Dozens of Maryland child care facilities have been awarded $11.5 million, thanks to the Child Care Capital Support Revolving Loan Fund, Gov. Wes Moore announced Tuesday.
The funds will be shared among 67 child care centers in the state as part the inaugural round of funding is disseminated. The Child Care Capital Support Revolving Loan Fund, created last year by the General Assembly, grants no-interest loans to child care providers so they can invest in capital expenses, such as new construction or renovations.
Providers must be licensed and participate in the Maryland State Department of Education’s Child Care Scholarship Program, which aides families in paying for child care and early education programs. The funding cannot be allocated toward operational expenses.
Nine of the awarded centers are in Baltimore City, seven are in Baltimore County, five are in Anne Arundel County, two are in Howard County, and one is in Harford County.
Nine facilities have been awarded the highest amount of $500,000, including M3CG LLC for a new construction in Anne Arundel County, Jewels School Inc. for an expansion in Baltimore County, and Fairlane Family Child Care LLC for a new construction and JackMo Enterprises Inc. for an expansion, both in Howard County.
“Child care providers all across our state need funding to support access to their critical services,” Moore said in a news release. “The Child Care Capital Support Fund will also help ensure that Maryland’s families have access to high-quality child care and Maryland’s children will have access to more learning opportunities.”
Maryland Department of Commerce Secretary Kevin Anderson said in the release that he has seen the need for greater capacity levels at child care centers, especially in rural and underserved parts of the state.
State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury said the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, historic legislation funneling billions into Maryland’s education system over the next decade, has a heavy focus on making early childhood education more equitable. Early childhood education is the first of the Blueprint’s five pillars, and goals include expanding free, full-day prekindergarten, as well as developing capacity for new and current child care programs.
“We must continue to urgently move the needle through creative grant making, engagement with stakeholders, and investing in high-quality strategies and initiatives to support child-care providers,” Choudhury said in the news release. “We must continue to find opportunities to support and strengthen Maryland’s child-care system so every family across the State, no matter zip code or income, has access to high-quality early childhood education programs.”