Park City Preschool enrollment surges 40% as district expands programs

Photo: Photo by Element5 Digital

PARK CITY — The Park City School District’s preschool program has seen remarkable 40% growth in just one year, increasing enrollment from 153 to 215 students as the district transitions to a pre-K-12 system rather than sticking to the traditional K-12 model.

This growth is attributed to the expansion of the three-year-old program from two half-days a week to five full days, aligning with the kindergarten-through-12th-grade calendar.

“We are starting to educate our students at age three, not five,” said Superintendent Lyndsay Huntsman. “This shift in mentality integrates our preschoolers into the neighborhood school community; they are not separate.”

During a presentation at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Missy Tschaburn, the preschool coordinator, discussed the positive impact of this expansion on both early childhood education in the district and on private childcare providers in the community.

Rapid Expansion

The program for four-year-olds now runs Monday through Friday, up from Monday through Thursday last year, while three-year-olds now attend five full days per week instead of two half-days.

After-school care is available until 6 p.m. at all elementary schools, with Jeremy Ranch Elementary accommodating the most students at 32.

The preschool program serves a diverse population, with 15% of three-year-olds and 20% of four-year-olds identified as multilingual learners.

Tschaburn believes that the district’s influence begins at age three and has a lasting effect across all elementary schools. “We lay the groundwork and set these kids up for their futures,” she said.

Financial Support

Out of the 215 preschool students, 65—approximately 30%—receive some form of tuition assistance. This includes 13 students supported through special education services, 10 who receive sibling discounts, and 5 who benefit from speech service discounts.

Additionally, 17 students are recipients of UPSTART scholarships funded by Summit County or Park City, while 33 qualify for free or reduced lunch, paying only $125 per month.

The full tuition cost is $810 per month for 32.17 hours weekly, rising to $1,210 per month with aftercare until 6 p.m.

New Programming

For the first time, four-year-olds now participate in specialist classes including library, physical education, music, and coding for 20 minutes from Monday through Thursday.

“They loved it for that brief time. This integration allows them to get familiar with the other side of the school building and meet the specialists so that when they move on to kindergarten, they already know four teachers,” Tschaburn shared.

The district is adopting a unified curriculum across all four elementary schools, ensuring that every preschool teaches the same content.

Community Impact

The expansion has affected private childcare centers, leading to a decline in enrollment in their three- and four-year-old programs.

Tschaburn noted that many private centers now report that most of their enrollment of three- and four-year-olds comes from families outside their service boundaries. As a result, private centers are increasingly catering to younger children aged 0 to 2, which requires lower staff-to-child ratios and poses sustainability challenges.

“As we consider any boundary changes, we want to be thoughtful and collaborative to support a balanced early childhood system for all families,” Tschaburn said. “The childcare ratio for infants and toddlers is one caregiver for every four children, which places pressure on private centers to maintain sustainability.”

She also pointed out that private centers aim to retain childcare-licensed employees year-round rather than hiring only seasonal staff. This makes it challenging for them to fill the district’s summer staffing gaps. The licensing process can take four to five weeks and requires extensive training hours.

“Hiring someone for just three months means investing more time in training them than they will spend working with the kids,” Tschaburn added.

Return on Investment

Tschaburn emphasized that research demonstrates significant returns on early childhood investment. “Studies show that investing in early childhood can yield a return of seven to twelve dollars for every dollar spent over a child’s lifetime,” she said.

Early intervention not only reduces grade retention and special education placements but also enhances students’ future success.

Kindergarten teachers have noticed a difference in students who attended the district’s preschool program. “I’ve heard from several kindergarten teachers who can tell which students were in our preschool because they already know how to thrive in a school setting,” Tschaburn said. “They’re not arriving nervous or crying; they already know how to interact with their peers, which we’ve laid the groundwork for.”

Long-Term Vision

The district aims to capture families early and retain them through high school rather than losing them to private schools. “We get the children in our system earlier. Families are choosing the Park City school district instead of private schools,” Tschaburn said. “We get them in at three, and we’re going to keep them.”

Goals include continuing to grow and support preschool, providing professional development for educators, offering early intervention starting at age three, strengthening the entire pre-K-12 system, and providing full-day programming with after-care options to support families.

“Let’s fix the behaviors at three. That way, we don’t have them when they’re 15. That’s the goal,” Tschaburn said.

Huntsman praised Tschaburn’s leadership in the role. “To see her incredible leadership and stepping into this role, I hear nothing but positive feedback from staff and families under her leadership,” Huntsman said, also thanking the Park City Education Foundation and Vail Resorts for supporting preschool expansion.