Wayzata Public Schools creates course to fill vacancy in after-school positions

Scarlett Sheeley drew along with her after-school instructor, gripping the midnight blue Crayola marker to close in the lines of her imperfect, lumpy heart. ­Kaitlyn Mortenson encouraged the 4-year-old along the way as she finished drawing a heart for the first time.

Mortenson along with her classmate, Ali Voller, supervised a class of 4- to 5-year-olds in the Meadow Ridge after-school program for a new high school course developed to fill a need for after-school counselors. The need became acute this fall after the district switched start times, moving high school start times later and elementary ones earlier — and sending elementary school parents searching for after-school care.

“The change in start times resulted in an increased number of students who are in need of after-school supervision,” Chace Anderson, Wayzata Public Schools superintendent, said. “We sought some creative ways to help our families meet that additional demand, and one was the creation of a curricular course offered through our child psychology plan at our high school.”

http://www.startribune.com/wayzata-public-schools-creates-course-to-fill-vacancy-in-after-school-positions/396741881/