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Farmington launches pilot 'ready for kindergarten' summer camp funded by CRE grant; preschool wait list remains long
Summary
Assistant Superintendent Veronica Rusek told the Farmington Board of Education the district will pilot a grant-funded "ready for kindergarten" camp this June and continue a mix of academic summer programs; board members pressed staff on preschool capacity and the fairness of a new randomized enrollment process.
Assistant Superintendent Veronica Rusek told the Farmington Board of Education on June 1 that the district will pilot a new "ready for kindergarten" summer camp this June paid for by a CRE wraparound grant.
"This is a new program ... we're able to offer due to a CRE grant ... everything is paid through that grant," Veronica Rusek said, describing the program as an opportunity to provide a summer boost for children transitioning from preschool to kindergarten.
Rusek said the district will take about 10 students from its preschool through the choice program and that each school could send two additional students to the camp. She said the timing for the pilot is June because of grant scheduling; staff will evaluate the pilot and report participation and outcomes in the fall.
Board members used the presentation to press staff on preschool capacity and equity. Board member Matt asked how many preschool spots exist and whether the district is operating at capacity. Staff said there are 72 tuition-based preschool spots total (about 60 reserved for Farmington residents and 10 open to choice students) and that a randomized enrollment process replaced the prior first-come registration. "We currently have 131 families on [the waitlist]," staff said, adding there were roughly six openings remaining at the time of the meeting.
Staff said the district moved to a randomized lottery system in part to make access more equitable and to phase out a prior staff-priority slot allocation. The district acknowledged that expanding capacity would require opening six to seven additional classrooms of about 15 students each and that space is currently the primary constraint.
The board and staff said the district will monitor the pilot camp, continuing-education resources, and enrollment processes before deciding whether to repeat or expand the program. The fall report will include detailed participation counts and outcomes for special services and summer programs.
