ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball yesterday broke ground on the Howard County Public School System’s (HCPSS) first-ever regional pre-kindergarten facility at the Faulkner Ridge Center in Columbia. Photos of the event can be found on the Howard County Government’s Flickr website.
As an educator and parent, the implementation of universal pre-K is an issue that is near and dear to my heart. I know how important it is for our youngest residents to receive high-quality education even before they set foot inside that kindergarten classroom. Sometimes, receiving that early education is the difference between having potential and reaching potential. I want to thank Governor Wes Moore, Senator Guy Guzzone, former Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary and our entire State Delegation for their strong advocacy to deliver State funding for Faulkner Ridge. Once complete, the Faulkner Ridge Early Learning Center will ensure that more families have access to a safe, high-quality environment where their child can learn and thrive.
In 2023, Ball announced that his transformational decision to direct $22 million in State pass-through funding to renovate the Faulkner Ridge Center to expand universal pre-K services. Faulkner Ridge opened in 1969 as an elementary school. In 1983, the school was closed and the building was repurposed before becoming fully vacant in 2011. The renovation will include new electrical, mechanical, plumbing, technology, roofing and life safety systems. Interior spaces will be reconfigured, new finishes provided and accessibility improved. When complete, 260 new pre-K seats will be available.
Thank you to County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball along with our State and County partners for their collaboration and funding for this dedicated PreK center. We look forward to welcoming our County’s youngest learners through these doors next school year, setting the foundation for lifelong learning and achievement and creating more equitable opportunities by helping to set them up for success as they begin their school careers.
“Finally, the day is here that this building is being turned around. We are moving at a faster pace to meet the needs of our traditionally underserved students, we are moving towards universal PreK, and we are meeting Blueprint requirements—not just because we have to, but more importantly because we believe in the goal. We believe that by providing this education to 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds, we will make this community better,” said Board of Education Chair Jennifer Swickard Mallo.
In 2021, the Maryland legislature passed the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which made major reforms to public education funding and standards in the state of Maryland. Pillar 1 of the Blueprint expands full-day prekindergarten to be free for all 3- and 4-year-olds from low-income households up to 300% of the federal poverty level, and to be available to all other 4-year-olds on a sliding scale through a public-private mixed delivery system. By investing in early childhood education, young learners are more ready and equipped for kindergarten and lifelong success.
“Every child deserves access to a quality education, no matter their zip code, and that begins at the earliest ages. The Faulkner Ridge Early Learning Center is a meaningful investment in our future as we continue to deliver universal pre-K in Howard County,” said former State Delegate Vanessa Atterbeary. “As the former Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee that passed the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, I am proud that Howard County is leading the State in implementing universal pre-K.”
The County directed $22 million in pass-through funding from the state for the HCPSS Capital Budget to renovate the Faulkner Ridge Center to expand pre-K services in Howard County. This funding is part of the $35 million in state pass-through grant funding that was awarded to Howard County by the Maryland General Assembly in 2022. The pass-through funding is unique in that it requires no local matching funds, unlike most other state funding for HCPSS capital projects.
“The IAC congratulates Howard County Public Schools for having deployed $22 million in State funds through the Faulkner Ridge Center renovation project to efficiently serve 260 pre-Kindergarten students from multiple neighborhoods in the Columbia area,” said Laura Smyles, Capital Projects Manager for the Interagency Commission on School Construction.
In addition to State funding, County Executive Ball has allocated an additional $7 million in local funding to support the renovation, bringing the total investment in the Faulkner Ridge Early Learning Center to $29 million.
“As a community, we have been looking at this building sitting vacant for many years now. I want to thank the school system and Superintendent Barnes for not just asking for our feedback, but for listening to our community input and incorporating our comments as the project moved forward. We very much appreciate the ongoing collaboration and communication,” said Debbie Cappuccitti, Chair of the Wilde Lake Village Board and member of the Faulkner Station Community Association.
Construction on the Faulkner Ridge Early Learning Center is expected to be completed in August 2027.
The start of construction on the Faulkner Ridge Early Learning Center is just the latest milestone in Howard County’s efforts to implement Pillar 1 of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future.
In July 2024, Ball committed $750,000 to support an innovative, new partnership between the Community Action Council of Howard County (CAC) and Howard Community College (HCC) that would expand the number of early childhood education opportunities for infants, toddlers, and two-year-olds in Howard County and create the county’s first-ever Early Head Start program. This funding allowed CAC to expand its Head Start programming to include children ages two and younger with the opening of five new childcare classrooms.
In September 2025, Ball joined CAC to break ground on their new Route One Corridor Campus, which will feature a new flagship Food Bank facility and Early Childhood Education Center. Howard County committed $2 million to support the project, which will be home to a new early childhood education center operating by CAC. This approximately 6,000 square foot facility will allow CAC to provide nearly 80 children from six weeks to five years old with a high-quality early childhood education. The Early Childhood Education Center will feature two infant care rooms hosting six children each, two toddler (age one to two) rooms serving 12 children each, and two three-to-five-year-old rooms benefiting 20 children each.
In January 2025, the County invested $1 million to create a one-time new competitive capital grant program to provide funding for new childcare centers, expansions, and repairs. Through this program, more than two dozen childcare providers, including centers and home daycares benefited, resulting in 140 new childcare seats and 25 new positions.
The County has also expanded its efforts to deliver before- and after-care through its Department of Recreation & Parks’ (DRP) Recreational Licensed Childcare (RLC) program. In 2023, Ball directed $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to the RLC program to bolster recruitment and reduce program waitlists. Since making that investment, DRP has increased enrollment to nearly 2,000 children in the 2025-2026 school year, an increase of more than 50% from the 2022-2023 school year. This has allowed DRP to reduce their RLC waitlist by more than 55% over that same time period. The RLC program is currently active in 23 elementary schools, with two licensed pre-schools (age 2-5) at the Roger Carter Community Center and Harriet Tubman Cultural Center.