Maryland § 7-1A-09

§ 7-1A-09.

    (a)    (1)    The Department shall establish prekindergarten provider hubs in centralized and diverse locations throughout the State.

        (2)    Prekindergarten provider hubs shall be designed to help bring as many providers into the State’s mixed prekindergarten delivery system as possible.

        (3)    Prekindergarten provider hubs shall form partnerships between:

            (i)    Early childhood educators on the early childhood educator career ladder;

            (ii)    Child care centers licensed under Title 9.5, Subtitle 4 of this article;

            (iii)    Family child care homes or large family child care homes registered under Title 9.5, Subtitle 3 of this article; and

            (iv)    Any other entities that the Department determines will aid in bringing eligible children into the State’s mixed delivery system.

        (4)    Prekindergarten provider hubs shall coordinate support among entities that serve children and their families to ensure that the maximum number of eligible children are able to be placed in a prekindergarten slot.

    (b)    (1)    The Department shall establish a program to aid eligible prekindergarten providers in meeting the requirements of this subtitle.

        (2)    The program shall provide to eligible private providers:

            (i)    Information on professional development opportunities for teachers and teaching assistants;

            (ii)    Technical support for meeting requirements to enroll in child care support programs; and

            (iii)    Assistance with implementing early childhood curriculum standards.

        (3)    To the extent practicable, the Department shall provide programmatic support in accordance with this subsection through prekindergarten provider hubs.

    (c)    (1)    The Department shall publish a list of eligible private providers in each local school system on its website and distribute the list to the following entities and organizations located within the areas in which the eligible private providers are located:

            (i)    A local office of economic development;

            (ii)    The Maryland Small Business Development Center;

            (iii)    A local management board;

            (iv)    A local workforce development board; and

            (v)    A local office supporting minority and women–owned businesses.

        (2)    An entity or organization listed under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall, if applicable, assist a private prekindergarten provider in its jurisdiction with:

            (i)    Enrolling in business support services for which the provider qualifies; and

            (ii)    Adopting a business plan to help the provider meet the requirements of this subtitle.

        (3)    To the extent practicable, organizations listed under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall work with prekindergarten provider hubs to provide support.

    (d)    The Department shall publicize the availability of publicly funded prekindergarten programs to the public.