Early Childhood Development and Education

The critical importance of growth and development during early childhood is the foundation for all of FOF/MCC’s undertakings. Child care—and early education in all its contexts—must be viewed and treated as part of the continuum of lifelong learning. This precept guided FOF/MCC to one of its greatest public policy achievements: the consolidation of all the State’s early care and education programs within the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) in 2005 and 2006.

There remains ongoing concern about the quality of early childhood education programs. The quality of child care and early childhood education is directly related to how clearly the needs of young children are understood and addressed--the degree to which the programs are "developmentally appropriate." Research on infant brain development in the last two decades has focused attention on the importance of quality interaction between caregivers and very young children as well as its impact on healthy brain development. In that same time period, Maryland has been moving toward building a system of early care and education that is based on what the research tells us young children and their families need.

In 1991, the General Assembly passed legislation that made kindergarten mandatory and recognized full-time, regulated child care programs or part-time Head Start programs as alternative sites for kindergarten.

In 1991, the Early Childhood Education Subcommittee of the FOF/MCC Public Policy Committee, the Governor's Office for Children, Youth, and Families, and the Head Start Director's Association published a position paper, Collaboration of Pre-School Programs in Maryland: A Beginning Discussion.

In 1993, the General Assembly approved budget language that required $240,000 of Extended Elementary Education Program (EEEP) funds to be used to fund at least four pilot sites to integrate EEEP programs with child care programs. [Note: EEEP is the pre-k program that began in 1979 and ended in 2008.]

In 1994, the General Assembly passed budget narrative that created a Task Force on Child Care and Child Development Programs for Children of Working Parents, which included representatives from FOF/MCC and adopted recommendations in response to the following issues:

• Working families need year-round programs that serve children for an entire work day, which often means 10 hours for working and commuting; and
  
• Greater coordination is needed between the Department of Education and the Department of Human Resources to maximize the attainment of state and federal funds that can be integrated to meet the year-round work day childhood program needs of working families.

In 1997, the General Assembly approved an additional $3.29 million for the expansion of EEEP by 47 sites. Selection criteria for EEEP sites included a requirement that local school systems forge public/private partnerships to integrate EEEP pre-K programs with child care and family education services.

In 1997, MSDE developed the Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR) which integrates developmentally appropriate instructional practices supported by on-going assessment of children’s progress. It also emphasizes effective communication with families and other staff working with young children.

In 1998, the General Assembly approved an additional $4.4 million in funding for EEEP as a part of the School Accountability Funding for Excellence (SAFE) Act. It established 28 additional sites statewide, increased funding to a level of $65,000 per site, and provided $1 million in grants to local school districts that increased the amount (to a full day) and quality of learning by coordinating extended services with Head Start or child care programs that meet federal performance or state licensing standards. Guidelines for EEEP under SAFE included provisions for transportation for four-year-old children who reside outside the school attendance areas from home or child care to the EEEP site.

In 1998, FOF/MCC received funding from BGE to implement the Maryland Model for School Readiness in partnership with MSDE, Villa Julie College, and the Maryland Head Start Association to train child care professionals serving three and four year olds. This training complements the staff development model provided to pre-K and kindergarten teachers in the public school systems, and is ongoing.

The 2000 General Assembly was a productive year for early childhood education. FOF/`MCC staff worked closely with legislators and MSDE on the development of SB 793/HB 1249, which established the Judith P. Hoyer Early Child Care and Education Enhancement Program to promote school readiness through developing and expanding high quality, comprehensive, full-day early child care and education programs and family support services. The program is named after the late Judith P. Hoyer, wife of Congressman Steny H. Hoyer, who was very active in early childhood services throughout her life. Local school systems are eligible to apply for grants under the program. The Governor included $7 million in the fiscal 2001 State budget for this program, which includes $4.0 million for Judy Center Grants; $1.0 million for Early Child Care and Education Enhancement Grants to providers of early child care and education services who have voluntarily initiated and are actively seeking accreditation; $1.3 million for statewide implementation of MSDE's early childhood assessment system; and $700,000 to cover MSDE's administrative costs. The first Judy Center grants were awarded to 13 jurisdictions in late 2000. In the 2001 Session of the General Assembly, the legislature authorized an additional $1.8 million for the promotion of child care provider accreditation and an additional $3.6 million for Judy Centers. As of August 2009, there are a total of 24 Judy Centers in 21 jurisdictions with an annual budget of $7.6 million.

The 2002 General Assembly Session marked the passage of landmark reforms in education funding throughout the state of Maryland. SB 856, the Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act, implemented many of the recommendations of the Thornton Commission. Included in the legislation are provisions for statewide full-day kindergarten and significantly expanded pre-K programs targeted to economically disadvantaged children. The legislation called for both provisions to be phased-in by 2008. Citing this timeline and the infusion of Bridge to Excellence funding already underway, in the 2004 Session the General Assembly initiated a four-year phase-out of EEEP funding. The General Assembly's action, however, came with no specific mandate that local jurisdictions hold existing pre-K programs harmless until the provisions of Bridge to Excellence take full effect in 2008. In FY 2007, the Assembly did not reduce EEEP funding. For FY 2008, the final year of Bridge to Excellence funding increases, EEEP was wholly consolidated within the State’s aid to local education. A key FOF/MCC goal remains the expansion of funding and eligibility for pre-K within a diverse delivery system (see the “Pre-Kindergarten and Universal Pre-School” section below).

Groundbreaking legislation enacted in the 2005 Session and a subsequent Executive Order in 2006 transfer responsibility for the State’s early care quality initiatives and its child care subsidy program to MSDE. (For more on this, see the “Integrating State Child Care and Early Education Programs under a Single Administrative Department” section below.) While this dramatic shift in policy has come with some challenges, it has ushered in a new era of coordination and collaboration among child care and school-based early education efforts. Ultimately, this will be expected to serve the goal of increasing school readiness within the framework of developmentally appropriate care.

Position

FOF/MCC should continue to work toward the collaboration of preschool programs and the development of comprehensive early childhood education programs that meet the needs of children of working parents. FOF/MCC should also continue to advocate for funding of developmentally appropriate services, educate the legislature and the public about the importance of quality early childhood programs, and monitor implementation of the Judith P. Hoyer legislation. FOF/MCC should advocate for the recommendations contained in Maryland’s Birth Through Three Business Plan, Preschool for All in Maryland, and Maryland’s Preschool for All Business Plan.

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