Tag: prince george's county

Jenny Leiva, a prekindergarten teacher at Arco Iris Bilingual Children’s Center in Prince George’s County, waits for Jairo Council, 3, to come out of the play equipment at the center on Friday. (Photo by William J. Ford/Maryland Matters)

When state officials froze enrollment in the child care scholarships program in May, to deal with the overwhelming number of families applying for spaces, they said they hoped to have applications reopened by September.

But as September rolls toward October, the program is still frozen and the Maryland State Department of Education has not been able to say when children might start being accepted again, leaving parents and child care providers in the lurch.

That’s a concern for providers such as Carolina Reyes, director of Arco Iris Bilingual Children’s Center in Prince George’s County. Reyes said Thursday that more than half of the 30 children at the center receive a scholarship. For children in Head Start, that runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., the money helps pay for before- and after-school care.

With fewer children — her center has a capacity of 47 children — and a limited budget, Reyes said she has been forced to cut hours for two teacher aides, and her staff will decrease from eight to seven this week when a prekindergarten teacher moves to Charles County.

“Me and my assistant director will have to go back in the classroom,” Reyes said. “I don’t think that I have been in a situation like this … that’s not a pandemic. I am hopeful things will change.”

Reyes and other providers received an update during a town hall Wednesday night from state officials, but they were not able to say when the enrollment freeze would melt away.

“That is something that we are not prepared to determine,” said Sarah Neville-Morgan, assistant state superintendent in the state Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood.

“We will be working with the governor’s office, Department of Budget and Management and the General Assembly and need to walk through some of the data with all of them and make sure that we’re all in agreement as we look at that surge and the other data,” Neville-Morgan said.

When they froze enrollment in May, state officials said the goal was to lower the number of scholarship from 45,000 to 40,000, but the number of children enrolled has not budged.

While enrollment has been capped, people have been allowed to apply and been put on a waiting list. At least 2,000 people are currently on that list.

There are exceptions based on certain income guidelines and other eligibility requirements, such as families receiving temporary cash assistance (TCA), supplemental security income (SSI) or having a sibling already enrolled in the program.

Enrollment ballooned after the state expanded income eligibility for the program. As a result, spending on child care scholarships rose from $295 million in fiscal 2023 to $414 million the following year, and continued climbing to $539 million in fiscal 2025.

The number of child care providers has also increased, from 2,500 in July 2022 to more than 3,700 in July of this year.

“While our federal dollars have decreased now that we don’t have all of the COVID relief dollars anymore, we are seeing our state not just maintain what they put in, but have grown through significant historic increases,” Neville-Morgan said.

Chris Peusch praised the state for its investments in the child care scholarship program, but said more is needed.

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“Obviously there’s a need and it’s not enough,” said Peusch, executive director of the Maryland State Child Care Association. “What do we do about it? What do we do this legislative session? What are our innovative solutions to making sure parents can go to work?

“Child care and early childhood [are] connected to the economy. We have to remember that,” Peusch said.

Brittany Thorp, who handles administrative duties for three family-owned child care centers in Montgomery County, said none are full right now. In order to help sustain one of the two Dee Dee’s Place Child Care Center’s in the county, Thorp said parents can enroll their infant children on a part-time schedule.

“We historically have told people to take a full-time schedule, but we just need spots filled,” she said. “It’s an interesting time that we’re in.”

Thorp and Reyes said during this time of year, when school resumes, children will enter kindergarten, decreasing the enrollment of children at some centers that offer kindergarten. But without the child care scholarships for parents to utilize and fill the slots left behind by children who don’t return, there’s a fear that could cause some centers to close their doors.

“Could definitely shut down,” Reyes said. “Families need the child care scholarship not only for their children to receive a high-quality education, but also to work. The scholarship is a benefit that helps everyone.”

Another child care information virtual session is scheduled for Sept. 25.In the meantime, State Superintendent Carey Wright had a message Wednesday night for providers.

“Your feedback is critical to this. It’s critical to our decision making. We want your voice to continue to remain central as we refine these processes,” she said. “Because together, we can strengthen Maryland’s early child care system so that every child has the opportunity to thrive and every provider has the stability and support that they deserve.”