CCPS prekindergarten program application opens March 28

Charles County Public Schools

March 22, 2022

Starting Monday, March 28, Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) will begin to accept applications for the 2022-2023 school year prekindergarten program. Beginning with Fall 2022, CCPS will offer a full-day prekindergarten program at all 22 elementary schools.

To be considered for prekindergarten, a child must be four years old on or before Sept. 1, 2022, and must be a Charles County resident. New with the application process this year are student placement criteria changes as well as an income verification requirement for all families applying for prekindergarten. The program changes align with requirements outlined in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future legislation.

Admission to prekindergarten is not guaranteed. Applications for prekindergarten must be completed online using the CCPS registration system in ParentVue. To register, parents will need to know what elementary school is zoned for their physical home address. Parents can use the online School Locator Infoshare system to review school zones at https://www.ccboe.com/departments/transportation/school-locator. Select the How to Use School Locator (Infoshare) option for step-by-step directions.

Parents will also need to select the correct tier application for their child. Criteria for each tier is outlined below. Income guidelines for prekindergarten tiers are posted on the CCPS website at https://www.ccboe.com/departments/prekindergarten/application-tiers.

Tier I – priority student placement

  • Students whose families meet Tier I income guidelines.

  • Students who are homeless or in foster care.

  • Students who have a current, active Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

  • Tier I students may be offered a space in prekindergarten at a school outside of their school zone if their home school program is full at the time of acceptance.

    • Students will receive transportation to and from the out-of-zone school.

Tier II

  • Students whose families do not meet Tier I income guidelines but fall within the Tier II income guidelines.

  • Tier II students may be placed in prekindergarten if space remains available after all Tier I students are placed.

  • Tier II students may be placed in prekindergarten after the school year begins.

  • Tier II students will be placed on a wait list in the following order:

    • Child’s primary language is not English.

    • Child lives with elderly grandparent or elderly guardian (parent not in household), parent has a diagnosed chronic illness impacting the ability to care for the child, or parent is or will be deployed for six months or more.

Tier III

  • Any student whose family does not meet Tier I or Tier II income guidelines.

  • Tier III students may be placed in prekindergarten if space remains available after all Tier I and Tier II students are placed.

  • Tier III students will be placed on a wait list in the following order:

    • Child’s primary language is not English.

    • Child lives with elderly grandparent or elderly guardian (parent not in household), parent has a diagnosed chronic illness impacting the ability to care for the child, or parent is or will be deployed for six months or more.

    • Birth date order beginning with September birth dates.

  • If space remains for Tier III students, parents will be notified by email of program acceptance and placement will not start until after the school year begins.

Any Tier II or Tier III applications submitted after July 31, 2022, will be added to the bottom of the program wait list.

Parents with children already enrolled in CCPS can use their active ParentVue account to register a child for prekindergarten. After logging in, parents can select Online Registration from the upper-right hand corner. The application will not be available in ParentVue until March 28.

Parents new to CCPS will need to create a ParentVue account to complete an online prekindergarten application. This process requires a valid email address. Click here to access ParentVue or visit www.ccboe.com and select ParentVue from the top right menu.

Application requirements

All required documents must be uploaded before an application can be processed. These documents include:

  • Income verification documents.

  • Two proofs of domicile.

  • Child’s birth certificate.

  • Child’s immunization record.

  • Copy of parent/guardian driver’s license.

Parents with questions about the required documents can visit https://www.ccboe.com/parents/online-registration.

Additional information about the CCPS prekindergarten program is posted on the CCPS website at https://www.ccboe.com/departments/prekindergarten.

Parents who need assistance with the online application process can email OLSsupport@ccboe.com with questions.

 About CCPS

Charles County Public Schools provides 27,000 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 37 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Kathy Kiessling, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event. CCPS provides nondiscriminatory equal access to school facilities in accordance with its Use of Facilities rules to designated youth groups (including, but not limited to, the Boy Scouts).