Education Resources: Back to School Nights in Howard County

With preschoolers, kids, preteens, tweens, teens, and in some cases mom and dad back to school, keeping up can be challenging. Over the course of the next few weeks, I will highlight the resources, facilities, and activities of each of the counties local to Baltimore, MD.

Howard County

Back-to-School Nights

• A ritual of fall, schools throughout Howard county (HCPSS) host special nights for parents. 
• On these nights parents can see their child's classroom, meet their child's teacher, and learn about the administration of the school. 
• Back-to-school nights occur from late August through early October. 
• Schools in each Howard County cluster will coordinate with each other so that the elementary school and middle school back to school nights for a neighborhood are not on the same night.
• Parents of Kindergarten through 2nd grade (primary) attend for one night. RECC and PreK parents may attend on the same night.
• On the second night, the parents of 3rd through 5th graders (intermediate) are invited to visit the school.
• A third night may be added to feature presentations by the Gifted and Talented and Related Arts teams.
• While middle and high school back-to-school nights are held in one evening, elementary schools may host several nights. Larger elementary schools may host up to 3 nights, while smaller schools may host only on night.

In addition, back-to-school nights are held at:

• Cedar Lane School -- provides a structured learning environment for aged 3 through 21 with complex educational needs.
• Homewood School has three programs in its building. Each program supports the needs of students who have difficulty in traditional classroom settings.
• ARL -- Applications and Research Labs -- career academies housed at local high schools and at ARL

A few definitions...

• RECC -- Regional Early Childhood Centers are housed at a number of local elementary schools for students with developmental or mobility delays.
• Pre K -- This is a program for 4-year-old students who have been identified as needing learning interventions to be ready for school.
• GT -- The Gifted and Talented program offers services for advanced level learners in academic, as well as the visual and performing arts.
• HCPSS -- Howard County Public School System