PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENT GRANTS

FY2017 ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REPORT

Preschool Development Grants AUGUST 2018

Maryland
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U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Grant Performance Report Cover Sheet 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 08/31/2020

General Information 

1. PR/Award #: S419B150034 2. Grantee Federal Information Processing Code:

3. Project Title: Preschool Development Grant - Expansion

4. Grantee Name: Maryland State Development of Education

5. Grantee Address: 200 West Baltimore Street

City: Baltimore State: Maryland Zip: 21201

6. Project Director Name: Steven Hicks

Title: Assistant State Superintendent for the Division of Early Childhood Education

Phone #: (410) 767-0342 Ext.: Fax #:

Email Address: steven.hicks@maryland.gov

Check only one box per Program Office instructions. ✔ Annual Performance Report Final Performance Report

Reporting Period Information 

7. Reporting Period: From: 01/01/2017 To: 12/31/2017

8. Budget Expenditures (To be completed by your Business Office. See instructions.)

Budget Period Federal Grant Funds Non-Federal Funds (Match/Cost Share)

a. Previous Budget Period $15,098,061.00 $5,219,725.00 

b. Current Budget Period $16,591,383.36 $8,891,725.00 

c. Entire Project Period 

(For Final Performance Reports only)

9. Indirect Cost Information (To be completed by your Business Office. See Instructions.)

a. Are you claiming indirect costs under this grant? Yes No

b. If yes, do you have an Indirect Cost Rate Agreement approved by the Federal Government? Yes No

c. If yes, provide the following information: 

Period Covered by the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement: From: 07/01/2017 To: 06/30/2018

Approving Federal agency: ✔ ED Other Specify other:

Type of Rate: (Final Performance Reports only) Provisional ✔ Final Specify other:

d. For Restricted Rate Programs (check one) -- Are you using a restricted indirect cost rate that:

✔ Is included in your approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

✔ Complies with 34 CFR 76.564(c)(2)?

Other

10. Performance Measures Status

a. Are complete data on performance measures for the current budget period included in the 

Project Status Chart?

Yes No

b. If no, when will the data be available and submitted to the Department?
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U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Annual Performance Report 

Executive Summary 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 08/31/2020

Grantee State: MD PR/Award #: S419B150034

You are required to submit an Executive Summary of up to 3000 words with your Annual Performance 

Report. This summary should relate to your approved application and summarize the goals and 

objectives that have been achieved under your grant, what you learned, and any evaluation results. 

Describe any unanticipated outcomes or benefits from your project and any barriers that you may have 

encountered. If there have been any changes to the project from the approved application, those 

should be explained as well.

 

Maryland's Preschool Development Grant (PDG) implementation plan builds on the strength of its welldeveloped early childhood education infrastructure. The three key components that made an expansion of 

prekindergarten for low-income children possible are: 

 

Consolidated governance: By law since 2005, Maryland's early childhood education programs are all under the 

auspices of the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). The Division of Early Childhood 

Development, the Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services, and Division of Family and School 

Support (which houses Title 1) provides an ideal structure for aligning policies for services birth to kindergarten 

and coordinating practices for a modern P-20 education system. 

 

Long-standing prekindergarten track record: Maryland's State Board of Education established a 

prekindergarten program in public schools as early as 1980. Since then, high quality prekindergarten has been 

provided as the Extended Elementary Education Program (EEEP) until 2007. At minimum, all 24 local school 

districts provide access to a half-day prekindergarten education program for all economically disadvantaged 

four-year olds. In 2014, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Prekindergarten Expansion Act of 2014 

which provided $4.3 million for new PreK slots. Maryland's plan builds on this Prekindergarten Expansion 

model by creating a mixed delivery system for early education programs based in high-quality communitybased early learning settings, such as child care, Head Start, and nursery schools in addition to public schools 

and public charter schools. 

 

Successful implementation of Race to the Top - Early Learning Challenge(RTT-ELC) grant: Through the RTTELC, Maryland created two critical elements that enhanced Maryland's plan for expanding prekindergarten - 

a robust Tiered Quality Rating and Improvement System (TQRIS) and well-developed early childhood 

comprehensive assessment system. Since its inception in July 2013, Maryland EXCELS, the State's TQRIS, 

received registrations from early childhood programs at a rate 3-times higher than expected. Such expectations 

are being articulated by a focus on improving school readiness skills through targeted intervention and 

supports for prekindergarten children. The Maryland comprehensive assessment system continues to measure 

school readiness skills, thereby informing early learning providers about the effectiveness of their programs. 

Maryland's long-term goal is universal access to high quality prekindergarten for all four-year olds. While 

public schools provide such access to economically disadvantaged four-year olds, defined as those whose 

families' household income is at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG), Maryland's 

Prekindergarten Expansion Act extended access to families with income levels up to 300% of FPG. Maryland's 4 

year plan for this grant includes strategies to identify and recruit four-year olds at 200% of FPG into 

prekindergarten slots at public schools and community-based programs. In addition, the state raised the 

income eligibility to 300% of FPG through matching state funds to support grant funded programs. The scope 

of Maryland's implementation plan is statewide, thereby including many high-need communities in all regions 

of the State, but with a special emphasis on high-need communities in Baltimore City and expanding the highly 

effective Judy Center comprehensive services model. 

 
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All LEA subgrantees' elementary schools have a 65% or greater free and reduced meals (FARM) rate and recruit 

income eligible four-year olds into their prekindergarten classrooms. MSDE uses four additional needs 

assessment criteria in awards to subgrantees: 

 

• Elementary schools in school improvement, i.e., Focus or Priority schools; 

• Subgrantees in jurisdictions with the highest number of income eligible four-year olds who are not enrolled in 

prekindergarten; 

• Subgrantees in jurisdictions with high numbers of low-income and Hispanic four-year olds enrolled in 

informal care arrangements; and 

• Subgrantees that provide specialized services for income-eligible four-year olds who are medically fragile or 

need therapeutic nursery services. 

