Pre-K Grant Program
Childcare Services in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
FREE State-Funded Early Learning for Your Child
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TopHat Early Learning is proud to participate in the Pre-K Expansion Program, helping eligible families access high-quality early childhood education in a nurturing, engaging, and supportive environment.
Who Can Apply?
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Are 3 or 4 years old on or before September 1 of the school year
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Meet the eligibility requirements for the Pre-K Expansion Program
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Are ready to participate in a structured early learning environment
How to Apply
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Eligibility Requirements
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Complete the Pre-Registration Form
Complete our online form to begin the
enrollment process
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Enrollment Review
Once the registration form is submitted we
will contact you regarding the enrollment and next steps.
What Your Child Will Experience
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Early literacy and language development
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Math and problem-solving skills
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Social and emotional development
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Creative arts and hands-on activities
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Interactive learning experiences
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School readiness preparation
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Caring teachers and a supportive learning environment
Convenient Location
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Flower Hill Elementary School
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Strawberry Knoll Elementary School
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Judith A. Resnik Elementary School
Contact Us
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Before exploring enrollment details, parents often have common questions about how an infant program works. Below are clear, helpful answers that address the most frequently asked topics.
What is typically included in an infant care program?
An infant program generally includes nurturing supervision, sensory activities, early language exposure, motor skill development, and routine-based caregiving. These components help infants grow socially, emotionally, and cognitively in a structured environment.
How does an infant program support early development?
Infant programs use responsive interactions, sensory experiences, and age-appropriate activities to stimulate early learning. These experiences promote communication, emotional security, and foundational cognitive skills.
What age range qualifies for infant program enrollment?
Most infant programs accept children beginning at around 2 months and continue until approximately 18 months. This allows infants to receive developmentally appropriate care during their earliest stages of growth.
How do caregivers support infants who are reaching new milestones?
Caregivers observe developmental cues, provide guided activities, and offer encouragement during emerging milestones. This ensures each infant progresses safely and confidently while strengthening new abilities.
What makes a high-quality infant environment important?
A high-quality environment promotes security, exploration, and early communication. Consistent routines and nurturing interactions help infants feel safe while building strong developmental foundations.
How is communication encouraged in infants?
Caregivers use talking, singing, reading, and simple gestures to support early language development. Frequent engagement promotes listening skills and introduces new vocabulary.
Schedule a tour of our Primary Programs
What Parents are Saying
Akuto Van Mensvoort
My daughter has started going to Top Hat Childcare before she started walking and she’s now almost 5. I have to be honest, when it comes to small children, it’s very delicate, you either feel strongly about what you want for them or you’re ok with giving it a try and see how things go. The later approach worked for us, just like many other things in life. There were times were I would bring up concerns and I may have felt like my concerns were not taken into consideration the way I’d like, however eventually everything always worked out. The teachers and school members always did take note of our concerns. The staff is very friendly and polite.
Hee Kang Ho
“Nice teachers, Good facilities, Good programs for babies and kids”
Olga Burnham
“Our son has been at Top Hat Childcare for over 5 years. He’s had wonderfully caring teachers and administrators since he was enrolled. We highly recommend the peaceful environment and thoughtful approach to learning within the structure of the curriculum. Willing to answer any questions!”
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Our Enrichment Programs
Your child’s inner potential converted to lifelong skills.
Arts and Crafts
Our Arts and Crafts classes helps the children to express themselves while learning how to mix colors and make tall buildings out of materials around them.
Music & Dance Enrichment
Our music and dance classes is a great way for the children to express themselves while exploring different instruments and culture rythms and movements
Language classes
We offer language classes every Friday where your child will learn Spanish from highly qualified teacher. We also teach sign-language as part of our daily curriculum.
Yoga
We are proud to introduce Yoga with Stella on Fridays. Another one of our amazing teachers will be teaching yoga for 30 minutes per class. They will be learning how to stretch and relax themselves at all ages.
Best-in-Class Early Learning
Safe and Healthy Environment
We have well appointed monitoring system and security guards to ensure the safety of your children. The facilities are well maintained for healthy and safe environment. For play, we have 2 secure playgrounds so that children have entertainment and security.
Daily Engagement
Staff/Student Ratio of 1/3 for children under 2 years old, 1/6 for children 2-3 years old, and 1/10 for children 3-6 years old – We have more teachers on hand to fit over the ratio so that each child is given a fair chance. We also offer a learning curriculum that is centered around weekly themes.
Home away from Home
We have two nurseries that hold a lot of love, nurture and care. We never seem to shine light on this as if it wasn’t important. Teacher and children relationships set off to shape the way they see the world.