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Maya Lora

Maya

Maya Lora is an early childhood education reporter who covers how Maryland can best support young children and their families, from pregnancy through kindergarten, a critical stage in brain development. She previously covered diversity, equity and inclusion for The Baltimore Sun. Originally from Miami, she moved to Baltimore from the Lakeland Ledger, where she spent two years covering growth and development and Polk County government. She spent her early years interning at The Hill in Washington, D.C. and the Miami Herald while getting her bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University, with majors in journalism and English.

The latest from Maya Lora

Legacy Houston and Sin Armstead read together in Danielle White’s kindergarten class at KIPP Baltimore.
Your kid learned the ‘science of reading’ this year. Here’s how to help it stick.
Maryland parents play a crucial role in reinforcing reading skills at home.
Kermit The Frog addresses graduates at the 2025 Commencement ceremony at the University of Maryland, College Park, on Thursday, May 22, 2025.
Kermit the Frog tells UMD grads to hold each other tight and take leaps of faith
Kermit appeared behind a podium on a stage lit in green to mark his arrival at the University of Maryland, College Park, graduation.
Kayla Case and her son, Silas, 4, and daughter, Serena, 3, at Georgetown East Elementary School in Annapolis, where Case is a reading and math intervention teacher.
Her final assignment before graduation? Beating Stage 3 cancer
Anne Arundel County teacher Kayla Case earned her second master’s degree after battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Corey Bryce reads a book with her 1-year-old daughter, Julien, inside their Columbia, Maryland home on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. Julien has been in an infants & toddlers program since she was about 4 months old, and Bryce says she knows she won’t be able to afford preschool without the money the state plans to funnel into pre-kindergarten education.
These parents are leaving work to stay home with their kids — but not by choice
Maryland laid-off federal workers have suddenly found themselves in the nation’s oldest job: full-time parenthood.
What we know about 36 in-custody deaths auditors say should have been ruled homicides
The Banner attempted to reach relatives and attorneys associated with each of the 36 deaths that the audit found should have been ruled as homicides.
Brooke Bourne, center, a senior at Western High School, answers a question from the audience during Monday evening’s community discussion on the Baltimore student transportation crisis.
Baltimore kids can’t get to school on time. Here are 5 ways to fix that.
The Baltimore Banner gathered over 100 people to discuss solutions to the city’s transportation nightmare for kids.
Advocates formed the Maryland Child Alliance to establish a fund for parents of newborns in Baltimore.
Baltimore ‘baby bonus’ advocates hit another roadblock
The Maryland Child Alliance is back to collecting signatures to create a fund for parents of newborns.
Baltimore Police officers respond to the scene after a child was shot in the 800 block of Vine Street on Saturday, May 3, 2025.
6-year-old boy found dead with gunshot wound inside Baltimore home, police say
A 6-year-old boy was found dead with a gunshot wound inside a Southwest Baltimore home, Police Commissioner Richard Worley said Saturday.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 02: Taraji P. Henson attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 02, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California.
Taraji P. Henson wants to boost mental health services at HBCUs. She came to Baltimore.
The Maryland high school graduate and Howard University alumna wants to help Black women navigate mental health services at HBCUs.
The Blueprint for Maryland's Future calls for all 4-year-olds to attend pre-K. Right now, fewer than half are enrolled in a publicly funded programs.
Even as spending rises, under half of Maryland 4-year-olds attend public pre-K
Here’s how Maryland pre-K compares to the rest of the nation, by the numbers.
Sunny Days, a child care program in Riverdale, has been the near-perfect program for Jessalyn Schwartz's 3-year-old daughter. Sunny Days is expected to be shut down by the federal government in August.
Maryland child care centers in federal buildings face an uncertain future
One Maryland day care's likely closure shows how easily life can be disrupted for families relying on child care in federal buildings.
New Village Academy faced a series of setbacks, including the sale of the Annapolis Mall to a new owner just as the school was negotiating its lease.
Annapolis was supposed to get a new charter school. Then Trump took office.
New Village Academy canceled plans to open this fall, blaming tariffs and upheaval in federal funding.
Maryland's popular child care scholarship program will stop giving out new scholarships for at least four months.
How to get a Maryland child care scholarship before they’re gone
Parents have less than a month to secure state funds that help families pay for child care.
Many education-related bills, some with big promises, failed to make it out of this year’s legislative session.
What Maryland lawmakers changed about child care, schools and colleges
Most eyes were locked on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future this legislative session. Here’s how the state’s other education bills faired.
Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley addresses a crowd of protesters outside at the Social Security Administration headquarters in Woodlawn on Saturday.
O’Malley fires up ‘Hands Off!’ protesters: ‘Never gonna give up in this fight for Social Security!’
Hundreds of thousands of people attended more than 1,000 “Hands Off!”-related protests nationwide focused on President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk.
Around this October, Port Discovery will welcome two new exhibits: Galactic Builders and SKIES, funded both by private donations and some state support over the past couple of years.
Port Discovery is getting an upgrade. Here’s a first look.
The children's museum's new exhibits will include rocket launching, fort building and a Baltimore streetscape.
Deanna Patterson helps daughter Ellis with arts and crafts. Catonsville Cooperative Preschool is unique in that parents have a present and hands-on educational experience with their children during the school day.
Anne Arundel County to end free pre-K for 3-year-olds
The school system has offered pre-K 3 for the last three school years.
State Superintendent Carey Wright and school school board president Josh Michael, center, at a press conference earlier this year.
Maryland schools face ‘catastrophic’ loss of $418 million in federal funds
The U.S. Department of Education told Maryland education leaders that they will not reimburse schools for $418 million in funds they had already committed to giving them.
Jessica Brady Reader testified in February in favor of a bill that would give a one-time tax credit to parents of stillborn babies.
Grieving parents of stillborn babies would receive $1,000 tax credit under Maryland bill
The one-time tax credit for families of stillborn babies could help defray unexpected costs and pain of losing a child.
Pocomoke High School math teacher La'Tier Evans helps a student with an algebra assignment in her classroom on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023 in Pocomoke City, MD. Evans was inspired to teach after having a Black teacher in the eighth grade, and is now Worcester County’s only Black secondary math teacher.
Judge blocks Trump cuts to Maryland teacher recruitment efforts
The initial victory comes the same day the Department of Education said it would lay off more than 1,300 employees.
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