BALTIMORE, MD—Starting May 1, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) will temporarily freeze new enrollments in the Child Care Scholarship (CCS) Program due to overwhelming demand and limited funding. The program, which provides financial assistance for child care services to eligible families, has seen an 87% surge in demand since January 2023, with over 21,000 new children enrolled.
The freeze will not impact currently enrolled families, who will continue to receive benefits as long as they maintain eligibility and complete the recertification process on time. Child care providers will also continue to receive payments for existing clients.
Although applications will still be accepted during the freeze, they will be processed and added to a waitlist. Scholarships will be awarded as funding becomes available.
The MSDE emphasizes that the enrollment freeze only affects families seeking financial assistance through the CCS Program. Private-pay families are not impacted, and providers can continue to accept new families on a private basis.
The department will provide resources to help providers communicate the freeze to families and will issue regular updates on the program’s status. Families may continue submitting applications at any time, even after the enrollment freeze starts. Families can visit the Child Care Scholarship Program website or call 877-227-0125 for more information.
This article was written with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a human editor.
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