Baltimore City council committee hears state and local plans to address childcare scholarship freeze, workforce and capacity

Baltimore City council members on the Education, Youth and Older Adults Committee held a hearing on early childhood care and education that centered on the state’s paused child care scholarship program, mounting provider and workforce pressures, and local proposals to expand access.

Council President Gonzie Cohen described childcare as “not a luxury. It is a necessity for many working families,” and and lawmakers pressed state and local officials for concrete timelines and options to help families and providers.

Maryland State Department of Education Superintendent Dr. Carrie Wright told the committee the enrollment pause on new child care scholarships began in May because program demand outpaced available state funding. She said scholarship enrollment grew from about 19,000 children in July 2022 to over 47,000 at the program’s peak in June 2025 and that provider participation rose from roughly 2,500 to more than 3,500 statewide. Wright said the state has expanded its investment — from about $59 million in FY23 to a record $414 million annually in FY26 — and that Maryland also recently won a nearly $15 million preschool development grant to support quality work. Still, she said MSDE reached its maximum authorized budget and the pause will remain until new funding is available or enrollment…