CUMBERLAND — Construction of a nearly $24 million early childhood education center is underway at Washington Middle School.
Allegany County Public Schools began the construction project in August.
Once complete, the center will offer 240 more pre-K openings for 3- and 4-year-old students who live in the South Penn, John Humbrid and Westside Elementary school districts.
“I am a huge, huge supporter and proponent of early childhood education,” Superintendent Michael Martirano said. “The more we front load our young people, there will be better readiness for learning.”
The additional space will allow the school system to meet the expanded pre-K requirements of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which is a 10-year state plan to improve the quality of public education.
One of the mandates of the Blueprint is to improve early childhood education and to increase the enrollment of 3- and 4-year-olds in full-day, high-quality pre-K.
Early intervention in education has shown to be beneficial later in life, said Fannia Boayue, coordinator of the Frostburg State University Early Childhood/Elementary Program.
“We know from the research that the earlier we start working with children, the better chances are for success,” Boayue said.
Students who attend preschool have higher chances of graduating high school, taking the SAT and attending college, according to a 2021 Massachusetts Institute of Technology study.
Having the extra space will also help prepare the school system for an expected influx of pre-kindergartners in the county.
“We’re on a three year trajectory of increased enrollment levels in pre-K,” Martirano said. “We did not have enough existing areas (in) those three schools.”
While ACPS made its first steps at expanding pre-K in 2022 when the school system created the Westmar Early Learning Center, the new Eastern Allegany Early Childhood Center at Washington Middle is its first construction project related to meeting the Blueprint requirements.
The 37,620-square-foot building, which early projections estimated will cost $24 million when fully complete, will have space for 13 classrooms, special education programs, a media center, a multipurpose room for dining and physical education.
“This project was funded 89% from the state and 11% from the county,” Supervisor of Maintenance and Construction Jay Marley said.
The center will also feature the Judy Center, a hub where families with young children or families who are expecting children can access support services to prepare kids for success before they start school.
So far, there haven’t been any overwhelming obstacles to construction, but working while students and faculty work as normal in Washington Middle complicates the process, Marley said.
“We’re building next to a very busy middle school that’s operating, and our mandate is that we’re not going to interrupt the operation of Washington Middle School,” Marley said. “So, if there’s a challenge, that would be it.”
Even though it’s a “tight site,” Martirano said the benefits will be plentiful.
“When we have our students getting the support they need, that ultimately helps them achieve their literacy goals and their numeracy goals, and keeps them in school on track for their trajectory to graduation,” Martirano said.