The Sandbox: Turning Commitment to Action: A Year of Partnership
We just released our latest annual report, a look back at an inspiring year of progress, partnership, and purpose for early care and education (ECE) in Montgomery County. This report details the milestones and accomplishments of FY25, and that work has gained momentum in the early months of FY26. We are excited to continue to build and grow as we move into 2026.
We are in a transformative moment for families with young children. Economic uncertainty continues to place pressure on caregivers, and the need for a strong, equitable ECE system has never been clearer. Over the past year, our community came together to make meaningful and measurable progress toward our mission of ensuring that every child in the County has access to high-quality early learning experiences. Some of the year’s biggest accomplishments include:
Breaking down barriers to Pre-K participation: With the support of $1 million in County funding, we piloted new strategies to help more families access high-quality Pre-K.
Elevating public awareness of ECE in the County: Our outreach efforts engaged families and community members across 15 local gatherings, including Read Across America week and multiple Month of the Young Child events.
The release of our second Fiscal Map: This comprehensive analysis of federal, state, and local investments helped strengthen our understanding of the County’s ECE system.
A Defining Milestone: The Common Agenda
Our most significant accomplishment of 2025 was the completion of the Montgomery County Early Care and Education Common Agenda. This shared vision, shaped by educators, parents, advocates, and community leaders, charts a path forward for our ECE system, as we seek to meet an ambitious goal: By 2030, 75% of children in Montgomery County will demonstrate readiness for Kindergarten. The launch of work groups aligned with the strategies of the Common Agenda is helping to bring this goal to fruition, and this work will continue in 2026.
The Work Ahead
We’re proud of the momentum we’ve built, and we are excited to carry this urgency into 2026. The feedback from the community and the learnings from our latest Fiscal Map are clear: persistent challenges – including limited seat availability, workforce instability, and inequitable access to care – demand bold, collective solutions…now.
And we can’t do it alone. The months ahead offer powerful opportunities to continue building an ECE system that truly works for every family in Montgomery County. We invite you to read the Annual Report, share it with your networks, and get involved in our advocacy efforts in the coming year. Together, we can turn our vision into shared action.