Baltimore City Council President Zeke Cohen announced a $300,000 investment in the Baltimore City Childcare Resource Center (BCCCRC), a program of The Family Tree.
The Baltimore City Child Care Resource Center helps parents looking for childcare, offers training and technical assistance for childcare professionals, and helps employers create a balanced work and family life for their employees.
This is the first time the BCCCRC has received a direct investment from the Baltimore City general fund. The city’s FY27 operating budget includes the funding, which will be provided to BCCCRC through a grant agreement with the Office of the Council President.
The money is intended to improve the childcare infrastructure upon which so many families and providers rely. The investment reflects the city’s commitment to expanding access to affordable, high-quality early childhood care and education.
Based on birth rate trends and Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC) projections, it was estimated that in 2024, there were more than 37,000 children under the age of five living in Baltimore City. Nearly 15,000 of them were under the age of two. As of May 2024, total capacity for early childhood care and education was just over 18,000.
Earlier this summer, Mayor Brandon Scott and Cohen joined the National League of Cities’ Early Childhood Success team to host the Maryland Leadership in Action for Early Childhood Success Convening. Elected officials, agency leaders, advocates, and childcare providers came together to discuss how local governments can strengthen early childhood systems. The city’s $300,000 investment carries that work through, pouring resources into a Baltimore institution serving children, families, and childcare providers.
“The City Council and Mayor Scott came together to pass an FY27 operating budget that delivers for Baltimore’s children and families,” Cohen said. “This $300,000 investment in the Baltimore City Child Care Resource Center is a concrete example of that commitment. Ensuring families can access affordable, quality childcare while supporting the providers who serve them. I want every Baltimore child to have access to universal pre-K, and getting there means listening to our communities and investing in the childcare infrastructure families depend on today.”
Baltimore City is not the only region investing in early childhood education resources. In Howard County, officials broke ground on the Faulkner Ridge Early Learning Center in Columbia. It will be Howard County Public School System’s (HCPSS) first-ever regional pre-kindergarten facility.
In 2021, the Maryland legislature passed the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, which made major investments in public education funding and standards for prekindergarten. The Blueprint made full-day prekindergarten free for all 3- and 4-year-olds from low-income households up to 300% of the poverty level. It also made pre-K available to all other 4-year-olds on a sliding scale through a public-private mixed delivery system. The premise for the investment is how foundational early childhood education is to young learners succeeding in kindergarten and beyond.
