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Saint Cloud’s ‘Preschool for Success’ partnership wins committee backing; bill sent to Health and Human Services
Summary
Senate File 328, which would support a Saint Cloud public‑private preschool partnership known as Preschool for Success, passed the Education Finance Committee and was referred to the Health and Human Services Committee after testimony from Rotary volunteers, school leaders and local philanthropic partners.
Senate Education Finance Committee members on March 4 recommended Senate File 328, a bill supporting a public‑private preschool model in Saint Cloud called Preschool for Success, and referred the bill to the Committee on Health and Human Services.
Sponsor Senator Eric Putnam told the committee the program began after members of the Saint Cloud Rotary Club partnered with Independent School District 742 to expand preschool seats; the Rotary and local donors covered half of classroom costs while the district provided classroom space and transportation. “We realized that we had over 200 kids waiting on a wait list for preschool,” Putnam said. The program’s backers asked the state to provide funding that can help sustain and replicate similar collaborations in other districts.
Rotary leaders and district staff described the model and results: - Gala Holmgren, chair of Preschool for Success and a retired school administrator, said the Rotary’s signature project has invested more than $400,000 over four years and served 311 children who would not otherwise have had preschool slots. - Nikki Hansen, assistant superintendent for District 742, described operational changes: the program began in community sites (Boys & Girls Club) and later moved into school buildings to provide transportation and increase capacity; the district now operates three preschool classrooms serving six sections. - Brian Hart and Amy Tremblay, community partners, presented preliminary data showing higher early reading and math proficiency for participants: proponents reported that children who attended the Preschool for Success program were about 7.6 percentage points more likely to be on target in early reading measures and about 10 percentage points higher in math measures compared with the district average; program partners described retention and local enrollment benefits.
Amendment and committee action: Senator Putnam offered an A‑1 amendment changing the original appropriation to be administered by the Department of Children, Youth and Families rather than the Department of Education; the committee adopted the A‑1 amendment by voice vote. Senator Swadzinski moved the bill; Senator Gustafson moved the amendment. After testimony and discussion the committee voted by voice to recommend the bill pass as amended and be referred to the Committee on Health and Human Services. The roll call recorded a voice vote; no individual roll call tally was entered in the hearing minutes.
Why this matters: Testimony emphasized local philanthropy and public‑private partnerships as a strategy to expand preschool access quickly in a community with long wait lists. Backers argued state support could increase sustainability and help replicate similar collaborations elsewhere.
