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Commissioners authorize solicitation to seek outside manager for county employee childcare center
Summary
The Board approved Recreation & Parks’ request to solicit proposals for an outside contractor to operate the county’s employee childcare center; commissioners cited recruitment and retention benefits for public safety and county staff but raised questions about pricing and service hours.
The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County authorized the Department of Recreation and Parks on July 15 to solicit proposals for an outside organization to manage the county’s planned employee childcare center.
Why it matters: department leaders and commissioners framed the center as a recruitment and retention tool for county employers — notably the sheriff’s office and other shift‑work operations — and as a contribution to Lexington Park’s service capacity. County officials said the center could have capacity for about 100 children and aim to open in August 2026 for the school year.
Recreation and Parks Director Ray Bivens told the board staffing and benefit competition in the local childcare market make it difficult for the county to operate the center at the scale planned. He said the county’s preference would be to partner with a nonprofit first, with private contractors considered if nonprofit partners are not available. Bivens said a contracted manager would likely assume utilities and outfit the facility, and the county would seek to structure compensation as a share of gross receipts rather than a traditional rent model.
Commissioners asked for details about pricing, discounts and hours. The board discussed offering discounted rates and enrollment preference to county employees, and commissioners asked the department to explore options for shift‑work or off‑hours care to support emergency‑services personnel.
Several commissioners urged strong partnerships with local education providers — including College of Southern Maryland and St. Mary’s County Public Schools — for staff training and early‑childhood curriculum alignment. The department confirmed hazardous‑material remediation and demolition work are underway at the site and that detailed construction drawings were near completion.
Outcome: the commission approved the solicitation to seek a management partner. The motion passed with four commissioners in favor and one opposed; one commissioner had previously recused from a related vote earlier in the meeting. Department staff will return with procurement documents and proposed contract terms for commissioner approval.
