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Summary
HB1374 would expand Maryland’s publicly funded prekindergarten system to allow eligible private providers to enroll certain 3-year-olds who qualify as Tier I children, beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. Under current law, Tier I generally refers to 4-year-olds from low-income families or homeless youth; this bill adds a separate pathway for 3-year-olds in counties where eligible private providers choose to participate. Those providers would receive public funding for the enrolled 3-year-olds, but only if they meet existing program requirements and sign a memorandum of understanding with the State Department of Education and the county board.
The bill also requires the Department to notify local social services and health departments when private providers in a county elect to serve Tier I 3-year-olds, so families can be informed about eligibility and enrollment options. It further requires county memoranda of understanding to address efficient enrollment of 3-year-olds, and it clarifies that these children count toward the county’s required share of private-provider prekindergarten slots. The bill is prospective only and does not affect children already enrolled or scheduled to enroll in public-provider prekindergarten before June 30, 2025.
Impact
HB1374 amends multiple provisions of the Education Article governing Maryland’s mixed-delivery prekindergarten system. It narrows the definition of Tier I child for public prekindergarten to 4-year-olds, while creating a new statutory category for certain 3-year-olds served by eligible private providers. It also adds new notice, funding, and memorandum-of-understanding requirements, and adjusts county slot-counting rules so 3-year-olds enrolled through eligible private providers are included in the private-provider slot calculations. The bill would therefore expand the reach of publicly funded prekindergarten into an earlier age group, but only through private providers and only in counties where providers opt in.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the bill appears to be framed as a parental-choice and early-learning expansion measure. The sponsor list suggests broad support among House delegates, especially those favoring private-provider participation in public prekindergarten. No contrary testimony or recorded opposition is included in the provided context, so the overall sentiment cannot be measured from debate history here, but the bill’s structure indicates a generally supportive posture toward expanding access for younger children through private providers.
Contention
The main policy tension is between expanding access for 3-year-olds and preserving the existing public-provider prekindergarten structure. The bill limits the new 3-year-old option to eligible private providers, which may raise questions about equity, capacity, and whether public providers should also be allowed to serve this age group. Another likely point of contention is administrative complexity: counties, the Department, and private providers must coordinate memoranda of understanding, funding flows, slot tracking, and family notices. Finally, because the bill changes how Tier I children are defined and counted, stakeholders concerned about resource allocation, local control, and the pace of prekindergarten expansion may view the measure differently.