General

Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
Maryland Prekindergarten Program

State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
Maryland State Department of Education

Availability of program:
24 out of 24 school districts (100%)1

Are districts, counties, or towns in Maryland required to offer this pre-kindergarten initiative?
Required for all

Hours of operation per day:
School day, 6.5 hours/day; Part day, 2.5 hours/day3

Is there a formal partnership at the state level to provide extended day services through collaboration with other agencies and programs?
Yes, Head Start providers and child care centers3

Enrollment

Fall 2013, Total children:
29,531

Fall 2011, by age:
3,173 3-year-olds; 26,358 4-year-olds2

Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 29,531

Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
School day, 9,391; Part day, 20,140

Eligibility

Minimum age for eligibility:
4 by September 1

Maximum age for eligibility:
5 by September 1

Kindergarten eligibility age:
5 by September 1

Does state policy allow any exceptions to the age requirement for prekindergarten or kindergarten eligibility?
Yes4

State policy on enrolling children in state pre-K when they are eligible for kindergarten:
Children may not enroll in pre-K if they are age-eligible for kindergarten4

Aside from age, how is eligibility determined for individual children for this state prekindergarten initiative?
Eligibility is determined by individual child or family characteristics in addition to age5

What was the state-specified income requirement during the 2013-14 program year?
Eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, or 185% FPL

To whom, or to what percentage of children, does the income requirement apply?
All children eligible from families at or below 185% FPL.

Is there a sliding payment scale based on income?
No

Is child eligibility for this state prekindergarten initiative ever reassessed after a child has been enrolled in the program?
No

Risk Factors

Risk factors besides income that can be used to determine eligibility:
Child disability or developmental delay; Homelessness or unstable housing; Non-English speaking family membersRisk that child will not be ready for kindergarten; Child history of foster care5

How many of the specified risk factors must be present for eligibility?
1

How do these risk factors relate to the income cutoff for the state pre-K program?
Meeting the income cutoff can count as one of the risk factors5

Class Sizes

Maximum class size:
3- and 4-year-olds, 206

Staff-child ratio requirement:
3- and 4-year-olds, 1 to 10

Teachers

Minimum teacher degree requirement:
BA (public and nonpublic)9

Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Public: EC , with or without Special Education (Birth-3rd grade); PreK – K (Birth-K); Nonpublic: AA in ECE or CDA (Birth-K)9

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 by percent:
BA, 100%

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 totals:
Breakdown not available

Teacher in-service requirement:
6 credit hours per 5 years9

Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
HSD or Equivalent (public and nonpublic)10

Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
None10

Services

Meal requirement:
Breakfast and Lunch (school day); Breakfast or Lunch (part day)

Support services for English Language Learners and families:
Bilingual non-English classes are permitted in pre-K; Information must be presented to parents in their primary language

Support services required for all programs:
Parenting support or training; Parent involvement activities; Child health services; Transition to K activities; Parent conferences and/or home visits

Regulations

Screening and referral requirements:
Required: Vision; Hearing; Height/Weight/BMI; Blood pressure; Immunizations; Psychological/Behavioral; Full physical exam; Dental; Locally determined: Developmental7

State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
The Social Foundations Framework and Maryland College and Career Ready Standards

For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
http://www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/divisions/child_care/early_learning/docs/SocialFoundationsFramework080113.pdf and http://mdk12.org/instruction/commoncore/index.html and http://mdk12.org/instruction/curriculum/index.html8

Funding

Days per week the state prekindergarten initiative is funded to operate using state funds:
5 days per week

Annual operating schedule for this state-funded prekindergarten initiative:
Academic year

Actual fiscal year 2014 spending for this state prekindergarten initiative:
$132,889,099

All funding sources:
State, $132,889,09911

State funding sources and amounts:
General Fund revenue for State School funding formula, $132,889,099

Federal funding sources and amounts:
None11

Is funding for this state prekindergarten initiative determined by a school funding or state aid formula?
Yes11

Agencies eligible to receive funding directly:
Public schools

Agencies with which subcontracting is permitted:
Public schools, Head Start, Private CC

Is there a required local match for this program?
No

Select a state program to view details.


Maryland Footnotes

  1. The 24 school districts include 23 counties and Baltimore City. The School for the Deaf is in addition to the 24 school systems.
  2. An additional 3,112 children under 3 years of age who are enrolled in Judy Centers as well 5-year-olds eligible for kindergarten are not reflected in total enrollment figures. Reported figures have possible duplication.
  3. Programs operate five days per week as a full school-day program or they operate four part-days per week with the fifth day used for home visits and teacher planning. Partnerships with Head Start provide some extended-day services.
  4. Policy requires local schools systems to have an early admissions policy to allow for enrollment of three-year-old students who are otherwise eligible (economically disadvantaged or homeless) and demonstrate educational needs warranting early admission into prekindergarten. Effective October 31, 2011, local schools systems may create prekindergarten programs for three-year olds who are economically disadvantaged, homeless, or lack school readiness. Policy requires local school systems to have an early admissions policy to allow enrollment of four-year-old students who demonstrate capabilities warranting early admission into kindergarten. Local boards of education may grant waivers on a case-by-case basis to allow kindergarten age children to enroll in pre-K.
  5. All children must first meet the income, homelessness, or foster care requirement to qualify for enrollment. Remaining vacancies may be filled by enrolling 4-year-old applicants who are not from low-income families but who exhibit a lack of readiness for school. Eligibility can be determined as noted above or by other criteria chosen by the local school system.
  6. Children must first meet the income, homelessness, or foster care requirement to qualify for enrollment. Remaining vacancies may be filled by enrolling 4-year-old applicants who are not from low-income families but who exhibit a lack of readiness for school. Eligibility can be determined as noted above or by other criteria chosen by the local school system.
  7. State policy stipulates an average of 20 students per classroom. Exceptions may occur where individual classrooms exceed this ratio provided an overall program average of 20 is maintained.
  8. A body system head-to-toe full physical exam is required, which is a comprehensive physical exam. In pre-K, a certificate is required proving that a blood test for lead has been done. Vision and health screening and referral are the responsibility of the school health services program in conjunction with the health department under Title I, which applies to all children. Head Start requirements are more stringent.
  9. The Social Foundations standards cover ages 3 through 5 in the domain of Personal and Social Development. The MD State Curriculum for College and Career Readiness, approved in 2013, refers to PreK (4 year olds) through grade 12 and covers English Language Arts/Reading, Math, Social and Studies. The CCSS for Math and ELA were completed in summer 2012; Maryland is currently developing Maryland’s science standards. As part of the RTT, MD developed an alignment document for early learning standards, Birth to K.
  10. BA degrees are required for public and non-public settings. Lead teachers in public settings must have a BA with appropriate early education specialization. Lead teachers in nonpublic settings must have a BA in any subject area and are required to take at least 24 hours of professional development in child development or early education annually. Some in-service requirements may be imposed locally. Pre-K teachers receive MMSR training aligned with Maryland Teachers Professional Development Standards. In addition, teachers must meet highly qualified teacher requirements under NCLB. Local school systems provide professional development for classroom assistants.
  11. Paraprofessionals in Title I schools must also have completed two years of college, hold an AA degree, or have a qualifying score of 455 on the ParaPro assessment administered by ETS. Assistant teachers are required to attend a minimum of 24 hours of professional development annually.