MARYLAND - Maryland school districts are struggling to meet the state's targets for private Pre-K enrollment, leading to a reduction in the goal. No district in Maryland reached the previous requirement of having 30% of students enrolled in privately run Pre-K facilities. As a result, the state has lowered the target to 10%.
This adjustment is another example of the "Blueprint for Maryland's Future" setting goals that smaller school districts, including those on the Eastern Shore, find difficult to achieve. The Blueprint includes various objectives, from raising teachers' starting salaries to $60,000 to increasing funding for special education and multilingual students, as well as expanding privately run Pre-K programs.
Julie Lewis, Supervisor of Early Childhood Education at Dorchester County Public Schools highlighted the challenges private Pre-K providers face in meeting the state's accreditation requirements. "There's a lot of work that goes into that process, and a lot of these private providers that work very long hours anyway as a self-employed business owner, it's a challenge," she said.
State data revealed that only 1% of Dorchester County's Pre-K students were enrolled in private programs last school year, well behind the newly established 10% goal.
While Dr. Frederick Briggs, Chief Academic Officer at Wicomico County Public Schools acknowledged challenges but emphasized that the district is striving to meet the target. "We already have MOUs with several childcare centers, and we've recently added two new family childcare providers," he said. Wicomico County's enrollment stood at 11% last year, surpassing the new 10% goal but falling short of the previous 30% target.
In Dorchester County, Lewis noted that shifting financial resources from public to private Pre-K programs has posed an additional hurdle. "It is a challenge, I'll be honest, because there had been other grant opportunities in the past for Pre-K, such as the Ready for Pre-K grant, which is no longer being offered due to Blueprint funding," she explained.
State data also showed that Somerset County had no students enrolled in private Pre-K programs last year, while Worcester County had the highest enrollment rate in the state at 18%.
Maryland's early childhood education goals continue to evolve as school districts work to meet the adjusted targets.
