Families who wish to apply for their student to attend Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ prekindergarten program in the 2024-2025 school year may do so online beginning at noon on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. AACPS offers prekindergarten programs for 3-year-olds in 12 schools and 4-year-olds in 64 schools.
As called for by the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future (Blueprint), families will apply for prekindergarten through a centralized online enrollment process that is managed by the AACPS Early Childhood Office. Prekindergarten registration is no longer first come, first served.
AACPS is required to offer prekindergarten enrollment to families who qualify under the priority enrollment qualifications set forth in the Blueprint. These qualifications, in priority order, are:
- household income at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) or families experiencing homelessness.
- students with active Individualized Education Plans or Individualized Family Service Plan.
- home language other than English.
Information about prekindergarten programs in AACPS and an online application can be found at www.aacps.org/earlychildhood beginning at noon on May 7, 2024.
Children enrolling in 3-year-old prekindergarten must be 3 years old on or before September 1, 2024. Children enrolling in 4-year-old prekindergarten must be 4 years old on or before September 1, 2024. Registration must be done by a parent or legal guardian and proof of identification must be uploaded along with the completed online application. No additional documentation is uploaded with the application.
Should seats remain after enrollment of students in the above categories, schools may enroll students with other readiness needs at the beginning of October. When offered a seat in the program, families applying for prekindergarten must provide:
- the student’s original birth certificate or birth record.
- a copy of the student’s immunization record.
- two proofs of residency (rental or mortgage agreement and current utility bill).
- custody order (if applicable).
Additionally, families must verify their income eligibility when offered a seat by submitting one of the following:
- Federal Income Tax Return (1040 statement), W2 or a C/1099 along with documentation related to other sources of income such as child support and/or rental income for each adult in the household
- Current award letter for Temporary Cash Assistance
- Current award letter for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
- Documentation for foster care
- McKinney-Vento Program Enrollment Form
Each elementary school in AACPS now has an assigned 4-year-old prekindergarten location. Families will be offered a seat in the program at the closest prekindergarten location with availability.
Families who do not have internet access or who need additional assistance completing an application should contact the school at which they intend to enroll their student. School staff are able to assist families with completion of the online application.
Information about the recommended immunizations for children entering school is available at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/.
Families with further questions or individual concerns can contact the Anne Arundel County Public Schools Early Childhood Office at earlychildhood@aacps.org.