Kristin B. Taylor named preschool director

Monarch Preschool College Park, founded by The Children’s Guild Alliance, will open in February 2020 and serve 120 children ages 3 to 5. The school will be located in an 11,400-square-foot renovated space in College Park United Methodist Church on the corner of Rhode Island Avenue and Hollywood Road in College Park. Monarch Preschool College Park will be open year-round with a full-day program to include before- and after-school care.

Monarch Preschool is the result of The University District Vision, making College Park a sustainable top-20 college town by 2020 and a collaboration with The Children’s Guild.  The Children’s Guild is a nonprofit organization founded in 1953 and dedicated to pioneering educational services for children and families.

“The Monarch Preschool College Park is part of a larger effort to make College Park a top university community and is being open in response to a community need for additional high-quality pre-K learning opportunities,” said Donna Wiseman, chair of the College Park University Partnership Education Committee and former dean of the College of Education at the University of Maryland. “The preschool will be a hub for the community, and its leadership and advisory board includes members of the city and university communities.”

University of Maryland-alumna Kristin “Krissie” B. Taylor has been named director of Monarch Preschool College Park. Taylor has an extensive background and certifications in early education and, most recently, was director of Heritage Learning Center in Hyattsville. She also is an advisor to Maryland State Department of Education’s Ready at Five program, and from 2006 to 2011, Taylor was an elementary special education teacher for Prince George’s County Public Schools. Taylor earned a bachelor’s degree in family studies from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from McDaniel College.

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to lead Monarch Preschool College Park and foster a lifelong love of learning in our students as we focus on the whole child. Our spaces, curriculum and teachers will all be active, engaged and helping children apply their learning to real-world issues based on high-quality, project-based learning, getting them ready for school and life beyond,” Taylor said.

Monarch Preschool’s advisory board is chaired by Fran Favretto, retired director of the University of Maryland Center for Young Children. Other advisory board members are Carolyn Bernache, chair of the College Park Education Advisory Committee, board member of College Park Academy and member of the College Park City-University Partnership Education Committee; Cat Peretti, a parent in College Park and executive director of My School DC; Denise Mitchell, College Park District 4 council member and founding board member of College Park Academy; and Valerie Woodall, senior program associate of College Park City-University Partnership.

“We look forward to collaborating and engaging with local assets in the College Park community, including working with the University of Maryland College of Education. We will be implementing a project-based curriculum that actively engages children in investigating the world around them as well as developing pathways for early childhood education teacher training, internships, research and partnerships,” said Duane Arbogast, chief of strategy and innovation for The Children’s Guild Alliance and former chief academic officer for Prince George’s County Public Schools. “We are also excited to have Krissie, with her impressive background in early childhood learning and her connections in the community, as part of our team.”

Registration is now open. For more information on Monarch Preschool College Park, visit monarchpreschool.com or email [email protected].

Monarch Preschool College Park, an affiliate member of The Children’s Guild Alliance, a nonprofit organization serving children, families and child-serving organizations, will be a year-round full-day preschool program serving 120 children ages 3 to 5. (monarchpreschool.com)

Monarch Academy Annapolis, Monarch Academy Glen Burnie and Monarch Global Academy Laurel will hold open houses on Tuesdays, Oct. 22 and Nov. 19, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. concurrently at each school. All three Monarch Academy schools are charter or contract schools within Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

“Monarch Academy schools offer students a unique educational experience which leverages innovative learning approaches within a transformational school culture,” said Kathy Lane, chief of educational services for Monarch Academy. “We invite families to our open houses to see firsthand our beautiful school buildings and meet our highly skilled teachers and staff.”

Monarch Academy Annapolis, located at 2000 Capital Drive in Annapolis, offers students an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, which challenges them to think critically and take responsibility for their learning as they explore local and global issues. The school is open to students who live in the city of Annapolis entering kindergarten through fifth grade in the fall of 2020. For more information, call 410-934-1444 or email [email protected].

Monarch Academy Glen Burnie, located at 6730 Baymeadow Drive in Glen Burnie, offers students expeditionary learning, which emphasizes high achievement through active learning, character growth and teamwork. The school is open to all Anne Arundel County students entering kindergarten through eighth grade in the fall of 2020. For more information, call 410-760-2072 or email [email protected].

Monarch Global Academy Laurel, located at 430 Brock Bridge Road in Laurel, also offers students an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme. The school is open to all students entering kindergarten through eighth grade in the fall of 2020 and who live in the Brock Bridge, Maryland City and Jessup elementary schools attendance boundaries. For more information, call 301-886-8648 or email [email protected].

Families may apply to Monarch Academy schools for the 2020-2021 school year through the Anne Arundel County Public Schools lottery from Oct. 14 to Nov. 26. The school system will hold the lottery in mid-January.

Monarch Academy charter and contract schools are affiliate members of The Children’s Guild Alliance, a nonprofit organization serving children, families and child-serving organizations and dedicated to transforming how America educates and cares for its children through education, behavioral health and national training and consultation services. Affiliates of The Children’s Guild Alliance include The Children’s Guild, The Academy for Working Students (TAWS), TranZed Apprenticeships, The Children’s Guild DC Public Charter School, Transformation Education Institute, National At-Risk Education Network (NAREN), Conference Center at The Children’s Guild Alliance and The National Children’s Guild Fund. (www.childrensguild.org)