The Board of Education has approved the relocation of two special education early childhood programs to Calvert Country School in Prince Frederick. The Infants and Toddlers Program, including the preschool program for two-year-olds, and the Child Find Program will move to Calvert Country School after currently unutilized space is renovated.
“The moves,” said Dr. Daniel D. Curry, Superintendent, “provide greater potential for integration of services for families.”
The first renovations will convert unused locker rooms into additional classrooms for students currently attending Calvert Country School. The second phase will restructure a cluster of classrooms into a dedicated area for the two special education early childhood programs. The wing will have a separate entrance for staff and families, and additional parking will be added.
The preschool program for two-year-olds is currently housed at Calvert Elementary School. The vacated space will accommodate increased enrollment and an expanded special education regional program.
The Infants and Toddlers Program and Child Find Program are based at the Hunting Creek Annex in Huntingtown. Once these programs are relocated to Calvert Country School, options for the annex’s future will be evaluated. Currently, the Hunting Creek Annex annually costs $57,000-$60,000 operationally and would require systemic capital improvements for continued use by the school district.
The current utilization rate for Calvert Country is 38%, and the consolidation of programs will allow for more efficient capital planning and greater efficiency in maintenance and operations per square foot.
The relocation will occur in several phases, beginning at the start of the 2017-2018 school year and ending in the fall of 2018.