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Pre-K expansion hit by limited private-provider participation, district warns
Summary
Presenters said Calvert County met an initial 10% private-provider slot goal but statewide low private-provider participation and grant challenges mean reaching the blueprint target (50% by 2029) will be difficult; Bright Beginnings is the county's only private-provider partner under the expansion grant this year.
Calvert County staff told the Blueprint Implementation Committee that expanding pre-K through a mixed-delivery model is proceeding, but that the district faces capacity and financial constraints as it seeks to meet state targets for private-provider participation.
Michelle Ward, supervisor of early childhood, said the district has achieved the blueprint's immediate goal that at least 10% of pre-K slots be sourced to private providers, but noted the state expects that share to increase by 10 percentage points each year up to 50% by FY2029. Ward and Jackie Jacobs said many local private providers either did not receive expansion grants or decided not to apply because the application and new program requirements (including accreditation and quality-rating thresholds) presented financial and administrative burdens.
"Bright Beginnings is our only current private provider in the county," Jacobs said. The presenters said Bright Beginnings received the expansion grant last year, re-applied this year but did not receive expansion slots at the same level; the district has provided limited student slots through the mixed-delivery arrangement.
Why this matters: the blueprint's mixed-delivery requirement is intended to expand family choice and use community capacity, but in practice the district said the combination of rigorous grant rubrics, per-pupil reimbursement limits written into statute and limited local provider capacity means the county may struggle to shift a large share of slots to private providers. District staff asked the committee and county partners to help identify spaces and explore local supports that could make private-provider participation more viable.
