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Maya Lora

Maya

Maya Lora is an early childhood education reporter who covers how Maryland can best support young children and their families, from pregnancy through kindergarten, a critical stage in brain development. She previously covered diversity, equity and inclusion for The Baltimore Sun. Originally from Miami, she moved to Baltimore from the Lakeland Ledger, where she spent two years covering growth and development and Polk County government. She spent her early years interning at The Hill in Washington, D.C. and the Miami Herald while getting her bachelor’s degree from Washington and Lee University, with majors in journalism and English.

The latest from Maya Lora

Judge blocks Trump cuts to Maryland teacher recruitment efforts
The initial victory comes the same day the Department of Education said it would lay off more than 1,300 employees.
Pocomoke High School math teacher La'Tier Evans helps a student with an algebra assignment in her classroom on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023 in Pocomoke City, MD. Evans was inspired to teach after having a Black teacher in the eighth grade, and is now Worcester County’s only Black secondary math teacher.
Can this free Baltimore County bookstore get more kids reading?
Our Kids Read opened last month in the Eastpoint Mall.
Ashley Johnson, right, and her children pick out books at the Our Kids Read Baltimore Literacy Hub, which offers three free books to every kid who walks in the door.
Maryland joins lawsuit against Trump cuts to teacher recruitment programs
The state could end up with fewer teachers in classrooms and university layoffs, the attorney general said.
BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 5, 2024: Kindergarten students pay attention to their teacher during an English Language Arts class in KIPP Baltimore on December 5, 2024.
Locked doors, swift communication: How Maryland day cares should handle ICE visits
Child care providers now have official guidance after weathering over a month of uncertainty.
Day cares and playgrounds were previously protected from immigration enforcement activity.
Can Baltimore’s ‘baby bonus’ make a comeback?
Organizers of the Baby Bonus proposal, which would have given $1,000 to new parents in Baltimore City, are trying to find a way to keep the spirit of their proposal alive.
Corey Bryce reads a book with her 1-year-old daughter, Julien, inside their Columbia, Maryland home on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. Julien has been in an infants & toddlers program since she was about 4 months old, and Bryce says she knows she won’t be able to afford preschool without the money the state plans to funnel into pre-kindergarten education.
Maryland parents could pay more for child care as scholarship program faces cuts
Lawmakers are considering two options to get costs under control. Both would shift the burden to families.
Versia Thomas, center, during storytime at Greenbelt Children’s Center in Prince George’s County, where about 90% of the children who attend are on state-funded scholarships.
Archdiocese of Baltimore names head of Notre Dame Prep to lead Catholic schools
Sister Patricia McCarron, the longtime head of Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson, will become superintendent of the Baltimore area’s Catholic schools system in August.
Sister Patricia McCarron, currently the head of the Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson, will take over as superintendent of the Archdiocese of Baltimore's Catholic schools in August.
How Maryland legislators would fix the child care workforce shortage
Since the pandemic, Maryland has hemorrhaged day care and preschool teachers. These are some of the ways the state can rebuild its early childhood workforce.
The child care industry struggles to attract educators.
School’s out: What recent snow days mean for school calendars
Parents should expect a delayed start to summer or virtual learning makeup days.
Families got to enjoy snow days in early January. But students will have to make up the lost time in other ways.
ICE may show up at your day care. This is how your teachers are preparing.
Child care is no longer a sanctuary from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But day care owners and teachers say they're ready to protect their students and families.
Carolina Reyes has a donation pile for parents since the usual spots, such as churches, are on high alert for ICE presence.
To save this school from closure, Baltimore took it back. What does that mean?
The Southwest Baltimore community successfully rallied to keep a school's doors open. But they didn't get exactly what they wanted.
In mid-January, the Baltimore City school board voted to keep Southwest Baltimore Charter School open. But it's not exactly what advocates envisioned.
Even in public pre-K, family income will play a big part in where kids go to school
New guidance tells public schools they should focus on the lowest-income pre-kindergarteners.
Rachel Hise, right, executive Director of AIB, speaks during a joint meeting of State Board of Education and the Blueprint Accountability and Implementation Board.
How Maryland schools should handle ICE at their doors
Schools should be consulting with their lawyers first, protecting students’ privacy and keeping families in the loop, new guidance from the state education department says.
A student walks past lockers in the hallway outside Damien Ford’s Baltimore School for The Arts classroom on Dec. 21, 2022. Ford teaches an African American Literature class where shows his students comparisons between Lauryn Hill lyrics and the work of Zora Neal Hurston.
Can ICE make arrests in Maryland schools? Here’s what we know
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security this week ended a longstanding policy that had kept them out of schools.
Lockers in the hallway outside Damien Ford’s Baltimore School for The Arts classroom on Dec. 21, 2022. Ford teaches an African American Literature class where shows his students comparisons between Lauryn Hill lyrics and the work of Zora Neal Hurston.
What Gov. Moore’s budget means for Maryland schools
The governor has proposed scaling back and delaying key parts of Maryland’s education reform plan.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore proposed his budget Wednesday, spelling out changes schools can expect in the coming year.
Baltimore City’s school board votes to close its smallest elementary school
The Baltimore City school board voted to close Edgewood Elementary School Tuesday night, a decision that will impact 134 students.
The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners comes to order at their headquarters on North Ave. on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
Here’s the Maryland education legislation we’re keeping an eye on
So far, lawmakers seem focused on the Blueprint, cellphone bans and students charged with crimes.
The Maryland State House in Annapolis is the oldest state capital building in the nation still in continuous legislative use.
To keep preschool costs low, parents are joining their toddlers in the classroom
Cooperative early learning programs bring parents a more affordable kindergarten prep option in exchange for their time.
Lindsay Glorioso, lead teacher, guides children in a music lesson during a Toddler Cooperative of Baltimore County class at Grace Lutheran Church in Timonium, Md. on Wednesday, November 20, 2024.
Revelers gather in Inner Harbor for New Year’s Eve fireworks despite rain
Despite storms at the start of the evening, crowds gathered at the Inner Harbor Tuesday night ahead of Baltimore’s New Year’s Eve fireworks show.
People enjoy the fireworks show by the Inner Harbor to ring in the new year in Baltimore on January 1, 2025.
Baltimore’s promised school violence intervention program is finally here
The program launched in four high schools that dealt with gun violence near their campuses or involving their students.
Stefanie Mavronis, director of the mayor’s office of neighborhood safety and engagement, said the city shouldn’t wait for tragedy to happen to think about how to keep young people out of violent situations.
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