Child Care Act.pdf

The Growing Family Child Care Opportunities Pilot Program is established in the State Department of Education to provide grants for local pilot programs, with the purpose of increasing the supply and sustainability of family child care providers, especially in areas with high poverty and unemployment rates or a lack of available child care providers. The Department will partner with the Maryland Child Care Resource Network to administer the program, awarding grants of up to $150,000 to local jurisdictions or child care licensing regions. Grant recipients must use the grants to establish and support local pilot programs, raise local matching funds, collaborate with existing family child care providers, and provide technical assistance and start-up assistance to recruited individuals. The Governor must include an appropriation of $450,000 for the program in the annual budget bill for fiscal years 2023 and 2024. The Department must develop guidelines for the grant application process, publish goals for the program each year, and submit a report to the General Assembly on the status of the program by December 1 each year. The Act will take effect on July 1, 2021, and will remain effective for 4 years, until June 30, 2025.