Early Childhood Education - Prekindergarten and Kindergarten Programs
Early Childhood Vision: All children will enter school with the readiness skills necessary to become successful learners.
Here you will find a variety of resources designed to support and enrich your understanding of the CCPS early childhood programs. In addition, this website provides forms, information, and educational links that can help support your efforts in developing the foundational skills needed by your child to be a successful learner.
Mandy Feeney, Program Coordinator for Early Childhood - mfeeney@ccps.org
Allyson Veasey, Program facilitator for Early Childhood - aveasey@ccps.org
Dawn Branch, Early Childhood Grant Assistant - dbranch@ccps.org
Questions about early childhood program may be directed to the Early Childhood Department at 410-996-5401 Ext 54423.
What does it mean to be ready for school?
School readiness is often thought of as knowledge related to literacy and language, mathematics, science content and behavior. What does it mean to teachers and administrators in CCPS? Children that are prepared for school have spent time exploring their world. They have learned about themselves, developed knowledge, and developed skills by playing in the contexts of the world around them. They have played and explored within their home, their neighborhood, possibly a child care setting, visited stores and other public locations. Children ready for school have listened to many stories read aloud to them, learned to dance and sing, and safely engage with items and objects within their environment. Children who are ready for school have been talked to frequently and have had endless conversations with others. Children who have been able to engage in the experiences listed above have learned to take direction from adults, learned to engage with other children in appropriate ways, have learned to perform age appropriate self-care skills, and have learned to regulate and express their needs, wants and emotions appropriate to their age.
Formalized school teaches children knowledge and skills related to literacy and language, mathematics, science and social studies. Here at CCPS we’ve got that covered in Kindergarten. From birth to age 5, the adults in children's lives and the early environments they live and play in prepare children for school through interaction, exploration, love and kindness. These are the children who are ready for school.
REGISTRATION FOR THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR beings on April 1.
Please find a downloadable Kindergarten Application Guidelines document HERE. Spanish version found HERE.
Click HERE to access the registration page.
EARLY ADMISSION TO KINDERGARTEN
Cecil County Public Schools offers children who turn five between September 2 and October 15, the opportunity to be evaluated for Early Admission to Kindergarten. A child MUST turn five on or before October 15 to be eligible for early admission. The window to request consideration for early admission closes on June 15.
The intent of early admission into kindergarten is to make kindergarten available to younger children who demonstrate outstanding or exceptional capabilities and are ready to work in a classroom with older children. The standards for early admission to kindergarten are very high to ensure that children are not frustrated with the advanced placement.
Children will be evaluated at the end of June as part of a 3 hour playgroup session. Two dates in June are all that are offered for our evaluation playgroups and cannot be rescheduled or offered at another time. Families will be notified of the early admission decision in July.
Proof of residency and a birth certificate are required for the early admission process. If you are interested in Early Admission to Kindergarten for your child, please complete this Google Form.
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