Frederick County Public Schools reports pre-K enrollment surge and details Judy Center services

Leslie Fry, supervisor of early childhood education and Judy Centers for Frederick County Public Schools, told the committee that the district has expanded pre-kindergarten programming and is centralizing enrollment to improve equity and access.

Fry said the district operates 90 pre-K classrooms and coordinates six Judy Centers that provide year-round family supports and early learning for children prenatal through age 5. "We really do have arms out throughout the community as we focus on birth through kindergarten," Fry said.

The update said 50 of the 90 pre-K programs are "traditional" full-day classrooms with a certified pre-K teacher and an instructional assistant, and 16 are inclusion pre-K programs that combine students with individualized education programs (IEPs) and income-eligible peers. The district also runs five self-contained classrooms for students with specialized needs and 13 half-day inclusion classrooms for three-year-olds.

Lauren Perry, coordinator of program quality, described the classroom day and supports: students follow a bell schedule similar to elementary grades, receive small-group instruction informed by FCPS assessments, access specials such as art and PE, and have rest and guided play time. Perry said the centralized enrollment process had "processed about 1,600" applications at the time of the presentation and "we were at over 1,800 as of yesterday." She added the district currently holds roughly 1,200 pre-K seats.

Staff described a separate "innovative" model that places full-day pre-K classes at high schools adjacent to career and technical education (CTE) child development programs. High school students earn internship hours in those classrooms under teacher supervision while younger children receive preschool instruction.

Kathy Allen, early childhood coordinator, outlined Judy Center operations and reach. The district funds six Judy Center sites (Butterfly, Hillcrest, Lincoln, Monocacy, Tuscarora and Waverly) that each receive $330,000 in grant funding annually for a program administrator, outreach coordinator and family services. Allen said the Judy Centers reported working with more than 1,500 children this grant year, offering three to five playgroups per week year-round and holding more than 275 family engagement events.

Fry and Perry outlined program quality work: 76 of the district’s pre-K classrooms have earned MSDE accreditation in the last three years and the district plans to accredit the remaining classrooms this year so all 90 will be on a five-year accreditation cycle. The district is assisting instructional assistants to earn Child Development Associate (CDA) credentials; staff said all full‑time pre-K assistants must have a CDA by July 1, 2027.

Staff described several operational supports: a centralized database to coordinate Child Find referrals and special education eligibility, a multilingual screening process tied to MSDE’s student language portrait, and a mixed-delivery centralized application that can carry eligible families’ applications to community childcare providers to expand family choice.

The presentation also covered how state policy changes under the Blueprint for Maryland's Future could affect families and financing. Fry said MSDE recently issued guidance on a sliding-scale implementation for tiered eligibility: tier 1 (income-eligible) families will retain automatic seats; tier 2 families (household incomes above tier 1 levels through the next bracket) may be charged a share of the state seat cost, and tier 3 families (higher incomes) would typically pay the full cost. Staff cited an estimated state seat cost rising toward $19,000 in a coming year and described a draft framework that caps certain tiered charges — for example, one lower tier would not exceed 7 percent of family income.

Board members asked how the district manages capacity and outreach. Perry said enrollment is year-round and the district uses historical enrollment patterns to reserve seats in sites with high mobility; busing is offered only when a family's residence qualifies under the district’s transportation rules. Staff described outreach through schools, social media, mailers, public libraries, pediatric referrals and the county early childhood advisory council. Perry noted a district partnership with Head Start for ReadyRosie, a free parent-facing app that sends short, age-based weekly videos to families.

The presenters emphasized there is no charge for Judy Center services and that half-day programs for three-year-olds remain free. Staff said the district currently projects approximately 50 tier 2 pre-K students enrolled out of roughly 1,200 seats and more than 1,800 applicants in the centralized system.

Why it matters: Pre-K expansion, state funding changes and new eligibility rules can change access for low- and moderate-income families, alter district budgeting and affect how community providers and schools coordinate services. Frederick County staff said they are refining enrollment projections and will return with further implementation details as state guidance and timelines crystallize.

The early childhood presentation concluded with an invitation to visit Judy Center sites and with staff committing to continued communication as the district evaluates the sliding-scale guidance and operational impacts.