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Community groups, providers urge council not to curb Children’s Opportunity Alliance powers
Summary
At a lengthy public hearing, advocates, family child‑care providers and philanthropy partners asked the council not to strip the Children's Opportunity Alliance of grant‑making and contracting authority, saying those functions let the Alliance reach underserved providers and accelerate pre-K expansion.
Dozens of parents, early‑childhood educators, nonprofit leaders and business and philanthropic partners testified July 15 about expedited bill 23‑25, which would narrow the permitted activities of the Children's Opportunity Alliance (COA), Montgomery County’s designated early care and education coordinating entity.
Many witnesses — including COA board members, family childcare providers and small nonprofits that serve immigrant and non‑English‑speaking providers — urged the council to preserve COA’s ability to award small strategic grants, contract for provider supports and deploy private philanthropic dollars. COA supporters said those tools are necessary to help small providers apply for and implement state Pre‑K expansion grants, to pilot capacity‑building programs and to reach family childcare educators who otherwise lack access to county services.
“Restrictions on grants, contracts, services, or what is defined as direct services to providers would limit both our impact and our fundraising potential,” said Kimberly Rusnak, executive director of the Children's Opportunity Alliance. Several family childcare providers described COA grants and mentoring as decisive in helping them prepare to participate in the state pre‑K expansion.
Speakers who work directly in family childcare said county agencies do not consistently provide linguistically or culturally appropriate technical assistance, and that COA-funded community partners had filled that gap. “Our mentors help me in Spanish in the evenings, weekends, and they even came to my home,” one provider said through an interpreter.
Other witnesses urged clearer conflict‑of‑interest safeguards and stronger definition of “direct service” to avoid duplication with county programs. Some councilmembers and staff said they shared concerns about overlaps and wanted to limit situations where COA’s leadership might contract with organizations that also sit on governance tables without transparent safeguards.
Councilmembers asked for time to consider specific amendments and for staff to return with drafting options that preserve COA’s convening role while addressing duplication and transparency. No vote occurred; the matter will return to committee for further work.
What’s next: Council staff and stakeholders will negotiate clarifying amendments; a joint Health & Human Services and Education work session is scheduled for July 23, 2025.
