State board subcommittee outlines mixed‑delivery work, $4,000 grant and quarterly meetings

Mister Greer, chair of the Early Childhood Education and Care Subcommittee of the Maryland State Board of Education, told the Education Transformation and Finance Committee that the subcommittee is meeting quarterly to coordinate stakeholders around pillar 1 work on early childhood.

The subcommittee’s stated objective is to “help build a work group … to improve and deepen communication and connection between early childhood stakeholders, existing MSDE early childhood committees, and the state board of education,” Greer said. He told the committee the stakeholder membership includes representatives from BCAC, OCCAC, various providers and MSDE staff.

Greer said the subcommittee has been accepted into the National Association of State Boards of Education’s early childhood committee and is using that network to “learn from some of the other states that are leading in this field.” He added that the group received a $4,000 grant and that the subcommittee will vote next week on how to apply those funds. “We are presenting … in early June … as a part of NASBE’s convening on early childhood,” Greer said.

Committee members praised the effort. Chair Crawford said the superintendent had highlighted childcare at a recent Prince George’s County town hall and endorsed the subcommittee’s focus on getting early childhood learning “right the first time.”

The subcommittee’s next meeting is scheduled for May 20; Greer said stakeholders will meet then to finalize how to use the grant and advance the mixed‑delivery strategy discussed in the panel.

The update was presented as an informational item; no formal action or vote on program policy was recorded during the committee meeting.