 

Casting such a wide net for identifying and recruiting income eligible four-year olds ensures that a significant 

number of families with four-year old children in high-need communities across the State have access to high 

quality prekindergarten. Maryland has been successful in increasing efforts to meet or exceed the target 

number of slots since year 1 of the grant. In year 1, the target number of new slots was 1,210 and improved 

slots 1,623. Maryland recruited 1,459 new slots and 1,273 improved slots. In year 2, the target number of slots 

new slots was 1,210 and improved slots 1,623. Maryland was successful in recruiting 1,327 new slots and 2,203 

improved slots. For the current year, the target number of new slots is 1,610 and improved slots 1,723. 

Maryland has been successful in exceeding its target for the overall number of slots for year 3. Maryland's year 

3 target was 3,333 and 4272 slots were filled as of the December 1, 2017 reporting period. 

 

Maryland's plan requires that all subgrantees meet the definition of High Quality Prekindergarten criteria 

required by the PDG. All subgrantees must hire lead teachers that hold a Maryland State teaching certificate in 

early childhood education. MSDE has established policies by regulation and State law that define the quality of 

publicly funded prekindergarten. Based on the grant program under the Prekindergarten Expansion Act, the 

Maryland plan adopted the following eligibility for subgrantees: 

 

1. Prekindergarten operated by local boards of education must comply with the State's prekindergarten 

 regulations; 

 

2. Community-based programs must be: 

 

• Published at Level 5, the highest level, in Maryland EXCELS; 

• State or nationally accredited as a program of quality; 

• MSDE approved non-public nursery school. 

 

The rationale for subgrantee eligibility among community-based programs is based on MSDE's accountability 

principles when using public funds, which call for reducing the risk of failure among programs that have 

demonstrated continuous program improvement, stability of program quality, and have the capacity to meet 

the Expansion Grant's criteria of High Quality Preschool programs. 

 

Maryland's plan includes the use of a recently developed Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) as part of 

the RTT-ELC funded Early Childhood Comprehensive Assessment System. The first cohort of four-year olds in 

prekindergarten funded under this grant were assessed using the KRA in school year 2016-17, thereby setting 

the baseline for all and subgroups funded by this grant. However, in the General Assembly, Senate Bill 794 was 

passed in spring 2016 and it provides school systems with a choice in administering the KRA to a representative 

sample of students or to all students. In addition, each principal has the option of administering the KRA to all 

of their Kindergarten students. For the 2017-2018 school year, 12 of the 24 systems elected to assess all 

students. Several of the systems that elected to administer to a representative sample have also elected to 

administer to all students in their Title I schools or Judy Center schools only. Therefore, not all students that 

participated in the PDG were assessed in fall 2017 as they entered Kindergarten. 

 

Maryland set a per-child cost allocation of $7,344 per child for new slots and $3,672 for improved slots and has 

maintained the same cost allocation throughout the grant period. Maryland also sought and received 

permission from the Department of Education to raise the per-child cost allocation for programs specializing in 
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therapeutic or extensive comprehensive services (physical therapy, psychiatric or autism services). 

Maryland identified jurisdictions for high-needs children and used data from the following MSDE databases in 

an effort to help subgrantees recruit income-eligible four-year olds: 

 

• Child Care Subsidy data management system; and 

• Prekindergarten waitlists with local school systems. 

 

In addition, the Judy Centers and their partners in selected jurisdictions, assisted in identifying families with 

income-eligible four-year olds. 

 

Although Maryland has been successful in recruiting eligible families, a barrier for Maryland is the complicated 

income eligibility for Maryland's Prekindergarten Programs. Locally funded PreK is available to families that are 

at or below 185% of FPL. The Federal PreK Expansion Program is available to families that are at or below 200% 

of FPL. The State PreK Expansion Program is available to families at or below 300% of FPL. Each year Maryland 

creates PreK flyers for each jurisdiction in Maryland, distributed by Local Departments of Social Services, which 

directs income eligible families to free Prekindergarten in the area in which they live. The flyers were created 

in response to legislation “HB 1095 Education Prekindergarten Program --Notification of Eligibility by Local 

Department of Social Services.” Subgrantees in Maryland's PreK Expansion Programs have indicated this has 

helped with enrollment. In addition, technical assistance meetings were held to help subgrantees with 

recruitment strategies and collaboration among the public school and community based settings. 

 

During the 2016 General Assembly session, House Bill 668, which provides a state match for the PDG in the 

amount of $3.7 million in grant year 3 and $7.3 million in grant year 4, was passed. As a result, Maryland plans 

to expand access to a total of 1,000 children in Grant Years 3 & 4, i.e., SFY18 and SFY19. 

 

Maryland's model includes programs that offer specialized services such as programs that specialize in 

therapeutic and extensive early intervention services as well as programs that specialize in supporting children 

who may be homeless. These programs actively recruit for these inclusive settings. The Directors of these 

specialized programs network with each other to share recruitment strategies and assist in filling any openings. 

Maryland requires community based programs and local education agencies (LEA) to establish Memorandums 

of Understanding (MOU). These MOUs include a partnership between LEAs and the community based 

programs to help support them in providing services for students with special needs or who may need ELL 

resources. The MOUs also ensure that community based program staff are included in professional 

development opportunities offered by the local school system. 
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U.S. Department of Education 

PDG Annual Performance Report 

Grant Status Form 

Explanation of Progress (524B Section A) 

Based on ED 524B OMB No. 1894-0003 Exp. 08/31/2020

Section A: Performance Objectives Information and Related Performance Measures Data 

(narrative) 

1. Project Objective

Grantee State: MD PR/Award #: S419B150034

1(a) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of Eligible Children served in 

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant. Describe the State's progress in meeting 

this Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) measure based on enrollment of Eligible 

Children in High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant as of December 1, 2017.

Maryland's plan includes many high-need communities in all regions of the state, but with a special emphasis 

on high-need communities in Baltimore City and by expanding the highly effective Judy Center comprehensive 

services model. 

 

The plan uses communities with schools that have a 65 percent FARM rate as the cut-off for determining 

prioritized needs, but it also recruits income eligible four-year olds into high quality prekindergarten by using 

four additional needs assessment criteria: 

 

• Elementary schools in school improvement (e.g., Focus or Priority schools); 

 

• Subgrantees in jurisdictions with the highest number of income eligible four-year olds who are not enrolled in 

prekindergarten; 

 

• Subgrantees in jurisdictions with high numbers of low-income and Hispanic four-year olds enrolled in 

informal care arrangements; and 

 

• Subgrantees that provide specialized services for income-eligible four-year olds who are medically fragile or 

need therapeutic nursery services. 

