Maryland Child Care voucher program expands eligibility

For the last many years, the state of Maryland has offered child care subsidy (CCS) vouchers for low income children of working parent(s) – i.e. no one is home during the day to provide day care. Although many in the community have benefited from the program, its impact has been limited due to a very low income threshold for eligibility. However, due to a statewide push to provide more robust child care/pre-K options for Maryland’s youngest citizens, the Governor and General Assembly secured a dramatic increase for Maryland’s Child Care Subsidy Program during the 2018 legislative session earlier this year. As of August 1, 2018, an entirely new set of income eligibility guidelines have been released to expand the availability of these child care vouchers for children attending a “Maryland EXCELS” early childhood facility. According to the new income guidelines, even households with an income level that exceeds eligibility for Free and Reduced-priced Meals (the guidelines used for BOOST scholarships), may still qualify. The table below shows income eligibility based on household size and annual household income (please note: a “family of 2” indicates one parent and one child; “family of 3” may be one parent/two children or two parents/one child).

Please visit the Maryland Child Care Subsidy Program homepage for all of the information for the program.

To find a Maryland EXCELS certified early childhood center, click here.

An article in today’s Sun about the program can be found here.