This one is about the Childcare initiative.
“In an extraordinary sweep, eight pieces of legislation focused on the needs of young children, their families, and child care providers won passage,” says Laura Weeldreyer, Maryland Family Network’s (MFN) Executive Director. “Several of the bills evolved from well-attended virtual meetings, town halls, and other outreach to the provider community conducted during the fall of 2021 and early 2022 by MFN, organizational allies, and key legislators. The Senate President and House Speaker jointly declared the childcare package a top priority for the Session, and the bills’ success in many ways reflects the growing (and overdue) recognition of two facts laid bare by the pandemic: Child care, in the words of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, is a textbook example of a broken market.’ Childcare is, moreover, an essential public good that not only needs but deserves substantial public investment.”
The $100 million package includes increases in state childcare scholarships (“subsidies”) for eligible families. It also includes funding for childcare providers for capital projects and “stabilization grants” for operating support. The package also includes recruitment and retention bonuses of up to $1000 for front-line childcare workers.
