Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is set to open the Early Learning Center at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year. The center, which will be housed in the building that once held the former St. Charles Children’s Learning Center, will expand the CCPS prekindergarten program.
The prekindergarten program offered at the center will be the same as those held in CCPS elementary schools, with students completing the program and moving on to kindergarten at their zoned school. The center will have the capacity for five classrooms, accommodating 90 to 100 four-year-old prekindergarten students. Some classrooms will also be inclusion classrooms with preschool-aged special needs students as well as typically developing peers. Transportation and meals will be provided to students.
The center’s instructional hours are tentatively scheduled from 9:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Families of students within the center’s attendance zone who are approved to attend prekindergarten will be notified that their child will attend the center. The state’s tier system will be followed for placement, and only students in the newly created zone will be able to attend school at the center. No out-of-zone requests will be accepted.
CCPS is currently 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 become available.
The building on the CSM La Plata campus has been leased by CCPS for two consecutive years with an option for an additional lease after June 2026. The building is currently undergoing renovations in anticipation of the start of the 2023-24 school year. By expanding access to high-quality early education programs, CCPS is fulfilling the early childhood education requirement found in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future legislation and preparing students for school readiness.
