ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland lawmakers outlined a package of measures on Thursday to support child-care providers, who have struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the last two years, more than 750 providers in Maryland have been forced to close, lawmakers said in a joint video conference with delegates and senators. The package includes grants to attract and retain providers, as well as loans for capital expansions for facilities.
“We want to expand and stabilize grant programs for our child-care providers,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, “We want to fund child-care providers bonuses, so that we have the best and the brightest who are working with our youngest Marylanders, and we want to enhance our therapeutic child care programs.”
House Speaker Adrienne Jones said helping providers is critical to addressing the shortage of workers in the state and the nation.
“Severely limited child-care options are keeping more workers, particularly women, at home and out of the workforce,” said Jones, a Baltimore County Democrat.
One of the measures would expand access to a child-care scholarship program to make it easier for people to enroll and for providers to take part.
Another measure, which is being sponsored by Sen. Nancy King, a Montgomery County Democrat, would provide $16 million to create $1,000 retention bonuses and $1,000 bonuses for new hires.
King also is sponsoring a bill to create a program to provide specialized child care and early childhood education by educators, mental health providers and others to children under 6 who have delays in development, physical disabilities, or delays in social, emotional, or behavioral functioning.
“These bills and the total efforts of the members here today will put us on better footing so that Maryland families can have certainty and providers can have predictability as we continue to grow our local economies and support all of our families,” King said.
Sen. Katie Fry Hester, a Democrat, is sponsoring a bill with King and Republican Sen. Chris West, to create a grant program to help existing providers.
“These grants will provide financial support of up to $50,000 for centers in the state that are in danger of closing within the next 12 months due to financial hardship,” Hester said.
Another measure would create zero-interest loans to help with capital expansions and acquisitions for child-care facilities that already are experiencing difficulties with capacity.
“This bill will helps us maintain and increase child care capacity across the state by making money available to potential and existing LLC’s and nonprofits for expansion and establishment of facilities,” said Del. Eric Ebersole. He and another Democrat from Montgomery County, Del. Jared Solomon, are sponsoring the legislation.
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