The full Maryland congressional delegation, including U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen and Congressmen Steny Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Andy Harris, Anthony Brown, Jamie Raskin and David Trone, announced $45,821,890 in funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG).
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act added $3.5 billion to CCDBG nationally to allow childcare programs to meet emergency staffing needs and continue to provide childcare for health sector employees, emergency responders, sanitation workers, and other essential workers. Funds will also continue to support childcare centers despite decreased enrollment or temporary closures due to COVID-19.
“While our state is depending on essential workers to get us all through this pandemic, many of Maryland’s first responders, nurses, doctors, and frontline workers are depending on the affordable, high-quality childcare provided by these centers,” said the delegation. “These federal funds will ensure that childcare centers can provide resources to those who need it most during this crisis as well as continue to serve all Maryland families after the pandemic is over.”
The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) will allocate the funds to eligible childcare centers statewide. This award supplements the $73,319,016 in regular Fiscal Year 2020 funding, for a total of $118,803,118. On March 27th, Maryland State Superintendent Karen Salmon announced that while childcare centers across the state would close to decrease the spread of COVID-19, state-funded child care centers – which also receive federal CCDBG resources – would continue to serve up to 2,500 children. Care is free for the children of essential health care and emergency workers.
The delegation has previously announced funding for Maryland through the CARES Act including $45 million for the Governor’s emergency education relief fund, $170 million for Maryland’s institutions of higher education, $107 million for airports, $742 million for hospitals and health care providers, $15.6 million for community health centers and $48 million to Maryland local government jurisdictions.