Montgomery County committees review COA designation and proposed limits on coordinating entity’s program work

Montgomery County council members and staff met July 23 in a joint work session of the Education & Culture Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee to review the county’s early care and education coordinating entity designation and proposed amendments to county code that would limit what the coordinating entity can fund or directly provide. Committee members discussed two related county bills—Bill 11‑25 (child care coordination amendments) and expedited Bill 20‑325—plus a July proposal to extend the Children’s Opportunity Alliance’s (COA) designation through Dec. 31, 2025. No final votes were taken at the session.

The discussion centered on competing goals: keep the entity focused on system‑level planning and accountability, and preserve the flexibility to pilot programs and use philanthropic or county funds to fill local gaps. Council staff outlined that Bill 11‑25, introduced at the county executive’s request, would remove a now‑vacant “childcare and early education officer” position from county code and repeal provisions that assigned duties to the early childhood coordinating council because those duties have largely moved to COA. Expedited Bill 20‑325 would further clarify the coordinating entity’s duties and explicitly limit activities described in the existing statute, including a narrower definition of “direct services.”

County and COA staff described how the legal and practical definitions of “direct services” diverge. Michelle Gallipoli, an HHS planning specialist, and Mark Hodge, HHS chief operating officer, said HHS treats the delivery of services funded by county dollars — including grants and contracts that pay for seats or navigation work — as part of the…