Partial thaw in child-care subsidies

Affordable child-care is a vital support for many working parents. Without it, many families would have to decide which parent would leave the workforce to care for their children. Child care is especially important for poor single parents who may lack support networks. That's why Maryland offers the Child Care Subsidy Program, and why it is so unfortunate that there are more than 20,000 children on the waiting list. In fact, the subsidy program has been "frozen" for most eligible families since February of 2011.

However, last week child advocates received some good news when the Maryland Department of Education (which administers the subsidy) announced that it is reopening the subsidy and is now able to move lower-income families (those in the bottom three income brackets) from the waiting list to the program starting in November. The department is now able to afford expanding the subsidy program because enough families have left the program through attrition and through other bureaucratic cost saving measures.

Our friends at the Maryland Family Network are asking supporters to
thank the Governor and the State Superintendent of Schools for devoting funds to partially restore access to this crucial subsidy. This is a great way to let public officials know you support then when they protect and expand vital services for working families in Maryland.