Does the Montgomery County directive to close private schools apply to preschools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I childcare centers are going to close. My guess is b/c MoCo and Maryland have been doing so much to help with grants and guidance to get childcare reopened and remain open. Of course if we go back to Phase 1, then they will close except for essential

If we go back to Phase 1, does that mean all non-essential business have to close again?
And, also my private daycare center has K program for kindergartner, does that mean our daycare center has to turn its K program to virtual now till October 1? And, my kid is 4, so she can still attend in person?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No daycares are subject to state regulation - licensing is done by MSDE and not the county.

You are right but wrong. Montgomery County held back daycares from moving on to phase 2 for much longer than the rest of the state. That means they do have some type of control over daycares.

There was actually a huge controversy with that and MoCo tried to do that but the state told them they had to follow the state schedule. So MoCo ended up opening up daycares to everyone earlier than they wanted to. And they had to allow them to open for essential workers prior to that. They were never allowed to just shut them down.

Not really. The county obviously needed to have daycare for essential workers. Once the state ended the EPCC program, the county's hands were tied. They basically had to go along the state because they didn't have the resources to stand up and enforce their own requirements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I childcare centers are going to close. My guess is b/c MoCo and Maryland have been doing so much to help with grants and guidance to get childcare reopened and remain open. Of course if we go back to Phase 1, then they will close except for essential

For a long time I thought they'd close child care again the fall/winter if we see a spike. But the more I've thought about it, the less I think they will. EPCC was a mess, and a lot of the low enrollment was because parents didn't know they were eligible, and providers didn't know the process to reopen. That wouldn't an issue again, so I think if they tried to bring back EPCC there would be a lot more providers and kids. At that point you might as well just reopen them for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No daycares are subject to state regulation - licensing is done by MSDE and not the county.

You are right but wrong. Montgomery County held back daycares from moving on to phase 2 for much longer than the rest of the state. That means they do have some type of control over daycares.

There was actually a huge controversy with that and MoCo tried to do that but the state told them they had to follow the state schedule. So MoCo ended up opening up daycares to everyone earlier than they wanted to. And they had to allow them to open for essential workers prior to that. They were never allowed to just shut them down.

Not really. The county obviously needed to have daycare for essential workers. Once the state ended the EPCC program, the county's hands were tied. They basically had to go along the state because they didn't have the resources to stand up and enforce their own requirements.

There are no country childcare licensing requirements, only state. It is not regulated at the county level. That’s why they had to follow whatever the state requirements were in phases 1 and 2. And even if MoCo goes back to phase 1, the state no longer has the essential worker program active so they will remain open for everyone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No daycares are subject to state regulation - licensing is done by MSDE and not the county.

You are right but wrong. Montgomery County held back daycares from moving on to phase 2 for much longer than the rest of the state. That means they do have some type of control over daycares.

There was actually a huge controversy with that and MoCo tried to do that but the state told them they had to follow the state schedule. So MoCo ended up opening up daycares to everyone earlier than they wanted to. And they had to allow them to open for essential workers prior to that. They were never allowed to just shut them down.

Not really. The county obviously needed to have daycare for essential workers. Once the state ended the EPCC program, the county's hands were tied. They basically had to go along the state because they didn't have the resources to stand up and enforce their own requirements.

There are no country childcare licensing requirements, only state. It is not regulated at the county level. That’s why they had to follow whatever the state requirements were in phases 1 and 2. And even if MoCo goes back to phase 1, the state no longer has the essential worker program active so they will remain open for everyone.

Interesting, I didn't realize that. So, does that mean private daycare that also provides childcare hours (8am to 6pm) for Kindergarten program & 1st grade program, they can open to them in person because they are considered childcare (regulated by state)?
And, how about private school that has preschool program to 8th grade program, what happens to their preschool age kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No daycares are subject to state regulation - licensing is done by MSDE and not the county.

You are right but wrong. Montgomery County held back daycares from moving on to phase 2 for much longer than the rest of the state. That means they do have some type of control over daycares.

There was actually a huge controversy with that and MoCo tried to do that but the state told them they had to follow the state schedule. So MoCo ended up opening up daycares to everyone earlier than they wanted to. And they had to allow them to open for essential workers prior to that. They were never allowed to just shut them down.

Not really. The county obviously needed to have daycare for essential workers. Once the state ended the EPCC program, the county's hands were tied. They basically had to go along the state because they didn't have the resources to stand up and enforce their own requirements.