 

Maryland served 4272 Prekindergarten students in these high needs communities in year 3 through the PDG 

grant and State matching funds. All subgrantees reflected in the APR met the definition of High-Quality 

Prekindergarten. Approximately 20% of subgrantees are not at full capacity due to reported transportation 

issues of families, changing community demographics, and the transient nature of some low-income families. 

The subgrantees that are not at full capacity are continuing to recruit eligible students beyond the reporting 

period of December 1st for the APR. In addition, they receive technical assistance on additional recruitment 

strategies from PreK grant monitors. 
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Please describe, as required in Program Requirement (k)(2) in the Notice Inviting Applicants (NIA), 

how the State established policies and procedures that ensure that the percentage of Eligible Children 

with disabilities served by the High-Quality Preschool Programs is not less than either the percentage 

of four-year-old children served statewide through part B, section 619 of IDEA (20 U.S.C. 1400 et 

seq.), or the current national average, whichever is greater. 

Note: The current national percentage of four year-old-children receiving services through part B, section 619 of 

IDEA is 6.4%. Source: 2012 IDEA Part B Child Count (www.ideadata.org). States should include detailed 

information on ALL structural elements.

 

The PDG served 6.3% of eligible children with disabilities in high quality preschool programs in year 3, though 

we expect this number to rise as more children are identified during the year. Students enrolled in PDG sites 

have to meet both the low income and the special needs criteria. Also, there are PreK students with disabilities 

that were directed to non PDG funded programs for services. Maryland also funds therapeutic nursery school 

programs with PDG funds. The therapeutic nursery school programs provide intensive, on-site services to 

support the school readiness of children with severe needs and their families. 
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Describe the State's progress in increasing the number and percentage of Eligible Children served in 

High-Quality Preschool Programs funded by the grant.

 

Under the PDG in year 3, Maryland was able to add 1,571 (37%) new slots and 2701 (63%) improved slots. Of 

the total number of PreK slots, 1041 slots are in community based programs (includes Head Start). Establishing 

additional slots in the community based programs has continued to create new collaborations for professional 

development and sharing of curriculum between the local public elementary schools and the programs. 

Community based programs and public elementary schools planned transition to Kindergarten activities for 

families so that parents and students become familiar with their future school and staff. In turn, PreK staff 

have learned the expectations of the Kindergarten teachers at the elementary schools and are working to 

prepare their PreK students for the transition to Kindergarten. 

 

In year 3, there were 438 new slots in Maryland Head Start programs. Head Start programs improved these 

slots from half-day to full-day. Just like community based centers, Head Start programs have continued 

professional development and transition activities with elementary schools in their communities under the 

PDG grant. Head Start programs include the offering of services to children and their families, as well as parent 

engagement activities. 

 

Through the Judy Center partnerships, PreK children were served and directed to early childhood development 

services, such as, high quality child care, WIC and Medicaid in year 3. Children receive developmental 

screening, access to early interventions, connections to dental, vision, hearing, mental health, and health 

department services, service coordination and family support. Judy Centers offer access to extended day and 

year services through community based child care and ensure those partners are meeting high-quality 

standards by providing accreditation support and professional development. Parents are encouraged to 

participate in parent engagement activities, including kindergarten readiness activities, play groups, adult 

education, and family literacy. 

 

Maryland PreK Monitors worked with subgrantees to provide them with additional recruitment strategies. 

Additionally, lists of PreK programs by jurisdiction were distributed to the local Departments of Social Services 

to ensure that social workers could direct eligible families to programs in their jurisdiction. 

1(b) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of children served overall in the 

State Preschool Program. Please describe any increases or decreases in this GPRA measure

based on fall enrollment in the State Preschool Program for the 2017-18 school year.

 

In year three, 30,418 students were enrolled in public prekindergarten. Of this number 3186 students were 

served through the PDG and State funding model. Forty-five (45) students were served in Public Charter 

Schools for a total of 3231 served in public settings. The remaining 1041 students were served in community 

based programs that include private schools (both faith and non-faith based), Head Start programs, non-public 

nursery schools, and college child development centers, which totals 4272 as reported in GPRA 1(b) in the APR 

workbook. PDG slots represent 15.30% of all state Preschool.
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1(c) GPRA Performance Measure: The number and percentage of children in the High-Need 

Communities served by the grant that are ready for kindergarten as determined by the State's 

Kindergarten Entry Assessment or, if the State does not yet have a Kindergarten Entry Assessment, 

other valid and reliable means of determining school readiness.

 

In the Year 3 APR, grantees will provide disaggregated data on the school readiness of the children enrolled 

and served by the grant. This may include information collected about the children enrolled and received 

services by the grant during the 2016-17 preschool year. States may provide data from a sample of children 

(e.g., a sample being used for any evaluation).

In the Year 3 APR, grantees must describe their progress towards identifying the measures, methods, 

and data on the school readiness of children served by the Preschool Development Grant. In the 

narrative below provide the following information: 

 • The name of the assessment tool(s) and the Essential Domains of School Readiness 

measured; 

 • When the assessment tool(s) is/are given (e.g., in preschool and/or kindergarten); 

 • Whether the assessment is mandated by the State, and for which children; 

 • How long the State has been using the assessment tool(s); 

 • Whether the assessment tool(s) is/are implemented throughout the High-Need Community 

and/or Statewide; 

 • Whether the State provides or will provide training for local staff administering the assessment. 

If so, describe the requirements including processes to ensure continued reliability in the 

administration of the measure; 

 • If school readiness data is reported to the State, describe when and how data are reported. 

Also, please describe, if applicable: 

 • The State's definition of "school readiness;" 

 • Disaggregated information about children's school readiness on individual domains or 

subsets of the measure; 

 • School readiness data for children disaggregated by subgroup (e.g., students who are 

American Indian or Alaskan Native; Asian, not Pacific Islander; Native Hawaiian/other 

Pacific Islander; Black or African American; Hispanic/Latino; White, not Hispanic; two or 

more races; with disabilities; English learners; and from any other subgroups the state 

determines appropriate; and 

 • How the State will continue to make progress in meeting this GPRA measure. 

