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Providers press lawmakers to restore funding for Maryland Child Care Credential Program
Summary
Child‑care providers and advocates urged the Appropriations Committee to restore and stabilize funding for the Maryland Child Care Credential Program (about 10,000 participants pre‑pause); witnesses said the program is essential for workforce retention and quality and requested maintaining FY2024 funding levels into future years.
Advocates, child‑care business owners, and early‑education coalitions told the House Appropriations Committee that the Maryland Child Care Credential Program is a linchpin for workforce development and quality in early care and education.
Delegate Julie Plockett Choucair introduced HB 561 to re‑establish sustained funding for the credential program after a lapse in FY2025. Witnesses described the program's training vouchers, achievement bonuses, and reimbursements as critical to encouraging professional development among a workforce that operates on slim margins. "Without this program, there are no incentives to exceed minimum licensing standards and participation in professional learning declines," said Bill Hudson of the Family Child Care Alliance.
Committee members reviewed the fiscal note. Witnesses explained that the bill would maintain funding at FY2024 levels and that a fiscal note cited roughly $4.0 million (with a 2028 projection reflecting the FY24 cost at about $5.7 million); proponents said those figures reflect prior program demand rather than built‑in growth assumptions.
What proponents said: Providers reported that a pause in funding led to fewer staff pursuing continuing education and said small bonuses made a measurable difference. Several family‑child‑care providers and nonprofit operators testified that restoring funding would reduce turnover and help sustain capacity statewide.
Next steps: The committee expressed bipartisan interest and asked proponents to work with staff on budget language and potential sustained funding mechanisms; no vote occurred at the hearing.
