There are many pre-school options available in the Southern
Maryland area (Calvert, Charles and St. Mary's Counties).
The
state requires that children must be four years of age on or before Sept. 30 to
apply for admission to the preschool programs in the 2004-05 school year.
Children must also live in the school attendance zone in order to attend a
state-funded preschool. Parents must bring the child's birth certificate, any
health documentation, immunization record and two proofs of residency to the
school in order to register for the program along with their child. See
Education/Local Community/Overview for more specifics.
CALVERT
COUNTY
INFANT AND TODDLER PROGRAM - Children from birth to age three with
developmental delays receive early intervention services. The program
focuses on ensuring that eligible children and their families have access to
services. These may include diagnosis and evaluation, speech therapy,
physical therapy, occupational therapy, social work, nursing, respite and day
care, family education and counseling and information and
referral. For information call 410-535-5400.
PREKINDERGARTEN - The
prekindergarten programs in public schools provide early education for four-year
old children. Since its inception in 1980, prekindergarten programs
were designed to serve children with the greatest educational
needs. The programs provide developmentally appropriate learning
experiences that address the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and
physical needs of children. Prekindergarten programs are offered at
Beach, Calvert, Dowell, Mutual, Patuxent, St. Leonard and Windy Hill Elementary
schools. To be eligible, students must be 4 years old by September
30, 2004 (for the 2004-05 school year) and 4 years old by September 1 for each
year thereafter and must meet the following selection criteria:
1. Automatic
criteria: students who are eligible for free or reduced
meals. 2. Students with other education needs which
include: emergency or health conditions; home or family conditions;
limited English proficiency; prior participation in Head Start or Even
Start.
For information call 410-535-7265.
KINDERGARTEN (Mandatory) - All
children in the state of Maryland who will be five years old by October 31, 2004
of the 2004-2005 school year are required to attend kindergarten. If you do not
wish to have your child attend kindergarten during the next school year, you may
request a waiver for one of the following reasons: provide home instruction
(home schooling) for the child; level of maturity waiver because you believe a
delay in school attendance is in the best interest of the child. (Send a letter
of request to the Superintendent of Schools); enroll your five year old in an
alternative program such as licensed child care center, full-time registered
family day care or part-time Head Start five-year-old program. Contact the
Student Services Department, 410-535-7232, to request a waiver
form. Age requirements are 5 years old by October 31 for the
2004-2005 school year and 5 years old by September 30 for 2005-2006 school
year.
CHARLES COUNTY
The PREKINDERGARTEN program develops the
intellectual language and social/emotional skills of four-year-old children. It
also helps children develop and sustain the basic skills necessary for
successful school performance. CCPS receives state funding to operate
prekindergarten programs in eligible schools. The program is offered in 17 of
the county's 19 elementary schools. The school selection criteria for
state-funded prekindergarten programs is based on Title I state guidelines that
rank schools on a variety of factors including free/reduced lunch count and
proximity to Head Start. Charles County has an early childhood
centers.
ST. MARY'S COUNTY
The PREKINDERGARTEN program provides
education for four-year-old children who come from economically disadvantaged
families or who are at-risk and need early learning experiences to help them
develop skills necessary for successful school performance. Children
are selected for attendance through a screening process using criteria
established by the Maryland State Department of Education.
The KINDERGARTEN
program provides education for five-year-olds in a language and literacy rich
environment, which capitalizes on the active and social nature of children's
learning. Kindergarten attendance is mandatory for all
children. However, under certain circumstances, parents may request a
waiver by submitting a Kindergarten Level of Maturity Waiver/Alternative Program
Setting Waiver to the St. Mary's County Public Schools' Department of Pupil
Services. Currently, local school systems are phasing in full-day
kindergarten as mandated by State law which says that by the 2007-2008 school
year, all public school kindergarten classes must be full-day. St.
Mary's County Public Schools is phasing in full-day kindergarten at all
elementary schools.
Many good PRIVATE SCHOOLS are available in the
Tri-County area. Many of these schools have religious affiliation but
have an open acceptance policy. For information about schools in the
Southern Maryland area, please contact Bettie Broadhurst at 301-757-1863, the
yellow pages or the area Chamber of Commerce.
In each county there is a
before and after school child care program in selected schools.