 

Research shows that children who enter kindergarten not demonstrating the social-emotional, cognitive, and 

physical skills needed for success will continue to struggle academically throughout their school years. School 

readiness includes the stage of early development that enables a child to engage in and benefit from early 

learning experiences in the following areas: social and emotional development, cognition and general 

knowledge, language development, and physical well-being and motor development. School readiness 

acknowledges individual approaches toward learning as well as the unique experiences and background of 

each child. 

 

To align with the Maryland's PreK-12 College and Career Ready Standards, Maryland introduced Ready for 

Kindergarten (R4K): Maryland's Early Childhood Comprehensive Assessment System. R4K builds on and 

advances the Maryland Model for School Readiness (MMSR), which was the statewide kindergarten 

assessment tool in use from 2001 to 2013. R4K provides a single coordinated system for recognizing the needs 

and measuring the learning progress (knowledge, skills, and behaviors) of young children from 36 to 72 months 

(3 to 6 years of age) across seven domains that align to the state standards. The R4K is comprised of two 

components: the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) and the Early Learning Assessment (ELA). The KRA 
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is administered each year from the first day of school to October 10th to kindergarten students in public 

schools. In accordance with State Law, local school systems may administer the KRA to a representative 

sample of students. The ELA, developed for children 36 months to 72 months of age, is optional and became 

available to all child care programs, Head Start, and public PreK and K teachers in fall 2016. 

 

The Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) defines demonstrating readiness as a child demonstrating the 

foundational skills and behaviors that prepare him/her for curriculum based on the kindergarten standards. 

The KRA uses age-appropriate performance tasks and observational items that measure essential skills, 

knowledge, and behaviors of children's work and play to determine what each entering kindergarten student 

knows and is able to do in four specific domains - Language & Literacy, Mathematics, Physical Well-being and 

Motor Development, and Social Foundations. The ELA, which is a formative assessment, includes three 

additional domains - Science, Social Studies and the Arts. 

 

Maryland provides KRA training before school starts to all Maryland Kindergarten teachers through online 

training, face to face training or a combination of both. The Johns Hopkins University, Center for Technology 

Education developed the training materials and provided a Training of Trainers model to be used throughout 

the state. To ensure fidelity, teachers complete a content assessment and simulator in order to be approved to 

administer the KRA. Additional professional development resources are provided to teachers through the R4K 

system's online platform. Access to a Help Desk is also provided to teachers during the assessment window. 

 

Teachers in each LEA send home individual student reports to parents/guardians. The reports are also 

discussed with parents during individual parent-teacher conferences. Teachers use the student level data to 

support classroom instruction and monitor progress. Each LEA receives its data disaggregated by district and 

for each elementary school which administered the KRA. The KRA statewide data report is presented to the 

State Board of Education annually and then released to the public. The KRA data report provides information 

about kindergarten readiness and promotes well-informed programmatic, policy, and funding decisions. 

 

Statewide data from the 2017-2018 KRA administration show that 31% of all Kindergarteners from low-income 

households are demonstrating readiness and 69% are not. When compared to students from low-income 

households statewide, PDG students scored higher (39% demonstrating readiness, 41.6% approaching 

readiness, and 19.3% emerging towards readiness). 

 

Kindergarteners from low-income households demonstrating readiness in 2017-2018 by domain is as follows: 

 

• 26% of Kindergarteners demonstrated readiness in Language and Literacy 

• 24% of Kindergarteners demonstrated readiness in Mathematical Thinking 

• 48% of Kindergarteners demonstrated readiness in Physical Well-being and Motor Development 

• 45% of Kindergarteners demonstrated readiness in Social Foundations 

 

In 2016, the General Assembly passed the Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Assessments Administration Bill, 

which established a shorter testing period for the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) and allowed local 

school systems to choose to assess only a representative sample of students and not all kindergarten students 

in their elementary schools in order to limit the amount of time students spend being assessed throughout the 

school year. These requirements have limited the information that can be gleaned from the KRA to the 

representative statewide sample. Since the KRA represents a sample, not all students that participated in 

Prekindergarten (including PDG) in school year 2017-2018 were assessed in fall 2017. 
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For Preschool Development Grants - Development Grants States ONLY: 

1(d) GPRA Performance Measure: The number of States that collect and analyze data on State 

Preschool Program quality, including the structural elements of quality specified in the 

definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs.

Not Applicable.
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Section A: Part B - Selection Criteria 

In this section of the APR, States will report on their progress addressing the Preschool Development Grant's 

selection criteria. The State should read the questions carefully and report in the narrative fields directly below the 

questions. Please include any data, data notes or formulas to help the readers understand the State's narrative 

responses.

1. Ensuring Quality in Preschool Programs (Selection Criteria “C” of the application) 

Describe the State's use of funds received over the grant period for State Preschool Program 

infrastructure and quality improvements, including the State's efforts to implement a system of 

monitoring and support at the State level toward activities such as those described in Section (C)(1)(ak) of the NIA. 

 

Note: States will report amounts and percentage of funds for State Preschool Program infrastructure 

and High-Quality Preschool Programs in the Competitive Preference Priority 3 Chart.

 

The four-year olds enrolled in publicly-funded prekindergarten programs are benefiting from Maryland's 

revised early learning standards in terms of content and scope. The Maryland College and Career-Ready 

Standards (MCCRS) were aligned to Maryland's Healthy Beginnings guidelines for Birth to Four in order to 

create the Early Learning Standards document. In fall 2015, Maryland contracted with the University of 

Maryland to develop a curriculum that is aligned with the standards for Infants and Toddlers through age 4 

PreK. The 4-year old prekindergarten curriculum is in the final stages of development, training will begin this 

summer, and the curriculum will be available at no cost beginning fall of 2018. The 3-year old and infant/

toddler curriculum will follow in subsequent years. 

 

The program standards for public school prekindergarten and community based programs are defined by 

Maryland EXCELS, the State's TQRIS, which has five levels of quality, Level 5 being the highest. Level 5 includes 

program accreditation by MSDE or a nationally accrediting organization. A third set of quality program 

standards is defined by the education program in nursery schools certified by MSDE (COMAR 13A.17.14). 

