Still, she expects this year’s 4-year-olds to handle kindergarten much better than the previous classes that did not get as much preschool. “In our 3-4s, we see excellent growth,” she said.

O2B Kids, a new preschool in Sartell, is bringing a play-based learning approach to the St. Cloud area to help address child care shortages. The Florida-based preschool chain opened its Sartell ...