When Dr. Summer Schultz became superintendent of Brookings School District in 2023, there was no early childhood programming in the district and no state funding to build it. Rather than wait, she partnered with the local Economic Development Corporation, Boys and Girls Club, and South Dakota State University to create one.
Within two years, the district added 100 PreK seats and nearly 100 birth-to-age-three childcare slots. With Waterford Early Learning, teachers no longer wait for standardized test scores to identify struggling students. Real-time alerts allow for immediate intervention, building foundational literacy skills from day one.