Pre-K enrollment in Maryland ticks back up under Blueprint. What are benefits, challenges?

For the first time since the pandemic, the number of children in Maryland enrolled in pre-Kindergarten programs climbed above 30,000 last year. Since then, that number has grown even more and additional enrollment is expected. The state is in the early stages of implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a decade-long education reform law, which requires an expansion of full-day pre-K for 3-and 4-year-old children.