These program standards comprise the eligibility for participation as a subgrantee under this grant. Eligible 

prekindergarten subgrantees are either: 

 

Operated by a local boards of education and in compliance with prekindergarten regulations; or 

Published at Level 5 of Maryland EXCELS and 

Accredited by MSDE or a national accrediting organization recognized by MSDE; or 

Certified by MSDE as a non-public nursery school. 

 

Maryland EXCELS provides program standards for public prekindergarten and licensed child care centers that 

are based on nationally recognized indicators of quality in five areas: 

 

Licensing Compliance/School Approval; 

Staff/Teacher Qualifications and Professional Development; 

Accreditation/Environmental Rating Scales; 

Developmentally Appropriate Learning and Practice /Child Assessment; and 

Administrative Policies and Practices. 

 

The Maryland EXCELS validation process ensures that programs are implementing activities consistent with 

high-quality preschool programs by: 

 

On-site monitoring of published programs to view evidence of implementation regarding the standards of 

 Maryland EXCELS; 
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Providing technical support for areas identified in need of improvement as a result of monitoring visits; 

Incorporating a Continuous Quality Improvement framework in all aspects of the TQRIS; 

Requiring programs to create and implement Program Improvement Plans at the higher levels of Maryland 

 EXCELS (i.e., Levels 3, 4 and 5), and to include school readiness goals and objectives aligned with 

 jurisdictional data on Maryland's Kindergarten Readiness Assessment; 

Providing multiple layers of program support for participating programs in meeting high-quality preschool 

 standards within the TQRIS. The types of support come from three primary sources offered online, by 

 phone and through on-site visits: 

 

o Child Care Resource and Referral Staff 

o Johns Hopkins University, Center for Technology in Education Program Coordinators; and 

o MSDE Quality Assurance Specialists. 

 

Outside of Maryland EXCELS, the following is a list of technical assistance offered to subgrantees: 

 

All programs receiving PDG funds must have a Maryland certified teacher in the PreK classroom that is paid 

comparable to the PreK teacher in that LEA. Programs must ensure vision and hearing screening, health care 

referrals and developmental screenings. During their on-site visits, program specialists are monitoring to 

ensure these services are provided. Additionally, each subgrantee signed a Memorandum of Understanding 

with their LEA agreeing to partner for professional development opportunities and transition planning activities 

each year of the grant. LEAs are working with subgrantees to ensure that students requiring individualized 

accommodations are supported in accordance with their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). 

 

Program Specialists provide on-going technical assistance throughout the year. They conduct check-in 

visits in the fall to assess the needs of the program and develop a TA plan. Monitoring occurs in the spring of 

each school year. The monitoring consists of a review of programmatic and fiscal documents to ensure the 

subgrantees are meeting the grant criteria. Additionally, the program specialists also observe the classrooms 

to ensure the children are receiving a developmentally appropriate, high-quality prekindergarten experience. 

Programs receive feedback on the monitoring tool to include commendations and any areas needed for 

improvement. If it is determined that a program requires improvement, a written program improvement plan 

is provided to the program that sets forth the areas of improvement needed and a time-line in which to 

improve. Programs not in compliance with the grant requirements could have their funding level reduced or 

terminated. 

 

Technical Assistance webinars and meetings were held during Grant Year 3. On September 12th, a PreK 

Expansion Manual & Grant Criteria webinar was held for all subgrantees to provide an overview of grant 

criteria, recruitment strategies, and the grant schedule. On September 27th, a PreK Expansion Data File 

Instructions webinar was held to provide instructions on how to collect and submit data on all eligible students 

to the State. On October 24th, a PreK Institute was held to provide PreK subgrantees with training and technical 

assistance on supporting students with disabilities, executive functioning skills, and other strategies to 

implement high quality prekindergarten. Additionally, PDG subgrantees attended the School Readiness 

Symposium: Equity in Literacy Must Start Early with support from PDG funds. 

 

2. Expanding High-Quality Preschool Programs in Each High-Need Community (Selection 

Criteria D of application) 

 

Describe the progress the State has made during the reporting year to implement and sustain 

voluntary high quality preschool programs for eligible children in two or more High-Need Communities 

(Selection Criteria D(4) of the application) that include ALL structural elements listed below that are 

included in the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. States should include detailed 

information on ALL structural elements.
ED 524B Page 13 of 22

High staff qualifications, including a teacher with a bachelor's degree in early childhood 

education or a bachelor's degree in any field with a State-approved alternative pathway, 

which may include coursework, clinical practice, and evidence of knowledge of content and 

pedagogy relating to early childhood, and teaching assistants with appropriate credentials;

✔

✔ High-quality professional development for all staff; 

✔ A child-to-instructional staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1;

✔ A class size of no more than 20 with, at a minimum, one teacher with high staff qualifications;

✔ A Full-Day program;

Inclusion of children with disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all 

opportunities; ✔

Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and evidencebased curricula, and learning environments that are aligned with the State Early Learning and 

Development Standards, for at least the year prior to kindergarten entry;

✔

Individualized accommodations and supports so that all children can access and participate 

fully in learning activities; ✔

✔ Instructional staff salaries that are comparable to the salaries of local K-12 instructional staff;

✔ Program evaluation to ensure continuous improvement;

On-site or accessible Comprehensive Services for children and community partnerships that 

promote families access to services that support their children's learning and development; 

and

✔

✔ Evidence-based health and safety standards.
ED 524B Page 14 of 22

Please describe the progress the State has made in establishing High-Quality Preschool Programs 

that include ALL structural elements listed above that are evidence-based and nationally recognized 

as important for ensuring program quality.

 

The following definition of High-Quality Prekindergarten is required for all PDG subgrantees. These 

requirements are detailed in the grant application and notice of grant award. All subgrantees are monitored 

regularly to ensure compliance. 

 

(a) High staff qualifications, including a teacher holding a State certification for teaching in early childhood 

education or a bachelor's degree in any field pursuing residency through a Maryland Approved Alternative 

Preparation Program (MAAPP), a State-approved alternate pathway, which includes coursework, clinical 

practice, and evidence of knowledge of content and pedagogy relating to early childhood, as well as teaching 

assistants with appropriate credentials. Teacher Assistants must hold a minimum of a high school diploma, but 

preferably a CDA or equivalent training. Teaching credentials are reviewed during the monitoring visits. 