There are no country childcare licensing requirements, only state. It is not regulated at the county level. That’s why they had to follow whatever the state requirements were in phases 1 and 2. And even if MoCo goes back to phase 1, the state no longer has the essential worker program active so they will remain open for everyone.

Interesting, I didn't realize that. So, does that mean private daycare that also provides childcare hours (8am to 6pm) for Kindergarten program & 1st grade program, they can open to them in person because they are considered childcare (regulated by state)?
And, how about private school that has preschool program to 8th grade program, what happens to their preschool age kids?

I think it depends on what type of license the school has.

[Anonymous]

The order has the word "preschools" in it, so I thikn it does apply.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The order has the word "preschools" in it, so I thikn it does apply.

It does not make any senses that all daycare (aka preschools) will close in person to all kids 3 year & above this coming Monday. I think the order applies to private schools that opens at school year (September 1 opening something like that).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No daycares are subject to state regulation - licensing is done by MSDE and not the county.

You are right but wrong. Montgomery County held back daycares from moving on to phase 2 for much longer than the rest of the state. That means they do have some type of control over daycares.

There was actually a huge controversy with that and MoCo tried to do that but the state told them they had to follow the state schedule. So MoCo ended up opening up daycares to everyone earlier than they wanted to. And they had to allow them to open for essential workers prior to that. They were never allowed to just shut them down.

Not really. The county obviously needed to have daycare for essential workers. Once the state ended the EPCC program, the county's hands were tied. They basically had to go along the state because they didn't have the resources to stand up and enforce their own requirements.

There are no country childcare licensing requirements, only state. It is not regulated at the county level. That’s why they had to follow whatever the state requirements were in phases 1 and 2. And even if MoCo goes back to phase 1, the state no longer has the essential worker program active so they will remain open for everyone.

Right- the state handles licensing requirements. But Hogan's executive order gave local counties broad leeway to close businesses. That was their justification for keeping daycares closed for a week after MSDE reopened them elsewhere in the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The order has the word "preschools" in it, so I thikn it does apply.

I don’t see the word preschool in there anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No clue. Our center goes from infants through kindergarten and they just got licensed to offer 1st and 2nd grade too.

Ooh - which center is this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No clue. Our center goes from infants through kindergarten and they just got licensed to offer 1st and 2nd grade too.

Ooh - which center is this?

The Goddard School in Gaithersburg. I think the Silver Spring location is doing it too.

They've always offered kindergarten, but expanded from 1 to 3 classes, given the number of parents who didn't want their kids doing kindergarten virtually through MCPS. They were planning on offering 1st and 2nd grade if there was enough demand, though I don't know how this order will impact that.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone gotten clarification on this from their private pre-k schools? Waiting to hear if Georgetown Hill in MoCo can open private kindergarten.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No clue. Our center goes from infants through kindergarten and they just got licensed to offer 1st and 2nd grade too.

Ooh - which center is this?

The Goddard School in Gaithersburg. I think the Silver Spring location is doing it too.

They've always offered kindergarten, but expanded from 1 to 3 classes, given the number of parents who didn't want their kids doing kindergarten virtually through MCPS. They were planning on offering 1st and 2nd grade if there was enough demand, though I don't know how this order will impact that.

Not Pp, but my kid is in Goddard school in Gaithersburg pre-k program because she is 4 year old. I wonder will this new regulation will make the whole school closed in person ( even babies till pre k program) because they offer program up to 2nd grade. Even they decide to drop the 1st & 2nd grade class, they still have 3 classrooms of kindergarten programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No clue. Our center goes from infants through kindergarten and they just got licensed to offer 1st and 2nd grade too.

Ooh - which center is this?

The Goddard School in Gaithersburg. I think the Silver Spring location is doing it too.

They've always offered kindergarten, but expanded from 1 to 3 classes, given the number of parents who didn't want their kids doing kindergarten virtually through MCPS. They were planning on offering 1st and 2nd grade if there was enough demand, though I don't know how this order will impact that.

Not Pp, but my kid is in Goddard school in Gaithersburg pre-k program because she is 4 year old. I wonder will this new regulation will make the whole school closed in person ( even babies till pre k program) because they offer program up to 2nd grade. Even they decide to drop the 1st & 2nd grade class, they still have 3 classrooms of kindergarten programs.

If they are licensed as a daycare too, could then not just change their K program to child care officially while still "teaching" K skills