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State Agency Town Halls to Focus on Early Childhood Development

Maryland State Department of Education, Department of Health and Department of Human Services Seek Public Input

BALTIMORE —The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Maryland Department of Health (MDH), and the Maryland Department of Human Services (MSDH), in partnership with Ready At Five, will hold a series of regional town hall meetings on the State’s early care and education system.

“This is an opportunity for the three state agencies that oversee early childhood programs and services in Maryland to collaborate together in a nine-stop listening tour,” Division of Early Childhood Assistant State Superintendent Steven Hicks said.  “Our focus is finding out what parents, early childhood educators, policymakers, business leaders and other stakeholders see as our greatest challenges and opportunities to building a well-coordinated and integrated early care and education system in Maryland. Participants will help shape the future for children in Maryland.”

MSDE was recently awarded a Preschool Development Birth through Five (PDG B-5) Grant, a $10.6 million federal grant that will help states conduct a comprehensive statewide birth through five needs assessment followed by in-depth strategic planning. The grant also focuses on enhancing parent choice and expanding the current mixed delivery system consisting of a wide range of provider types and settings, including child care centers and home-based child care providers, Head Start and Early Head Start, state pre-kindergarten, early intervention and special education services, and home visiting service providers across the public, private and faith-based sectors.

As part of the PDG B-5, nine regional town hall meetings will take place between March 26 and May 17, 2019, with both morning and evening sessions offered to accommodate various schedules and needs. Continental breakfast will be provided at morning sessions and a light dinner will be served at evening sessions.

Representatives from the State, Ready At Five, and local child- and family-serving agencies will share updates on a variety of topics related to early childhood care and education, family supports, new data from Maryland’s Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, and opportunities through the new PDG B-5 grant.  Each session will also include opportunities for the public to contribute to developing the State’s prenatal to age five needs assessment.

Feedback and findings from the town hall meetings will be used to develop and inform a new early learning strategic plan for Maryland by identifying significant needs and priorities. To join one of the Regional Town Hall meetings, please register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ECETownHalls

Locations, dates and times can be found below. More information about the Regional Town Halls, including handouts, can be found at https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/townhalls.

 

Jurisdiction(s) Date & Times Location
Allegany

Carroll

Frederick

Garrett

Washington

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Morning 8:30-11:30AM

Evening 5:00-8:00PM

Washington Co. Board of Education

10435 Downsville Pike

Hagerstown, MD 21740

Baltimore City

Baltimore County

Thursday, April 4, 2019

Morning 9:00-11:30AM

Evening 5:00-8:00PM

Baltimore County Public Library/Owings Mills

10302 Grand Central Avenue

Owings Mills, MD 21117

Caroline

Dorchester

Kent

Queen Anne’s

Talbot

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Morning 8:30-11:30AM

Evening 5:00-8:00PM

Chesapeake College

The Higher Education Building

1000 College Circle

Wye Mills, MD 21679

Somerset

Wicomico

Worcester

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Morning 8:30-11:30AM

Evening 5:00-8:00PM

Wor-Wic Community College

32000 Campus Drive

Salisbury, MD 21804

Cecil

Harford

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Morning 8:30-11:30AM

Evening 5:00-8:00PM

The Center for Educational Opportunity in Aberdeen

253 Paradise Road

Aberdeen, MD 21001

Anne Arundel

Howard

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Morning 8:30-11:30AM

Evening 5:00-8:00PM

Point Pleasant Resource Center

1450 Furnace Avenue

Glen Burnie, MD 21060

Calvert

Charles

St. Mary’s

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Morning 9:30-11:30AM

Evening 5:00-8:00PM

Calvert County Public Library

850 Costley Way

Prince Frederick, MD 20678

 

Prince George’s Thursday, May 16, 2019

Morning 8:30-11:30AM

Evening 5:00-8:00PM

Prince Georges County Judy Center

The Adelphi Judy Center/Cool Spring Elementary School

8908 Riggs Road

Hyattsville, Maryland 20783

Montgomery Friday, May 17, 2019

Morning 8:30-11:30AM

Evening 5:00-8:00PM

Montgomery College

Takoma Park/ Silver Spring Campus Amphitheater –

HC Building

7995 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902


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