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Early childhood education

    Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025 — Sarah Willey assembles a play kitchen set in her classroom for 2-year-olds at the new Little Oak Nursery School in Sykesville.
    When an Ellicott City preschool fell apart, its teachers rebuilt 15 minutes away
    The faces behind Little Oak Nursery School mostly come from the once beloved, now shuttered Mt. Hebron in Ellicott City where they all worked.
    Don’t let tariffs get you down: How to save on back-to-school shopping
    This year, Maryland parents may have to say no more often as they crunch shrinking back-to-school budgets.
    Mental health is declining for parents. There are places to get help in Baltimore.
    Maternal mental health has declined significantly across the nation in the last decade. That trend holds true in Baltimore, experts say
    How life has gotten worse for immigrant children under Trump 2.0
    As deportation efforts and anti-immigrant rhetoric ramp up, kids are feeling more isolated, losing benefits and risking long-term detriments.
    From left, Summer Cummings and Jade Waldron play a matching game together on a playground in Baltimore City.
    It’s not just childless adults: Kids could get hurt by Medicaid, SNAP cuts
    Spending cuts may be aimed at adults on paper, but kids could still end up without sufficient food and health care under the One Big Beautiful Bill.
    Amelia "Bindi" Ray, in red, a fifth grader at Riderwood Elementary School does school work with her classmates, in Baltimore, Thursday, May 1, 2025. Ray qualified to go to Scripps National Spelling Bee at the end of May.
    Baltimore City Schools may need to plug an $11 million hole left by the feds
    The U.S. Department of Education froze over $110 million for Maryland, including $11 million for Baltimore. Maryland’s Attorney General is suing to get it back.
    President Donald Trump holds up a signed executive order alongside Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, March 20, 2025.
    More than 20 states, including Maryland, sue Trump admin over frozen after-school and summer funding
    More than 20 states, including Maryland, sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Monday over billions of dollars in frozen education funding for after-school care, summer programs and more.
    Centennial Lane Elementary School
    Howard County parents want to ax pre-K to avoid redistricting. It’s not that simple
    Shuffling preschool classrooms doesn't fit in with Howard County's plan to expand pre-K access for high-need kids
    A lack of affordable child care in Baltimore means parents can't get to work and kids may not be ready for kindergarten, according to a report released Wednesday.
    Only half of kids under 5 in Baltimore can access early education, report says
    Researchers say a child's zip code or their parents' income shouldn't determine their access to early childhood education. But in Baltimore, it often does.
    The nonprofit Arts for Learning Maryland is planning to convert Thomas Jefferson Elementary/Middle School in West Baltimore into Dream Academy Charter School for the 2026 school year.
    Have an artsy kid? Baltimore approved a charter school just for them
    Ten years ago, an arts nonprofit launched a popular summer program at Thomas Jefferson Elementary/Middle School. In 2026, that vision will come to life full-time.
    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.
    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.
    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.
    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.
    Bestselling authors Erik Larson, Jennifer Weiner, and Percival Everett are three of the upcoming speakers at the Baltimore County Public Library's author series.
    Baltimore County Public Library takes a page from the Pratt with marquee author series
    The Baltimore County Public Library is taking a page from the Pratt library’s playbook and engaging the public with lively talks, much-needed services and even some parent-and-me desks so you can take your child to the library and get some work done.
    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.
    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.
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