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Chico Unified details preschool and TK growth, but funding caps limit capacity
Summary
District staff told the board the Loma Vista Early Learning Center now houses six full‑day state preschool classrooms and three special‑education preschool rooms, with enrollment up to 120 this year but wait lists still averaging about 80; expansion hinges on uncertain state funding.
Chico Unified officials on Sept. 4 laid out recent growth in early‑education offerings while warning that funding and licensing rules limit how quickly the district can expand.
"I'm Heather Su Fuentes. I'm the director of elementary education, and we are super excited to share with you 2 massive programs that are taking place in our district," Fuentes told the board as she framed preschool, transitional kindergarten (TK) and kindergarten as part of the district's early‑education strategy.
Kathleen Corbett, who oversees the district's state preschool programs at Loma Vista, said the site currently operates six full‑day, full‑year state preschool classrooms and three special‑education preschool classrooms.
"We currently have 6 full day, full year, state preschool classrooms, along with 3 special education classrooms," Corbett said. She added that the program is funded through the California Department of Education and that funding is tied to attendance and enrollment.
Corbett gave a snapshot of recent growth: about 60 children enrolled in 2022–23, roughly 80 in 2023–24 and about 120 enrolled for the current fiscal year within the six classrooms. Board members noted the district still maintains a sizable wait list; Corbett and others said the list fluctuates but averages around 80 families.
Board members pressed staff on constraints to adding classroom capacity. Staff said expansion funding is offered by the state intermittently (typically around January or February) and is not guaranteed; the state contract and licensing also cap the program to specified slot counts. One board member noted the district can house more students physically at Loma Vista but cannot open new classrooms without additional funding and licensing.
Officials discussed possible local options if state expansion funds are not available: private‑pay tiers, part‑day programming or sliding‑scale fees were mentioned as creative strategies the district could explore. Corbett and Fuentes said the district hopes grant opportunities will allow future expansion but emphasized uncertainty tied to the state budget.
The board also reviewed TK staffing and enrollment: TK is offered at 11 of the district's 12 elementary campuses (Shasta is the exception), and districtwide TK enrollment has expanded from a handful of classes when the program began to 15 classes and 343 students this year.
The presentation ended with an acknowledgment that physical capacity exists at Loma Vista for more students but that any expansion will depend on securing additional funding and navigating licensing requirements. Board members asked staff to return with more detailed percentage breakouts and demographic data to inform future facilities planning and budget decisions.
