Montgomery County officials press for one data system as MCPS–Recreation MOU nears signature

Montgomery County leaders and OST partners told the County Council on Nov. 18 that the county has the program building blocks for an expanded after‑school and summer network but still lacks the coordinated data and contract standards needed to measure coverage, equity and program impact.

"Currently, the Collaboration Council holds no authority to mandate participation," said Sydney Wilson Hunter, Director of Programs at the Montgomery County Collaboration Council, which convenes the OST advisory group. Hunter said the council launched a revised needs‑assessment data tool on Nov. 6 and by Nov. 18 had received nine responses, eight from private providers and one from a public agency (MCPS OST), illustrating early limits to countywide participation.

Why it matters: council members said the absence of standardized data and shared performance measures prevents leaders from identifying geographic ‘‘deserts’’ of service, comparing program effectiveness, making evidence‑based funding choices, and winning philanthropic or state support.

What agencies presented

Hunter outlined the Collaboration Council’s role coordinating an advisory network that now includes 17 organizations and a provider network of 30+ programs. She said the network lacks authority, dedicated staff and the resources to run a centralized, disaggregated data system.

Laurie Garabe Aquino, Chief of Children, Youth and Family Services at DHHS, told the council that CYF manages 27 OST grants and contracts with a combined county budget "a little under $13,000,000," and that contracted providers submit required monthly and annual reports but use varying methods of collection.

Adrienne Clutter, Acting Director of Recreation, detailed Recreation’s large contract footprint and program reach — including more than 553 instructor services contracts and more than 25,000 youth served annually — and urged more consistent contract language and shared measures so agencies capture comparable data.

How the MOU fits in

Agency staff said a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Montgomery County Recreation and Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is at the signature stage and, once executed, would allow secure, FERPA‑compliant matching of participation records to student identifiers to produce demographic breakdowns and enable impact studies. Staff told the council the principal remaining drafting issue concerns a background‑check clause and union‑related language that is being finalized by legal teams.

Council asks and next steps

Councilmembers pressed agencies for concrete, near‑term deliverables: a timeline for MOU signatures, a clear statement of what data each agency can and cannot share, and a short list of shared OST metrics tied to the strategic plan pillars (how much, how well, is anyone better off). Hunter and agency staff said the collaboration council and CountyStat can propose a compact set of shared indicators and that a designated data specialist — whether at the Collaboration Council, County government, or another entity — would materially improve coordination and capacity.

Limitations and cautions

Speakers repeatedly cautioned about legal limits on certain student or health data (FERPA and HIPAA considerations) and said not all OST activities can be tracked the same way across multiple funders, providers and informal community partners.

What comes next

Agencies told the council they will return with: (1) an update on the MOU routing and expected signature timing, (2) a plain‑language scope of data sharing capacity and legal limits, and (3) a short list of proposed shared metrics and a recommended staffing approach to manage countywide OST data.

The council set an expectation for a quicker timeline than in prior cycles: staff said the MOU routing could be completed within about a week, and members asked for a fuller plan before the next budget cycle.