Teachers are also observed and provided with written feedback from the PreK monitors. If needed, monitors 

work with the teaching supervisors to develop professional development and technical assistance plans. 

 

(b) High-quality professional development for all staff must be provided by the subgrantees. Community based 

programs are required to have a signed Memorandum of Understanding with their LEA which includes 

participation in LEA professional development. Subgrantees provide professional development plans in their 

applications. In late winter, each subgrantee submits a collaboration form detailing their activities with other 

subgrantees and their LEA. 

 

(c) A child-to-instructional staff ratio of no more than 10 to 1 is also required as part of Maryland's PreK & Child 

Care regulations 

 

(d) A class size of no more than 20 with, at a minimum, one teacher with high staff qualifications as outlined in 

paragraph (a) and one assistant teacher is also required as part of Maryland's PreK & Child Care regulations 

 

(e) A Full-Day program (6.5 hours minimum) 

 

(f) Inclusion of children with disabilities to ensure access to and full participation in all opportunities. 

 

(g) Developmentally appropriate, culturally and linguistically responsive instruction and evidence-based 

curricula, and learning environments that are aligned with the State Early Learning and Development 

Standards, for at least the year prior to kindergarten entry. Subgrantees must use a State recommended 

curriculum and list their curricula in their grant applications for approval. 

 

(h) Individualized accommodations and supports so that all children can access and participate fully in learning 

activities. 

 

(i) Instructional staff salaries that are commensurate with the starting salaries of LEA K-12 instructional staff. 

 

(j) Program evaluation to ensure continuous quality improvement: Monitoring and technical assistance visits 

ensure that both the structural and process elements of quality are in place in subgrantees' programs. 

Maryland is already positioned to meet the High-Quality Prekindergarten definition as many of the elements 

are already a part of Maryland's Prekindergarten regulations. 

 

(k) On-site or accessible Comprehensive Services for children and community partnerships that promote 

families' access to services that support their children's learning and development is available in all programs 

(i.e. screening and referral services covering at least vision, hearing, and health). In Maryland, 21 Judy Centers 

are funded through the PDG. All Judy Centers are located in or near Title I elementary schools. PreK children 

and their families living in the designated Title I school zones are eligible for Judy Center services and activities. 
ED 524B Page 15 of 22

Most of the work of the Judy Centers is accomplished through community partnerships that include local 

agencies, organizations and businesses. Judy Centers must meet 12 Component Standards that result in the 

delivery of comprehensive services. The 12 Component Standards necessitate close collaboration with the 

Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program, food sources, health providers, as well as case management providers 

such as DSS, Healthy Start, and Healthy Families. Judy Centers and its partners sponsor ongoing rich family 

engagement activities that promote school readiness. Adult Education programs and local colleges and 

universities also work with Judy Centers to ensure parents have opportunities to increase their educational 

levels and career advancement. Judy Centers coordinate with teachers in all early education settings, including 

child care providers, Head Start and prekindergarten to ensure high quality programming. 

 

 (l) Evidence-based health and safety standards: 

 

Health and safety are ensured in community based programs through their child care licensing monitoring 

visits. All subgrantees are required to participate in Maryland EXCELS (TQRIS) at level 5. Maryland EXCELS 

standards incorporate criteria to promote children's physical, social, and emotional development as well as 

promoting healthy eating habits, improving nutrition, and expanding physical activity. The TQRIS standards 

include the following criteria: 

 

• Serving fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and limiting fat, sugar, and salt in food served by the 

program; 

• Monitoring foods from home and supplementing as needed, to ensure children are receiving nutritious meals 

and snacks; 

• Participating in the Child and Adult Care Food Program; 

• Providing information to families on the program's policies for nutrition, health and physical activity; 

• Providing information to families on the program's policies and practices regarding promoting positive 

behavior and guidance to children; 

• Requesting information from families upon enrollment, regarding any special needs, or health care needs, 

and information from an IEP or IFSP, if available; 

• Incorporating information from the child's IEP or IFSP, when provided by the family, for individual planning 

related to the child's health, physical, social, and emotional development and the child's activities; 

• Limiting Screen Time according to AAP and Caring for Our Children guidelines; 

• Recognizing programs that meet higher requirements for Health and Safety by awarding an Achievement in 

this area for programs certified in Let's Move! Child Care. Programs receiving this achievement are featured on 

the Maryland EXCELS website to highlight their commitment to health and wellness. 

 

Selection Criteria (D)(4) from NIA 

Describe the number and percent of Eligible Children served and the cost per slot.

 

Thirty-Nine percent of all four year olds in Maryland are being served in a publicly-funded prekindergarten 

program. Maryland's year 3 target was 3,333, and 4,272 students were served through PDG and State 

Prekindergarten funds. Maryland served 96.6% of the target number of eligible children in year 3. The cost per 

slot for new slots is $7,344 and the cost for improved slots is $3,672. 

 

While 20% of the subgrantees overall are not meeting their enrollment target, MSDE PreK monitors provide 

technical assistance by helping subgrantees with additional recruitment strategies. 

 
ED 524B Page 16 of 22
ED 524B Page 17 of 22

3. Collaborating with Each Subgrantee and Ensuring Strong Partnerships (Selection Criteria E 

of the application) 

Describe the extent to which the State has collaborated with each Subgrantee to ensure that each 

Subgrantee is effectively implementing High-Quality Preschool Programs (Selection Criteria E 

(1-9) of the application) and how the State ensures strong partnerships between each Subgrantee 

and LEAs or other Early Learning Providers, as appropriate.

