PRIORITY 1: Programs, Initiatives, and Strategies
READY FOR KINDERGARTEN
All Maryland students are prepared socially, emotionally, and academically for success in kindergarten.
Provide increased access to early childhood programs through a mixed-delivery system comprised of private and public providers and ensure affordability by subsidizing the cost for families.
Expand early learning hubs, such as Judy and Patty Centers, that utilize a two-generation approach to ensure families are supported in the development of their children ages 0-5.
Develop Early Learning Standards that implement age-appropriate learning practices and materials, and foster high-quality learning environments for children’s social, emotional, and academic growth.
Utilize assessments to monitor readiness and measure the quality of early learning programs to ensure culturally responsive and academically and developmentally appropriate materials and provide resources to support and empower educators to be successful.
Provide increased access to early childhood programs through a mixed-delivery system comprised of private and public providers and ensure affordability by subsidizing the cost for families.
Expand early learning hubs, such as Judy and Patty Centers, that utilize a two-generation approach to ensure families are supported in the development of their children ages 0-5.
Develop Early Learning Standards that implement age-appropriate learning practices and materials, and foster high-quality learning environments for children’s social, emotional, and academic growth.
Utilize assessments to monitor readiness and measure the quality of early learning programs to ensure culturally responsive and academically and developmentally appropriate materials and provide resources to support and empower educators to be successful.
MIXED-DELIVERY SYSTEM
A mixed-delivery system is a model that co-delivers high-quality Pre-K in both private provider- and school-based settings through partnerships with child care centers, family child care providers, Head Start, faith based, private schools, public charter schools, college/university early learning centers.
PRE-K ACCESSIBILITY & AFFORDABILITY
Under the Blueprint, income eligibility for prekindergarten enrollment is based on a system of tiers ranging from no cost, subsidized, to full cost Pre-K. The Maryland State Department of Education is implementing a sliding scale to offset the cost for families depending on their income. MSDE also increased the income limits as well as the value of scholarships in the Child Care Scholarship Program to allow more families to qualify.
TWO-GENERATION APPROACH & EXPANSION OF EARLY LEARNING HUBS
Judy Centers and Patty Centers are comprehensive hubs that leverage a two-generation approach where families of children ages 0-5 can participate in learning experiences and receive support. The Blueprint expands Judy Centers to include nine new additional Centers each year over the next five fiscal years, and then doubles the expansion, as well as expands Patty Centers to include three new additional Centers each year over the next five fiscal years.
MARYLAND EXCELS
Maryland EXCELS is the state’s quality rating and improvement system for child care and early education programs that meet nationally recognized quality standards. The system rates the quality of child care and early education programs on a scale of 1 to 5 based on: staffing and professional development, accreditation and program improvement, developmentally appropriate practice, compliance with licensing regulations, and administrative practices.
EARLY LEARNING STANDARDS
Early Learning Standards describe the skills, concepts, and behaviors that young children in a high-quality learning and care environment typically learn before their fourth birthday. The standards promote the design and implementation of developmentally appropriate environments and learning experiences to support all children’s development across different domains.
EARLY CHILDHOOD ASSESSMENTS
Ready for Kindergarten (R4K) is Maryland’s Comprehensive Early Childhood Assessment System. R4K has two components: the Early Learning Assessment (ELA) and the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA). The ELA is a formative assessment that measures the learning progress of children 36-72 months. The KRA measures the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that children should be able to demonstrate at the start of kindergarten.
Components of High-Quality Early Learning
Professional and stable teacher workforce
Compensation and preparation that reflects the expertise and importance of the early learning workforce
Effective leadership
Leaders support with lesson planning and curriculum, behavior management, and professional development
Age-appropriate curriculum
Research-based curriculum that is developmentally, culturally, and linguistically relevant for all children
Comprehensive family engagement activities
Family engagement strategies that encourage families to participate in their child’s learning
Multilevel continuous quality improvement system
Programs must constantly monitor, reflect, and revise policies and practices to maintain quality
Sustainable and sufficient set of funding mechanisms
Programs need to be able to access funding that supports the actual cost of operation
