FCPS details pre-K expansion, centralized enrollment and Judy Center funding

Frederick County Public Schools early childhood staff told the district Curriculum and Instruction Committee on Tuesday that the system now operates 90 pre-K classrooms and is processing a surge of centralized applications while preparing for state policy changes on eligibility and staffing.

The update, delivered by Leslie Fry, supervisor of early childhood education in Judy Centers, and Lauren Perry, coordinator of program quality, said FCPS has 90 pre-K programs, including 50 traditional full-day pre-K classrooms, 16 inclusion classrooms, five self-contained special-education pre-K classrooms and 13 half-day inclusion programs for 3-year-olds. "We do have 90 pre k programs across Frederick County Public Schools," Lauren Perry said.

The presentation outlined how FCPS is using centralized enrollment created under the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future to screen applications countywide. Perry said the central office had processed roughly 1,600 applications at the time of the presentation and had reached more than 1,800 by the following day; staff said the district currently operates about 1,200 pre-K seats and that approximately 50 enrolled students fall into the state’s tier 2 income band.

Why it matters: Blueprint funding and new Maryland guidance are changing how seats are funded and who pays. That will affect FCPS budgeting and outreach, particularly as the state rolls out a sliding-scale contribution for families above strict income thresholds and as the district works to meet staffing certification deadlines.

Enrollment and delivery details

FCPS staff described several program models: traditional full-day pre-K classrooms (average class size ~20 with a teacher and instructional assistant), high-school–based pre-K programs that pair early-childhood classes with CTE child-development coursework for high-school students, inclusion classrooms with roughly half the seats filled via IEP placement and half via income eligibility, and smaller self-contained classrooms for students with specialized needs. Perry said the high-school sites help address space constraints and provide internship opportunities for secondary students.

The district has implemented a centralized application that also supports mixed-delivery seats (public and community providers). Perry said the system offers families a release-of-information option so eligible parents who want state-funded seats at private child-care providers can be connected without duplicating paperwork. FCPS staff also said they are developing a multilingual screening process tied to MSDE’s Student Language Portrait and have created a centralized child-find database to reduce delays in special-education referrals.

Judy Centers and family engagement

Kathy Allen, early childhood coordinator, described the district’s six Judy Center sites (Butterfly, Hillcrest, Lincoln, Monocacy, Tuscarora and Waverly) and said each site receives $330,000 in grant funding annually to support an administrator, outreach coordinator, family engagement, professional learning and community partnerships. "Each site receives $330,000 of grant funds a year," Allen said. Staff reported that the Judy Centers reached more than 1,500 children across the six sites in the grant year and ran more than 275 family-engagement events; centers also provide food at events and year-round programming.

State policy changes and staffing

Presenters described recent MSDE guidance implementing a sliding scale for seat costs: tier 1 remains for families at or below 300% of the federal poverty level; tier 2 (roughly 301–600% of FPL) may pay a portion of the seat cost; tier 3 (above ~600%) would pay full cost if seats are available. Staff said guidance is new and that FCPS is not implementing a district-level sliding-scale this year; tier 1 students will continue to be enrolled first and tier 2 placements will be made as seats allow. District staff cautioned that implementing a sliding scale would require new budgeting and administrative capacity.

FCPS staff also said they are supporting instructional assistants to meet a certification requirement: by July 1, 2027, all full-time pre-K instructional assistants in FCPS must hold at least a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential; the district is providing professional learning and supports toward that goal.

Kindergarten readiness assessment

The presentation noted Maryland will reintroduce a kindergarten readiness assessment (KRA). The district said the Renaissance product will include computer-adaptive early literacy and early math sections and a teacher-observation component called SABERs; the state requires completion by Oct. 10. Staff explained accommodations (practice screens, teacher-entered responses, and paper versions) for students who do not complete the digital practice.

Community outreach and access

Committee members asked about outreach strategies for families not already connected to schools. FCPS staff described mailers, social-media campaigns, school-based application flags, pediatrician and public-health partnerships, library collaborations, and the district’s participation in the county early-childhood advisory group. Staff highlighted ReadyRosie, a free video-based parenting resource available countywide in multiple languages that sends two-minute activity videos matched to a child’s age.

What’s next

District staff said they will return with further details this fall as state guidance and district budgeting work develops. No formal action or vote was taken during the presentation; staff requested additional direction if the board wants to consider implementing a sliding-scale contribution at the district level.

Ending: The committee moved on to a separate presentation on leadership and professional learning after the early-childhood update.