On July 22, Montgomery County Councilmember Valerie Ervin, with unamious support of her council colleagues, created a Universal Preschool Implementation Work Group. This group will evaluate how to implement the State's recommendations from the
Universal Preschool Task Force report, which was released in December 2007. The recommendations will include strategies on how to increase access to voluntary, free and high-quality preschool services for all 4-year olds.
"Universal pre-kindergarten for our County's children has always been one of my top priorities," said Councilmember Ervin, chair of the Council's Education Committee. "The State's report illustrates that the County must be ready to act to expand holistic pre-kindergarten programs that emphasize access and quality."
The County's Universal Preschool Implementation Work Group will be directed to develop a County-wide universal preschool implementation plan, including recommendations to develop a high-quality preschool, early care and education program, for all County 4-year olds. The work group must submit a report to the Council by Dec. 15.
The work group will build on the reports and recommendations developed by the Montgomery County Leadership in Action Program and the Higher Education Initiative in Early Childhood/Child Care.
"Numerous studies show that pre-kindergarten education is a proven strategy for offsetting the challenges of poverty, language, disability, and mobility," said Councilmember Ervin. "Now more than ever before, we need to focus on cost-effective early interventions that will produce proven results over the long-term for our children."
The work group will include representatives from the Maryland State Department of Education, Montgomery County Public Schools, the County's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the County Commission on Childcare, the Collaboration Council, the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Maryland State Teachers Association.
Among other issues, the work group is being asked to assess and evaluate: The population of 4-year old children who would qualify for services; existing public and nonpublic programs serving 4-year olds; all preschool program costs and available funding streams that may be used to support the program; standards and process to determine the quality of preschool programs; and how and to what extent the capacity of existing high-quality providers can be expanded.
Councilmember Ervin has been working on issues associated with early childhood education since joining the Board of Education in 2004. As Chair of the Council's Education Committee, Councilmember Ervin successfully secured funding for the County's first full-day, full-year community based Pre-K program, which works in partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools.
"My passion to serve children and to provide assistance for working families started during my PTA days and continued during my service on the Montgomery County School Board," said Councilmember Ervin. "Reviewing data on school performance, I know that pre-kindergarten programs dramatically impact the lives of children and are essential relief valves for working families as they prepare their children for kindergarten. I wholeheartedly champion these issues on the Council because I know that these programs really do make a difference."
MCPS and DHHS staffs estimate that there are approximately 1,000 additional income-eligible 4-year-olds in the County who do not attend the County's pre-kindergarten programs because the current programs do not meet their needs or they choose other methods of child care.
