The Judy Center Early Learning Hub at Butterfly Ridge ES

This morning, we were notified that our PreK here at Butterfly Ridge Elementary School received an EXCELS Quality Rating of 5!! This means that our PreK programs are:

- assessing each child's developmental progress with multiple measures and linked to curriculum

- Requiring that staff meet highest levels of training and experience

- Participating in a continuous quality improvement process informed by independent assessors

- Achieving state or national accreditation

- Facilitating 5+ opportunities for families to engage in the program

- Using a state recommended curriculum

- Offering Family-teacher conferences at least twice per year

- Planning activities that support each and every child’s individual needs

Basically, this means that our PreK programs meet the highest standards according to Maryland EXCELS! We're so proud of our team and our staff!

Choosing Quality for Your Family Maryland EXCELS knows how important it is for you to choose a high-quality child care program that’s right for your child. With these new quality rating badg...

Today was the BEST Monday EVER!

Mr. Sean from Raging Reptiles came to join us this morning and taught us some fun facts about snakes and other reptiles. There was even a turtle from India! Our kids were so excited and our parents were so BRAVE (good job, guys!) throughout the whole experience - especially when it came to touching the reptiles!

We're very proud of our little ones for being so gentle and kind to the reptiles while they were visiting us.

Even Ms. Tara put her own feelings aside for the kids - just look at her facial expressions!


Maryland State Department of Education
Butterfly Ridge Elementary School

Last Friday, Tony M. Music joined us to sing, dance, and learn! Everyone, big and small, had a great time with scarves, egg shakers, and little keyboards!

Thank you, Mr. Tony, for visiting and teaching our kiddos about sounds and music!

Last Thursday, we were lucky enough to be joined by Shelby and Jessica from Port Discovery Children's Museum's At Play Institute! Shelby and Jessica showed our parents that their kids could do it themselves! And by that, I mean, toddlers have the skillset to help in the kitchen.

Allowing your little one to cut their own fruits and veggies and help you in the kitchen builds many powerful connections in their brain and improves your bond with your child! But build in extra time so that no one feels rushed and gets frustrated!

Thank you to Shelby and Jessica for coming out to facilitate these incredibly fun and educational lessons for our families!

Right before Thanksgiving, we were able to provide some fresh produce to our families for meals over the Thanksgiving break.

This would not have been possible if it weren’t for the staff at Moon Valley Farm and local artist Phylinda Moore, who donated proceeds from her art shows to our Judy Center to feed local families fresh produce.

We were able to provide 50 lbs of yellow onions, 40 lbs of green cabbage, 40 lbs of carrots, 40 lbs of celery, and 60 lbs of Carola potatoes.

It takes a village to provide for your family and we’re so lucky to be a part of so many villages!

Wednesdays playgroups are for toddlers - ages 18 months to 36 months! Today, these little ones practiced using the muscles in their arms, hands, and fingers to put shape puzzles together.

Parents were encouraged to narrate what their child was doing and talk to them about the different shapes they were seeing in order to engage their children in purposeful play. Great news - these kiddos get to take their puzzles home with them!

These little ones will be ready for Kindergarten before we know it! 😢

We’d like to share another helpful tip for supporting your child who will be starting Pre-K next year 📚✨
Remember, you are your child’s first teacher! 👩‍👦👨‍👧❤️

Maryland State Department of Education
FCPS Maryland
Division of Early Childhood
Waverley Elementary School