 

 

MSDE provides on-going technical assistance to each subgrantee to successfully implement a high-quality 

prekindergarten. Initially, technical assistance webinars are conducted to provide an overview of the RFP 

requirements and submission procedures for potential grantees. At the completion of the grant application 

process, subgrantees submit grant applications which specify how they will meet the definition of High-Quality 

Prekindergarten and include a budget narrative on how the funds will be utilized. Grant applications are 

reviewed and scored by multiple reviewers. Applicants who are awarded the grant receive the PDG 

Administrative Manual which outlines all of the grant requirements for effectively implementing high quality 

PreK. A technical assistance webinar is conducted with new awardees to review processes and procedures for 

implementing high quality PreK, provide clarification on grant requirements, and answer questions. All 

subgrantees receive an initial visit from MSDE PreK monitors at the beginning of the school year to meet with 

program staff, observe classrooms, and develop a technical assistance plan, at which point on-going technical 

assistance begins. MSDE PreK Monitors conduct technical assistance visits multiple times throughout the year; 

however technical assistance is individualized based on the needs of each subgrantee. All subgrantees are 

monitored annually to ensure they are meeting the grant requirements, spending according to approved 

budget and plan, and meeting definition of high quality prekindergarten. Any community-based program 

receiving more than $100,000 of Federal funds falls under the State's annual auditing requirements. 

 

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is required between each LEA and the community-based PDG sites in 

its jurisdiction. The MOU establishes a partnership between the LEA and community-based PDG sites and may 

address the following: professional development opportunities, transition planning, support for ELL students 

and students with disabilities, data sharing, and parent support. In addition, each subgrantee is required to 

submit a collaboration check-in form twice per year which outlines the collaboration activities during a 

specified reporting period. 

4. Alignment Within a Birth Through Third Grade Continuum (Section F of the application) 

Describe progress the State has made for alignment within a birth through third grade continuum in 

activities for birth through age five programs ((F)(1)(a-b) in the NIA) and kindergarten through third 

grade ((F)(2)(a-d) in the NIA).

 

Maryland has developed early learning and development standards that align with the State's K-3 academic 

standards. 

 

Maryland's Early Learning and Development Standards: 

 

• are developmentally, culturally, and linguistically appropriate across each defined age group of infants, 

 toddlers, and preschoolers; 

• cover all Essential Domains of School Readiness; 

• align with the State's PreK-3 academic standards; and 

• are incorporated in Program Standards, curricula and activities, Comprehensive 

 Assessment Systems, the State's Workforce Knowledge and Competency Framework, and 

 professional development activities. 
ED 524B Page 18 of 22

 

The Maryland Early Learning Standards reflect the alignment of two resources - Healthy Beginnings' indicators 

from Birth to Age 4 (used prior to 2014) and the Prekindergarten through Grade 2 Maryland College and 

Career-Ready Standards. The Maryland Early Learning Standards have been disseminated to our early 

childhood stakeholders in a variety of ways such as an Appendix to our Supporting Every Young Learner- Guide 

to Early Childhood Pedagogy Birth to Age 8, online on the MSDE website, and presented to various 

stakeholders at conferences and workshops. Over the past few years, professional development has been 

provided statewide to support implementation and alignment of standards. In addition joint professional 

developed opportunities have been offered to PreK- Grade 2 teachers and administrators through a summer 

symposium held at multiple locations throughout the state. 

 

MSDE included strategies and activities in its ESSA plan that will begin to build a more robust Birth to 3rd grade 

continuum. Strategies are being included that will focus school districts on strengthening and improving the 

instructional quality of PreK-grade 2 classrooms in order to improve student outcomes by the next statewide 

data point in 3rd grade. Additionally, in 2017 MSDE began participating in a multi-state Birth to 3rd Grade 

Workgroup through Education Counsel in order to support and further develop the Birth to 3rd grade 

continuum work. 

 
ED 524B Page 19 of 22

Section A: Part C - Competitive Preference Priorities

Competitive Preference Priority 1: Contributing Matching Funds (if included in the State's 

approved application). 

Describe the progress the State has made on its credible plan for obtaining and using non-Federal 

matching funds to support the implementation of its ambitious and achievable plan during the grant 

period. For progress not made in this area, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that 

measurable progress will be made by the end of the grant period. Please describe any changes made 

to the data reported in Table 7(a); explain if your Year 3 Target differs from the Year 3 Actual.

 

While public schools provide access to economically disadvantaged four-year olds, defined as those whose 

families' household income is at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (FPG), Maryland's 

Prekindergarten Expansion Act extended the access to families with income levels up to 300% of FPG through 

state matching funds. Additionally, access was expanded beyond public schools to include community-based 

programs. Maryland's four-year plan for this grant includes strategies for identifying and recruiting four-year 

olds at 200% of FPG into prekindergarten slots at public schools and community-based programs across the 

state. 

 

PDG funds allow for improved slots. In Maryland, these slots are generally used to increase from half-day to 

full-day PreK. In year three, 1474 slots were increased from half-day to full-day. Maryland also uses the 

improved slots to fund Judy Centers to provide extensive comprehensive services to children aged birth to four. 

In Year 3, Maryland improved slots in Judy Centers for 945 children using PDG funding. 

 

The scope of Maryland's plan is statewide, thereby including many high-need communities in all regions of the 

State, but with a special emphasis on high-need communities in Baltimore City and expanding the highly 

effective Judy Center comprehensive services model. There are 21 Judy Centers under the PDG, and 31 funded 

by state and private funds. 

 

In FY 14, the Maryland State Department of Education, Baltimore City Public Schools and the Baltimore 

Community Foundation (BCF) entered into a public-private partnership agreement to increase the number of 

Judy Centers in Baltimore City. The partnership expanded rapidly and the Federal Preschool Development 

Grants (PDG) helped leverage philanthropic contributions allowing BCF to raise more funds through private 

support to open eight centers in Baltimore City within a 3-year period. Baltimore Community Fund contributed 

$1,320,000 for 3 years. There are 12 Judy Centers in Baltimore City, nine of which receive PDG funds. 

In 2016, the legislature passed HB 668 "Preschool Development Grants -Expansion Grants-Required State 

Funding" that provides an additional $3.7 million in FY 18 and $7.3 million in FY 19 in state matching funds to 

support the PDG. 

