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Officials outline Maryland child care system limits: capacity, workforce, affordability and quality
Summary
Department of Legislative Services described four intersecting drivers of Maryland's child care gap: provider capacity, teacher supply (low wages and benefits), affordability for families, and program quality; DLS and advocates identified state programs that address those factors and flagged long-term funding needs.
Department of Legislative Services staff presented a systems-level analysis of Maryland's child care market, describing four intersecting factors—provider capacity, teacher supply, affordability and quality—that determine supply and demand for child care in the state.
"High cost to open a child care facility is 1 of the many challenges involving provider capacity," DLS appropriation staff Laura Hyde said, noting an average home-based operation serves 4 to 6 children and can cost about $37,000 per year to run with very slim profit margins. Hyde detailed licensing and accreditation requirements and statewide counts: roughly 6,700 licensed…
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