Wayzata outlines Community Education expansion, new Welcome Center and early‑learning supports

Jenny Ebert, director of Community Education for Wayzata Public School District, gave a broad update Monday on programs that serve birth‑to‑adult residents, including early learning, Wayzata Kids childcare, volunteer tutoring and a newly reorganized Welcome Center.

Ebert told the board the department’s funding model is separate from the general fund: “About 80% of our revenue comes from program fees and 20% from local levy and aid,” she said, and that Community Ed uses that mix to be “flexible and adaptable to what our community needs.”

Why this matters: Community Education funds and programs expand district services beyond K‑12 classrooms, including preschool scholarships, after‑school care and adult classes. The programs connect students, families and community partners and can be affected by changes in state aid or federal grant allocations.

Ebert said the department is mandated by state statute to have a licensed director and a community advisory council; she described goals for the year that align with the district strategic plan, including deepening community engagement and retaining district talent. She highlighted outcomes and recent additions: a voluntary pre‑K (VPK) slot providing free preschool for 20 students with transportation within the Oakwood attendance area, expanded scholarships through Interfaith Outreach, and volunteer programs that support literacy and other services.

Michelle Bedore, director of the Early Learning School, described the early learning structure. Bedore said VPK students who live in the Oakwood attendance area can receive bus transportation, and that families who qualify but live outside Oakwood may still receive scholarships but must provide their own transportation. Bedore said the district has applied for continued VPK funding and is awaiting legislative outcomes.

On after‑school childcare, staff described Wayzata Kids as the district’s largest school‑age childcare program. Presenters said demand continues to outpace available capacity: Wayzata Kids has about 400 more summer slots than two years ago and about 200 more spots registered for the coming school year, with additional children still on wait lists. The department has contracted with Bridal Talent Solutions for recruitment; Ebert said the district has “hired over 20 staff through them since November and have taken 175 students off the wait list.”

The department’s volunteer literacy program reported 153 community volunteers tutoring more than 300 students; the high‑school volunteer club was said to have about 975 students involved. Staff said retention of experienced volunteers is a priority and that they provide training and additional support to keep volunteers returning.

Zac Nelson, community engagement and communications manager, described listening and partnership work, including the Partners for Healthy Kids collaborative. Nelson said the collaborative distributes grants that originate from federal funding rerouted through state and local channels; he reported grant distributions of roughly $530,000 in 2021–22, almost $700,000 in 2022–23 and an on‑track figure near $600,000 for the current year.

Judy (last name not given), who manages the Welcome Center now overseen by Community Education, reviewed changes since the Welcome Center moved under Community Education’s oversight. She said the team has focused on collaboration with school principals and admin staff, improved customer service for enrollment, simplified paper and online enrollment forms, and implemented Freshservice for internal tracking of inquiries. Judy said the Welcome Center conducts weekly joint staff meetings with family liaisons and finance staff to coordinate enrollment, attendance‑area adjustments and outreach efforts.

Board members praised the presentations and asked questions about legislative proposals affecting Community Ed aid. Ebert said the district is “watching really closely” a governor’s proposal that could change how community education aid is funded; she said one option in the bill would allow aid to shift to levy funding at the district’s discretion, and that if districts decline that option they would need to consider fee‑adjustments to replace lost state aid.

The board’s questions also touched on how new community‑requested programs are added (Ebert directed community members to email the department’s intake address for proposals), how scholarships and sliding fees are administered for ECFE and preschool, and whether adult and non‑family community members participate; staff said many adult classes and summer programs do include non‑school families but that a specific percentage was “not specified” and would require pulling participation data.

The presentation closed with staff inviting further questions and noting follow‑up items: continued VPK funding requests to the legislature, further marketing for early childhood programs (Connect at 3), and ongoing work to refine Welcome Center processes. No formal board actions or votes were taken on Community Education items at the work session.