THE GAZETTE
Page A-6
Wednesday, November 27, 2013 s
County looking at new funds for early childhood programs n
BY
‘We really need to scale up’
LINDSAY A. POWERS STAFF WRITER
Facing a growing number of young children, Montgomery County needs to look beyond government funding to expand high-quality early childhood care and education, according to a member of a county group studying the issue. Montgomery County Public Schools officials have recently emphasized the system’s rapidly growing enrollment, especially in elementary schools — a large group of children who need services before they start kindergarten. Janine Bacquie — director of Montgomery County Public Schools’ Division of Early Childhood Programs and Services and co-chair of the Montgomery County Early Childhood Advisory Council — said the county needs additional, sustainable funds immediately to not only ensure there is enough space in public and private child care and education programs but that the programs are also high quality. “The numbers and the needs are significantly increasing,” Bacquie said. “We need to scale up significantly.” Superintendent Joshua P. Starr recently said that since 2007, the county school system has grown by 14,000 students; another 11,000 are expected over the next six years. The school system is “seeing enormous elementary enrollment growth across the district,” he said. Though the county’s population has grown, state funding has remained stagnant, she said. The county budgeted about $3 million for its early childhood services program in fiscal 2014, said Mary Anderson, a spokeswoman for the county health
and human services department. The advisory council is looking at how the county can continue developing its care and education services for children from the time they are born to the time they enter school. The council members include representatives from the county school system, the county health and human services department, the Maryland State Department of Education and area organizations related to child
“We have issues that are facing this county that are extraordinary by anybody’s measurement so we’re just looking for a little bit of assistance where we can get it.” Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D- Dist. 5) care, among others. The county’s early learning efforts haven’t had any “large funders” in the past aside from state and county government, she said. Bacquiesaidthecountyneeds to explore options such as businesses, philanthropic sources and social impact bonds. Bacquie said funding needs to increase in part to keep up with the county’s efforts to train providers and help them improve their quality and gain accreditation. Funds are also needed to fuel more direct services to children and families, including homevisiting services, increasing programs accessible to children with disabilities and expanding access to low-income families that don’t currently meet the guidelines necessary to enter public prekindergarten. It’s important that children have access to early childhood programs that can help prepare them socially, academically, physically and otherwise for school and beyond, she said. In the 2012-13 school year, about 80 percent of Montgomery County children entering kindergarten were “fully school-
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ready,” according to data from the Maryland Model for School Readiness assessment. While this marks a significant improvement from county data about a decade earlier, Bacquie said the remaining 20 percent “represents a lot of students.” Montgomery received about $145,000 from the state’s Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant program, the focus of a Nov. 7 meeting with members of the County Council and county school board and state education officials. Some county council members raised concerns that the county did not receive more grant money. The state education officials said, however, that the grant funds were designated to help counties develop their early learning infrastructure, much of which Montgomery already has. Elizabeth Kelley — director of the office of child care in the state education department’s division of early childhood development — said there are a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to future funding for the county’s early learning systems after the grant program ends. “That’s why it’s so critically important for the local councils to identify where funds can come from,” Kelley said. Government, she said, will not always be the answer for funding. Councilwomen Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring told the state education officials that the fast-growing county is in need of state help. “We have issues facing this county that are extraordinary by anybody’s measurement so we’re just looking for a little bit of assistance where we can get it,” Ervin said. Ervin said Monday that the county is looking at models in other parts of the country to help the county develop publicprivate partnerships. Ervin said that many families in the county are unable to afford quality childcare services. The county has funded a subsidy program for the last few years to help support those families — a program she said she has fought for in the past and plans to continue advocating. The county shouldn’t rely on the state, but the state should have a leading role in prekindergarten implementation, she said. “I would say that we’re going to support ourselves if we have to, if the state doesn’t step up to the plate and help us do what we need to do to get prekindergarten services,” she said. lpowers@gazette.net
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