The purpose of CCPS's PreKindergarten Programs is to prepare children for Kindergarten. Both 3- and 4-year old programs are full day five day a week, taught by certified staff, and transportation is provided. The comprehensive curriculum supports early learning and school readiness, and provides experiences that foster a child's academic, social, emotional and physical development.

To qualify for PreK Programs, a child's parent/guardian must be a resident of Caroline County and determined eligible by meeting federal income guidelines. Income examples include:

• Current Tax return - 1040, W2s, Schedule C/1099

• One month of consecutive pay stubs (most recent)

• Notarized Employment Letter

• Notarized letter of no income

• Military Income (excludes Basic Allowance for Housing benefit) 

• Proof of additional income (TCA letter, child support, rental income, unemployment verification, etc.)

Children cannot be accepted into PreK Programs at any location without verification of income.

In June, parents will receive a letter notifying them if their child qualifies for the PreK Programs.

PreK Immunization Letter:   English   |  Spanish  |   Haitian Creole

PreKindergarten 4 Year Old Program

2024-2025 School Year: PreK-4 date of birth on or after Sept. 2, 2019 and on or before Sept. 1, 2020.

The PreK 4 Year Old Programs are located in each elementary school, and children are assigned based on where they live.

PreKindergarten 3 Year Old Program

2024-2025 School Year: PreK-3 Date of birth on or after Sept. 2, 2020 and on or before Sept. 1, 2021.

PreK-3 Programs are located in the Federalsburg Judy Center Early Learning Hubs, the Greensboro Judy Center Early Learning Hubs, Preston Elementary School and Ridgely Elementary School. Children in the Federalsburg, Greensboro, Preston and Ridgely areas will be assigned to their home school. Children in the Denton area will be assigned to either Preston or Ridgely, as determined by the space available.

All children whose date of birth is on or after September 2, 2018, and on or before September 1, 2019, are required by Maryland law to begin kindergarten in September 2024.

To enroll your child in Kindergarten, please visit the Enrollment-Attendance page.

Kindergarten Immunization Letter:   English   |  Spanish  |   Haitian Creole

Universal Screeners - DIBELS 8 Letter: English Universal Screener I Spanish Universal Screener I  Haitian Creole Universal Screener

The State of Maryland is using a tool to learn more about children’s early learning experiences. This tool will provide teachers and parents information used to help children learn and grow. The new Kindergarten Readiness Assessment will be used by kindergarten teachers to measure what children know and can do when entering Kindergarten in the early learning areas of social skills, language and literacy, cognitive development, and physical well-being and motor development. (This assessment will NOT determine whether a child can be enrolled in Kindergarten.)

There are three ways for a child to show what he or she knows and is able to do:

• Selecting the answer to a question (example: “Show me the block that is the largest of three.”)

• Performing a requested task (example: retelling a short story)

• Being observed by the teacher during the school day’s activities or collecting their work samples

The Kindergarten teachers will have until November 1st to complete the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment. It will help them tailor their instruction to the needs of each child. When the assessment is complete, teachers will share the report with families. This report will help families and teachers work as partners so that our children are successful in school.

More Information on KRA

Caroline County Readiness Matters Data

Maryland Readiness Matters Data

Applications for early entrance to kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year will be accepted prior to July 1, 2024. 

According to Maryland State Department of Education regulations, to enter Kindergarten for the 2024-2025 school year:

• Children must be five years of age by September 1, 2024.

• Children who will turn five years old between September 2 and October 15, 2024 are eligible for consideration for the early entrance to kindergarten process.

• There will be no consideration, including an appeals process, for children with birthdates are beyond October 15, 2024.

To be recommended for early entrance to kindergarten, children must meet district eligibility criteria on standardized measures of cognitive functioning, academic readiness, and social/emotional development.  The standards for early entrance are very high in order to ensure that students are not frustrated by their advanced grade placement.

Applying for Early Entrance to Kindergarten

Parents/guardians who wish to apply for early entrance to kindergarten must submit a written request to the principal of their residence school prior to July 1, 2024. The principal will explain the process to the parents/guardians and provide the forms that need to be completed. The early entrance assessment team will contact the parent to schedule the assessment session.

Parents will participate in a result meeting at a later date; therefore, results will not be provided on the day of the assessment. There will be no retesting if the child is not recommended for kindergarten.

Elizabeth Saylor
Supervisor of Early Childhood
410.479.3246 x 1128 | saylor.elizabeth@ccpsstaff.org