Early Childhood Focus

A Good Deal for Maryland (OPINION)

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:49:00 PST

At a signing ceremony earlier this month, Gov. Martin O'Malley made official the first-ever contract between the state and family child care providers who participate in Maryland's child care subsidy program. I'm among the people who benefit from this agreement - so are the children in my care and their families.

Tide Point Childcare to Close

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:37:57 PST

A South Baltimore day care will close its doors Dec. 31 following a drop in enrollment and mounting financial losses.

County Child Care Programs Also Suffering Budget Cuts

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:13:23 PST

CUMBERLAND � Both Allegany and Garrett County community agencies are struggling with maintaining child care programs, resulting in the loss of day care options for area families.

Changes Worry Child Care Owners

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:20:18 PST

SALISBURY � The Wicomico County Council is expected to devote time in today�s meeting to discussing pre-kindergarten education, council meeting hours and issues with the local Housing Authority.

Montgomery County Finds More Irregularities in Funding at Child Care Center

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:57:32 PST

Montgomery County has found more financial irregularities at a publicly funded child care center in Wheaton that previously has been investigated for fraud, county records show.

Md. Offers Child-Care Inspection Data Online

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:37:28 PST

Maryland parents will now be able to peruse inspection reports from child-care homes and centers across the state with a new online records system that advocates and officials say will bring another layer of accountability to day-care decision making.

Refurbished Child Center Fosters School Readiness

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:01:24 PST

The road to the future at the Families Foremost Center in Silver Spring is now paved with fluffy stuffed animals, state-of-the-art science equipment and lots of room to play.

Child-Care Center Searches for a New Home

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:54:48 PST

A day-care center that has operated at the same Takoma Park address since 1979 is losing its home, in a holiday story with no real villain but plenty of victims.

Squeezed on All Sides, Parents Forgo Child Care

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:58:07 PST

In the Prince George's County community of Riverdale Park, town officials have noted a distressing sign of the national economic downturn: more children left home alone to fend for themselves by working parents too strapped to afford child care.

Parents Feel Pinch of Child Care Cost

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:57:27 PST

A quiet is falling over some Anne Arundel day cares, and not just during nap time. Local day care providers are starting to feel the pinch from tightening family budgets.

State Must Provide Adequate Child Care Assistance

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 17:20:15 PST

It seems that due to the tough economy, many families are turning to illegal, unlicensed child care options. Families with young children are struggling to make ends meet. The price of groceries, gas and housing are very high. Many working parents need child care so that they can be productive at work, especially two-parent working families and single parents.

Agencies Partner To Improve Kindergarten Readiness

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:48:34 PST

Despite a slight increase in the number of Carroll County kindergartners who were ready to start school last year, the county still has a lot to do to catch up with other counties in the state.

Child Care Staff To Be Certified

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:23:27 PST

Maryland becomes the first state to require certification of child care workers in 24-hour residential programs under a new law taking effect today.

Off-Post Child Care is Within Reach

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:18:32 PST

Any military or Department of Defense civilian Family attached to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Fort Meade, Walter Reed or Fort Detrick who is looking for off-post child care, should contact LOCATE: Child Care at 1-800-999-0120.

Parents Weigh Child Care Options Online

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:32:14 PST

A new mother, Poli Marinova set out to find the best possible day-care provider for her infant son. She had little trouble finding a list of nearby caregivers, but she discovered there was no easy way to check their track records in Maryland.

Gansler To Appeal Child Care Unionization Ruling

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:51:35 PST

The Maryland attorney general is stepping into a battle that's been brewing for more than three years regarding the idea of day care providers unionizing.

Maryland Increases Subsidies for Child-Care Costs

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:37:36 PST

Many parents feel the strains of paying for child care, but such costs can be staggering for low-income workers, rivaling the rent or mortgage payment for the biggest chunk of the family budget.

Child care providers fight unionization

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 11:35:24 PST

Though a decision is still pending on a lawsuit to block an executive order by Gov. Martin O'Malley to allow for the unionization of child care, local providers are waiting for the ruling they feel could influence their profession.

Child-care workers OK union effort

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:05:47 PST

About 80 percent of Maryland�s home-based child-care providers have voted to give themselves the right to join a union, leaders with the Service Employees International Union said this week.

But state Circuit Court Judge Dexter M. Thompson Jr. in Cecil County issued a temporary restraining order Monday that could nullify the election. Thompson�s ruling stays the executive order by Gov. Martin O�Malley (D) that allowed the mail-in unionization election.

Child care providers in Md. vote for union

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 10:24:31 PST

Maryland's nearly 6,000 home-based child care providers have voted to form a union that they say will provide needed training and ensure better reimbursement rates.