enrichment, Vandermillen said vendor‑led enrichment drives a significant share of participation and that competition in traditional youth sports has reduced registrations in Chandler Sports League. He described a quarterly review team evaluating program mix, pricing and potential growth areas such as non‑traditional sports and esports.
The presentation included summary participation figures: combined registrations of 4,802 across Club CUSD in Richmond and Chandler Sports League since Jan. 1, and spring intersession camp registrations of 606. Vandermillen noted attendance and participation fluctuate day to day in Kids Express, in part because families can choose three‑ or five‑day care options.
Board members asked about capacity, recruitment, pricing and partnerships. Vandermillen said the department rents district facilities to community providers, pursued grant opportunities but found none comparable recently, and is adjusting programming to meet changing family demand.
