Cannon Falls board directs staff to develop plans for school-run childcare after survey shows strong interest

The Cannon Falls School Board voted to direct district staff to draft options for school-run childcare and school-readiness programs after reviewing results from a community survey conducted by School Perceptions.

Darren of School Perceptions presented the survey findings to the board, saying roughly 340 surveys were distributed and 75 were returned — a 21.4% response rate that he characterized as above the company average and adequate for drawing conclusions. "We had a response rate of 21.4%," Darren said, and he reported that 88% of respondents identify as residents and about 99% said they have children.

The survey showed 73% of respondents said the district should explore adding childcare services for area families, and 64% said they would consider enrolling their children in a proposed program combining school-readiness instruction with full-day childcare. Darren said program-format preferences skewed toward five-day options: 76% supported a Monday–Friday half-day school-readiness program, and full five-day childcare was the most supported configuration for traditional childcare.

Board members and staff discussed next steps and practical constraints. Several members urged a stepwise approach to avoid eroding existing preschool quality. One board member said the district should "start with one step and maybe that carries into another step down the road," and another cautioned, "I don't want to rush into this without having a... simpler approach in year 1." Staff noted that expanding services for children younger than 3 would be a longer-term project; the presenter reported 53% of respondents expressed interest in birth–3 care but staff said birth–3 expansion "isn't gonna be next year" and would take multiple years to plan and implement.

Staff and the board tentatively agreed to present two to three concrete options at the February meeting, including (1) the program layout described in the survey, (2) keeping current preschool as-is while adding minimal childcare options, and (3) a hybrid that tweaks preschool offerings while introducing limited childcare. Staff committed to include recommended fees, staffing assumptions and comparisons to area districts to inform a possible February–March registration timeline if the board approves moving forward.

After discussion, a board member moved to direct staff to move forward with planning and creation of the school-readiness and related childcare programs; another member seconded the motion. The board voted in favor and the motion carried. No implementation vote was taken; the directive asks staff to return with plan options for future board action.

The board confirmed its next regular meeting will be February 23 and adjourned.