Promote Stronger and Safer Schools That Help Our Students Excel

Jolene Ivey is deeply committed to ensuring every child in Prince George’s County has access to high-quality, safe, and supportive schools that help them excel academically and personally. With a proven track record of championing education, Jolene’s platform focuses on four core priorities: championing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, increased school funding, promoting school safety, and expanding early childhood education.

1. Championing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future
Jolene strongly supports the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a comprehensive initiative to transform Maryland’s public education system into one of the best in the nation. The Blueprint emphasizes early childhood education, college and career readiness, equitable funding, and support for educators. As County Executive, Jolene will work tirelessly to implement and expand these reforms in Prince George’s County, ensuring that students receive the resources and opportunities they need to thrive. By aligning county efforts with the Blueprint’s goals, she will help create a world-class education system that prepares every student for success in a competitive, global economy.

2. Increased Investment in Public Schools
As Chair of the County Council, Jolene demonstrated her unwavering commitment to education, even during challenging times. Facing a $171 million budget shortfall, she led the effort to deliver record funding to public schools without raising taxes. As County Executive, Jolene will continue to prioritize increased investments in public schools to ensure every student has access to top-tier facilities, qualified educators, and the resources they need to succeed. By advocating for equitable funding, Jolene will address disparities across schools, ensuring all children—regardless of zip code—have the opportunity to thrive.

3. Promoting Safer Schools
Jolene understands that a safe environment is essential for effective learning. With deep ties to the school system as a former student, a parent of five public school graduates, and the daughter of a local teacher, Jolene knows that safety extends beyond physical security—it includes fostering trust, addressing bullying, and ensuring mental health support. As County Executive, she will work closely with school leaders, law enforcement, and community partners to enhance safety measures, promote anti-bullying programs, and provide mental health resources for students and staff. Her comprehensive approach will ensure schools remain safe havens for learning and personal growth.

4. Expanding Early Childhood Education
Jolene believes that every child deserves a strong start. She will champion early childhood initiatives to ensure children enter kindergarten ready to learn and succeed. By expanding access to pre-K programs, investing in early literacy initiatives, and supporting families with young children, Jolene will lay the foundation for long-term student success.

Jolene Ivey’s vision for stronger and safer schools reflects her lifelong dedication to education, her commitment to championing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, and her belief that investing in our children is an investment in the future of Prince George’s County.

As the mom of 5 sons, I’ve had a close-up view of a range of how children develop. Like any other parent, I’ve been amazed by how much babies learn and grow, from the time they’re born through their school years and beyond. Teachers get them a few hours a day from the age of 4, but the biggest impact on children’s vocabulary and success in school is from their parents.

Studies show that the average child in poverty hears half as many words (616) per hour as a child from a working class family (1251), and less than a third as many a a child in from an upper income family (2153).

President Obama said in his Call to Action on early education and the word gap, “We know that right now during the first three years of life, a child born into a low-income family hears 30 million fewer words than a child born into a well-off family. By giving more of our kids access to high-quality pre-school and other early learning programs, and by helping parents get the tools they need to help their kids succeed, we can give those kids a better shot at the career they are capable of, and a life that will make us all better off.”

Home visiting programs like Healthy Families Prince George’s make a critical difference in the lives of the families it serves. Parents learn how to talk to their babies, read to them and play with them. They also learn other positive parenting skills, which leads to decreased child abuse. Families who participate improve their family’s economic self sufficiency. This is a completely voluntary program that has a greater demand than the organization can meet.

Children in home visiting programs enter school ready to learn at a much higher rate than their peers who don’t get this support. Their parents have learned the importance of talking to them, and limiting screen time.

If we can expand home visiting with trained, vetted volunteers we can dramatically increase the number of words children have in their vocabularies before they enter preschool, and give them the foundation for life long success.