 

In 2017, the Maryland General Assembly passed HB 516 “Workgroup to Study Universal Access to 

Prekindergarten for 4-Year Olds.” MSDE convened a workgroup of stakeholders representing various early 

childhood interests to follow-up on a previous PreK Adequacy Study and make recommendations for 

implementing universal prekindergarten in the state. The recommendations were submitted to The Maryland 

Governor's Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education on September 1, 2017. The plan for 

implementation and continued funding beyond FY 2019 will be decided by the Maryland legislature. 
ED 524B Page 20 of 22

Competitive Preference Priority 2: Supporting the Continuum of Early Learning and 

Development (if included in the State's approved application). 

Describe progress made in creating a more seamless progression of supports and interventions from 

birth through third grade, such as high-quality infant and toddler care, home visitation, full-day 

kindergarten, and before and after care services for, at a minimum, a defined cohort of eligible children 

and their families within each high need community served by each Subgrantee. For progress not 

made in these areas, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that measurable progress will be 

made by the end of the grant period.

 

The strategic approach to Maryland's plan builds on the comprehensive systems development as implemented 

by the RTT-ELC. The key drivers for system stability and sustainability are: 

 

Establishing Maryland EXCELS as the state's quality rating and improvement system. Voluntary 

participation in Maryland's TQRIS program, Maryland EXCELS, applies to all early education and care programs 

in Maryland. It offers five check levels of quality with Level 5 being the highest. At Level 1, programs must be 

in good standing with State licensing requirements. Currently, 72% of all licensed child care centers and 40% of 

all registered family child care providers are participating in EXCELS. While not all licensed programs will join 

Maryland EXCELS, MSDE, through regulation, mandated that child care subsidy will only be available to licensed 

child care programs that participate in Maryland EXCELS. EXCELS also incorporates the program accreditation 

process, either facilitated through a national organization recognized by MSDE or MSDE's own program 

accreditation program for prekindergarten. 

 

The MOU between MSDE and all subgrantees includes a condition by which any subgrantee currently not 

participating in Maryland EXCELS (i.e. LEA prekindergarten subgrantees, subgrantees with a MSDE certified 

nursery schools, and State or nationally accredited community-based programs) is obligated to participate in 

Maryland EXCELS by July 1, 2018. 

 

Maryland EXCELS describes the coordination of early childhood education programs by standardizing the 

quality levels of all participating early learning providers and by including criteria that define specific practices 

in terms of early learning, family engagement, inclusion of children with disabilities, and updated business 

practices in administering the programs. As part of the RTT-ELC, the PDG plan establishes four types of 

supports for early learning providers entering EXCELS: 

 

o Johns Hopkins University - Center for Technology of Education, as the vendor supporting the online system, 

 provides technical support in terms of guiding programs through the online enrollment process; 

o MSDE's quality assurance specialists, serving 15 regions of the state, support the quality improvement 

 process, i.e. assisting programs to move from one check level to the next and to monitor the maintenance of 

 quality; 

o Regional Child Care Resource and Referral Centers build the capacity of programs to participate in Maryland 

 EXCELS; and 

o The PreK Education Monitors provide technical support to PreK subgrantees; this includes supports for 

 teachers in need of professional development, curriculum, and/or classroom management support. 

 

The Judy Centers which support birth through kindergarten offer comprehensive services such as: 

 

o Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation, including pediatric consultation; 

o Vision and hearing testing; 

o Health care referrals; 

o Service linkages programs in public schools; 

o Home Visiting services; and 

o Public libraries' outreach services (i.e. book mobiles, family centers). 
ED 524B Page 21 of 22

Competitive Preference Priority 3: Creating New High Quality State Preschool Slots (if included 

in the State's approved application). 

Describe progress made in using at least 50% of the State's federal grant award to create new State 

Preschool Program slots that will increase the overall number of new slots in State Preschool 

Programs that meet the definition of High-Quality Preschool Programs. For progress not made in this 

area, please describe the State's strategies to ensure that measurable progress will be made by the 

end of the grant period.

 

Maryland exceeded the enrollment target set in the grant application for Year 3 by 28% overall. MSDE 

accomplished this by working with the 24 local Departments of Social Services which provided informational 

PreK flyers to eligible families. Technical assistance was provided to subgrantees on recruitment strategies and 

specifically partnering with local school systems to support enrollment as a partnership between the public and 

private sectors by jurisdiction. In addition, Maryland also reviewed the PreK data from last year and 

determined that the school systems typically served students at or below 200% of FPL whereas community 

based partners typically draw families between the 200-300% FPL. A funding strategy was developed to use 

Federal funds in the higher poverty communities and State funds in the communities in the 200-300% FPL 

range. 
ED 524B Page 22 of 22

Section B: Budget Information

Budget and Sustainability (Section G in the application) 

1. Please provide a brief explanation of any discrepancies between the State's approved budget and 

its total expenditures for the reporting year. Explain carry-over funds that have not been expended or 

obligated from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017.

Maryland did not spend as much as budgeted in Personnel and Fringe Benefits due to staff turnover and delays 

in hiring staff. Additionally, Maryland did not spend the budget for Contractual due to the R4K activities being 

completed using other funding sources.

2. Please describe any substantive changes that you anticipate to the State's Preschool Development 

Grant budget in the upcoming fiscal year (January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018).

No substantive changes anticipated.

3. Describe the State's progress on its plan for sustainability at the end of the grant period to ensure 

that the number and percentage of Eligible Children with access to High-Quality Preschool Programs 

in the State will be maintained or expanded, including to additional High-Need Communities.

In 2017, the Maryland General Assembly passed HB 516 “Workgroup to Study Universal Access to 

Prekindergarten for 4-Year Olds.” MSDE convened a workgroup of stakeholders representing various early 

childhood interests to follow-up on a previous PreK Adequacy Study and make recommendations for 

implementing universal prekindergarten in the state. The recommendations were submitted to The Maryland 

Governor's Commission on Innovation and Excellence in Education on September 1, 2017. The plan for 

implementation, the number and percentage of eligible children that will be served, and continued funding 

beyond the PDG will be decided by the Maryland legislature. 

4. Please provide a brief explanation of any discrepancies, if any, between the Subrecipients' 

approved budgets and their total expenditures for the reporting year. Explain carry-over funds that 

have not been expended or obligated from January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017.

An amount of $292,602.54 from year 2 was returned by Prince George's County Public Schools due to several 

personnel changes in the finance department. These funds will be a carry-over to year 4.