Early Childhood Development and Education

The critical importance of growth and development during early childhood is the foundation for all of 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 MCC to one of its greatest public policy achievements: the recent consolidation of all the State’s early care and education programs within the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE).

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." Recent research on infant brain development has focused attention on the importance of quality interaction between caregivers and very young children as well as its impact on healthy brain development. Several years ago, MCC’s Early Childhood Education Subcommittee developed an instrument to help parents and professionals assess whether programs are developmentally appropriate. MSDE has also developed the Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR) which integrates developmentally appropriate instructional practices supported by on-going assessment of children’s programs. It also emphasizes effective communication with families and other staff working with young children. 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 in many competencies outlined in the “Core of Knowledge.” This training complements the staff development model provided to pre-kindergarten and kindergarten teachers in the public school systems.

Even before 2005 and 2006—when the Governor and the General Assembly transferred all child care programs to MSDE—the department had demonstrated its continued commitment to early learning through its involvement with pre-kindergarten activities and wraparound services. In 1998, MSDE provided additional funds for its pre-kindergarten program, the Extended Elementary Education Program (EEEP), through the School Accountability Funding for Excellence (SAFE) Act. MSDE recognized that most public pre-kindergarten programs are only 2 1/2 hours a day and working parents often are in need of finding child care for the rest of the day and transporting their children between preschool and child care. To address these issues, guidelines for EEEP under SAFE include provisions for transportation for four year-old children who reside outside the attendance areas from home, or from a child care provider to the EEEP site. In addition, local school systems may use funds to promote strategies that increase full-day arrangements, such as Head Start or a licensed child care program.

In 1991, the Maryland General Assembly passed legislation, that lowers the mandatory school-age to five years and requires that all children attend kindergarten. Many public kindergarten programs at the time were only half-day, with few schools offering child care provided for the rest of the day at school. Acknowledging the needs of working parents, the 1991 legislation recognized full-time, regulated child care programs or part-time Head Start programs as a valid experience for 5-year-old children prior to entering first grade. In 1997, legislation was passed that maintains this exemption indefinitely.

In 1991, the Early Childhood Education Subcommittee of the 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. Funding from the Child Care and Development Block Grant has been used to pilot coordinated and collaborative early childhood development programs, as recommended in the position paper. Local government agencies, child care providers, and nonprofit organizations have been able to apply for funding to cover comprehensive, full-day programs for low-income children. The funds can be used either to supplement existing programs or establish new programs.

In 1993, the General Assembly approved budget language that required $240,000 of EEEP funds to be used to fund at least four pilot sites to integrate EEEP programs with child care programs. In 1994, the legislature passed budget narrative directing the Department of Budget and Fiscal Planning to create a task force to make recommendations to integrate state and federal resources to develop full-day, year-round programs addressing the needs of children of working parents. The "Report of the Task Force on Child Care and Child Development Programs for Children of Working Parents," which included representatives from MCC, 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.

The following recommendations were adopted by the members of the Task Force:

1. The Child Care Subsidy Program in the Department of Human Resources should be given consideration for any additional funding that may become available. As additional funding becomes available, at least 40% of all new child care subsidy slots should be allocated to the working poor.

2. The Subcabinet for Children, Youth and Families should promote a seamless system of services delivered through a network of public/private providers of early childhood programs.

3. The Maryland State Department of Education, the Office for Children, Youth, and Families, and Head Start grantees should develop and implement a mechanism for statewide coordination of EEEP and Head Start programs.

4. Local education agencies should be encouraged to coordinate expansion of EEEP and other pre-kindergarten programs with existing Head Start programs and licensed child care to meet the needs of the community.

5. Local education agencies should be encouraged to lease available classroom space to private and nonprofit proprietary providers of child care or, as an alternative, work with local providers to locate facilities in proximity of the school site.

6. As funds become available, the Maryland Child Care Resource Network's regional child care resource centers should expand into unserved areas of the State.

The 1997 General Assembly approved the Governor's supplemental funding request of an additional $3.29 million for the expansion of EEEP by 47 sites to increase the number of children enrolled in this program. Outreach was initiated by MSDE to collaborate with the child care and early childhood community in providing access to full-day programming by families served in new EEEP sites. Site selection criteria for EEEP sites included a requirement that local school systems forge public/private partnerships to integrate EEEP pre-kindergarten programs with child care and family education services.

An additional $4.4 million in funding was approved during the 1998 General Assembly for EEEP as a part of the SAFE legislation. 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 increase 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.

The 2000 General Assembly was a productive year for early childhood education. 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 2007, there are a total of 24 Judy Centers in 21 jurisdictions.

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 calls 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 has been wholly consolidated within the State’s aid to local education.

Additionally, the 2004 Session saw the introduction of numerous bills to exempt certain local jurisdictions from the full-day kindergarten requirements of Bridge to Excellence. MCC and its allies lobbied successfully against all this legislation.

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 challenges will undoubtedly be faced in the implementation of this dramatic shift in policy, it promises 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

MCC should continue to work toward the collaboration of pre-school programs and the development of comprehensive early childhood education programs that meet the needs of children of working parents. 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. MCC should actively participate in the work of the Task Force on Universal Preschool Education.

Legislative Priorities | Legislative Scorecard | MCC's Subcommittees | POC subsidy program | ACTION ALERTS | Advocacy Guide | EIC Campaign

for parents | for employers | search for licensed child care | search for out-of-school activities | for child care providers | for out-of-school providers | public policy | data collection | general information | resources/publications | for trainers | Maryland Child Care Resource Network | home| contact us | privacy policy