MMF’s current issue is the Early Care and Education (ECE) Workforce.

MMF brings together business, nonprofit, government, academic, and philanthropic leaders to identify and address complex community problems in Montgomery County. It uses the Collective Impact model of collaboration and decision-making, in which cross-sector leaders work together to define a problem, conduct research, convene stakeholders, discern common ground, and develop recommendations for systemic change. MMF is Montgomery County’s only Collective Impact organization harnessing the creativity, commitment, and resources of our county to create a stronger, more equitable community.

In August 2023, MMF initiated research and stakeholder convening related to strengthening the ECE workforce. MMF defines the ECE workforce as the educators and caregivers who work with children and their families in an interconnected system of settings and learning environments across the birth to five age range.

What is the problem?

  • As small businesses, too many Montgomery County childcare providers are at risk for failing. By 2027, an estimated 17% of licensed family child care providers will close, eliminating more than 1,000 childcare slots. (i)
  • Many childcare centers operate below enrollment capacity because families cannot afford the full cost of high-quality, licensed care. Montgomery County’s licensed childcare programs are operating at 75% of capacity. Childcare for an infant and preschooler consumes more than a quarter of Montgomery County’s median household income – even more than housing or food. (ii)
  • The percentage of Montgomery County’s children who demonstrate kindergarten readiness has declined from 54% in 2018-2019 to 44% in 2022-2023. (iii)
  • The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future calls for increasing access to high quality pre-K, with private early care and education providers representing 50% of the pre-K delivery system by 2027. In 2022-2023, private early care and education providers comprised 3.5% of the delivery system.
  • The number of child care providers in Montgomery County fell 9.21% between Jan. 1, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2024. (iv)

What’s needed? 

  • A qualified, culturally responsive, and adequately compensated ECE (age 0-5) workforce providing childcare that is financially accessible for all families.

What can MMF do?

  • Work with key stakeholders to develop messages that educate the local community about the importance of high-quality childcare and the importance of investing in the development and sustainability of high-quality childcare businesses staffed by a stable workforce.
  • Work with ECE experts and the broader community to identify, advocate for, and implement public and private initiatives to strengthen the ECE workforce and ensure the viability of ECE businesses.

What will be the long-term benefits for our community?

  • Improved kindergarten readiness, performance on 3rd grade reading, and long-term success.
  • Increased workforce participation and productivity for parents of young children.
i Maryland Family Care Network 2023 Montgomery County Child Care Demographics
ii Maryland Family Care Network 2023 Montgomery County Child Care Demographics. A family of four (two adults, a pre-schooler and an infant) with median household income will spend 26.7% of their income on childcare with a Figures based on median income for a family of two adults and two children.
iii Children’s Opportunity Alliance
iv Capitol News Service 2024 Child Care: Missing in Maryland?

Our economy and our children need a strong ECE workforce: qualified, culturally responsive, and adequately compensated.

You can also download the recommendations as a PDF.

1. Remove barriers to grow the ECE workforce. With an eye toward equity and transparency, align and simplify the regulatory requirements within Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Office of Childcare.

  • Include:
    • Child Care Credential Program (currently suspended)
    • MSDE accreditation standards
    • Maryland EXCELS standards
    • COMAR licensing requirements
    • Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Pillar 1 Early Childhood requirements
  • Ask the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board and/or the Maryland Economic Council to partner with the Office of Children to convene a task force to elevate policy conversations and advance strategies to remove barriers to grow the ECE workforce. The task force should include the Departments of Labor, Commerce, and Human Services; the Maryland State Department of Education and the Higher Education Commission; representatives of the General Assembly; employers and Chambers of Commerce; ECE providers and advocates; and philanthropic organizations

2. Make ECE everyone’s issue. Increase awareness about the economic imperative of a strong ECE workforce to spur cross-sector action.

  • Develop a public awareness campaign about the importance of the ECE workforce for child development and economic growth.
  • Educate county and state elected representatives about the need to sustain and grow the ECE workforce.
  • Encourage equal access for ECE and K-12 educators for public and private benefits (e.g. bus passes and retail discounts).
  • Engage employers and Chambers of Commerce about the importance of ECE for workforce growth and stability.
  • Work with economic development agencies and workforce boards to promote ECE as key to building the strong, available workforce necessary to spur growth.

* MMF has identified recommendations 1 and 2 as initial priorities

3. Sustain providers with stable revenue sources. To sustain the ECE (age 0-5) workforce, enhance the predictability and funding adequacy of the Childcare Scholarship program to stabilize provider revenue.

  • Regularly update cost of care studies to inform the subsidy rate.
  • Implement strategies to eliminate delays in payments and unanticipated terminations to reduce the providers’ financial risk.
  • Simplify the childcare subsidy application process for families to facilitate timely approval.

4. Open doors to ECE careers. Strengthen career pathways to enter and advance in the ECE workforce.

  • Support increased enrollment in and completion of MCPS’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) program for ECE.
  • Support increased enrollment in and completion of Montgomery College’s ECE career pathways and explore offerings in other languages.
  • Promote the Child Development Associate credential.
  • Promote the apprenticeship model for ECE.
  • Define ECE career paths with stackable credentials.
  • Promote the career ladder within The Blueprint.
  • Provide financial support for professional development.
  • Support certification of foreign graduates including credential translation and evaluation.
  • Develop a statewide ECE workforce registry of current providers and those in the pipeline.
  • Develop a substitute pool for childcare providers.

5. Ensure family-sustaining wages. Seek county and/or state support for initiatives to help make ECE a financially viable profession. Evaluate and implement benefits such as:

  • A pay and benefits parity fund
  • Tax credits or stipends for ECE workers
  • Childcare subsidies for children of ECE workers
  • Access to public sector health insurance and/or retirement programs
  • Shared services model for health insurance
  • Educational loan repayment support

6. Find new solutions that work. Identify and assess models to strengthen the ECE workforce.

  • Research examples of innovative compensation and benefits, regulatory, and career development models from other states or jurisdictions.
  • Engage philanthropy in identifying, testing, and scaling new approaches to strengthen the ECE workforce (e.g. mapping ECE training and employment pathways, exposing barriers to employment and identifying untapped potential ECE workers such as refugees, supporting pay parity or creating business incubators focused on ECE innovation).
  • Develop opportunities to engage the business sector such as sponsoring professional development opportunities for ECE workers and providers, offering on-site childcare facilities, offering pro-bono professional services to ECE providers, and providing mentorship to ECE directors.

On September 30, 2024, we held a convening to address this issue.

We thank our convening partners, event sponsors, and all who participated.

Download the event program to learn more. 

Sign-on Statement:

Move from Tinkering to Transforming the Early Care and Education Workforce

Together, we – business, education, government, nonprofits and philanthropy – urgently believe our economy and our children depend upon a strong Early Care and Education workforce that is qualified, culturally responsive, and adequately compensated.