Maryland parents who hope to get a state-funded child care scholarship will have to wait awhile.
Faced with a tripling in the number of families in the scholarship program managed by the state Department of Education, state officials imposed a freeze on new awards effective Thursday. Parents can still apply, but will be placed on a waiting list until a space opens up in the program.
Families already enrolled will continue to receive funding.
Tara Phillips, executive director of the state Department of Education’s Early Childhood Division, said at a Board of Education meeting Tuesday nearly 45,000 child care scholarships have been approved — up from about 15,000 scholarships in 2021. State officials hope to reduce the number of recipients and cap it at 40,000 by the fall, when they could reopen the waitlist.
“If it takes longer or there’s fewer families that drop off, then it’s just going to take longer for them to have spaces on the waitlist,” Del. Jared Solomon (D-Montgomery), one of the legislative leaders on early childhood, said Thursday.
Solomon said there are a few exceptions for parents and guardians who have one child on a scholarship and may decide to apply for a second one for a younger child. And those who receive Temporary Cash Assistance or Supplemental Security Income will still be eligible to receive a scholarship.
Solomon, who chairs the Oversight Committee on Personnel, a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, acknowledged that the budget issues that made for a “tough session” this spring will likely continue through the summer as the state is expected to grapple with the fallout of more federal budget cuts and layoffs.
“The actions of the federal government are only going to make it harder and make it worse for us to provide the kind of wraparound and support services and education that we really want,” Solomon said.
“Over the course of the summer and through the interim, we’re going to be working on coming up with sustainable sources of funding so that we don’t have to continue the waitlist, [and] put the investments into child care and early learning that we need to be able to serve the families of Maryland,” he said.
On Tuesday, the state Board of Education heard from several early childhood officials, providers and advocates to celebrate April as the Month of the Young Child. According to a report this year from the Maryland Family Network, the estimated cost of child care in the state was nearly $25,000 a year.
“Child Care is more expensive than state college tuition in Maryland,” said Christina Peusch, executive director of the Maryland State Child Care Association.
Anabella Rodas, president of the Latino Child Care Association of Maryland, said the child care industry should be respected, especially with early childhood being one of the five priorities in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan.
“We’re not babysitters. We’re early childhood educators, just as the teachers in public school,” she said. “When we invest in educators, we invest in children’s futures.”
Maryland Matters is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Maryland Matters maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Steve Crane for questions: scrane@marylandmatters.org. Follow Maryland Matters on Facebook and Twitter.