Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is opening the Early Learning Center at the College of Southern Maryland at the start of the 2023-24 school year.
Housed in the building that held the former St. Charles Children’s Learning Center, the Early Learning Center expands the CCPS prekindergarten program.
The prekindergarten program at the center is the same as those held in CCPS elementary schools with students completing the program and advancing to kindergarten at their zoned school.
Students who attend the center will be zoned for the location which will have capacity for five classrooms for 90 to 100 four-year-old prekindergarten students. Some classrooms will be inclusion classrooms with preschool-aged special needs students as well as typically developing peers.
The CCPS prekindergarten curriculum will be followed. Transportation and meals will be provided to students. The hours of the center for instruction are tentatively set for 9:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Families of students within the center’s attendance zone who are approved to attend prekindergarten — the state’s tier system will be followed for placement — will be notified that their child will attend the center. Only students in the newly created zone will be able to attend school at the center. No out-of-zone requests will be honored. As of March 2023, a zone has not been finalized for the center.
Click here to learn more about the state’s tier system for prekindergarten enrollment. The prekindergarten application opens April 17 for the 2023-24 school year.
Click here for more information about the prekindergarten application process.
CCPS is in the process of hiring teachers, instructional assistants (IA) and other staff members for the center, including a coordinator who will oversee operations. Those interested in working at the center can learn more about the process on the MyCCPS page of www.ccboe.com. Positions will be listed on the Career Opportunities page as they are added.
CCPS is leasing the building on the CSM La Plata campus for two consecutive years with an option for an additional lease after June 2026.
The building, which is undergoing renovations in anticipation for the start of the 2023-24 school year, will be used by CCPS as part of the school system’s focus to fulfill the early childhood education requirement found in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future legislation.
One of the pillars of the Blueprint is the expansion of early childhood education program access. By expanding access to high-quality early education programs, CCPS is preparing students for school readiness.
