Maryland’s education leaders sought big changes in child care funding — then abruptly reversed course

The Maryland State Department of Education told a nonprofit child care network this week that the department would take control of $9.4 million in state and federal funding — and then abruptly reversed course days later.

The Maryland Family Network, which has managed grant programs that serve child care centers since 1989, was notified Tuesday that the department would distribute funding directly to the centers beginning in July, bypassing the nonprofit. The announcement shocked Maryland Family Network officials, who worried child care providers could lose out on crucial funding and face staff furloughs if they had to navigate an unfamiliar application process on short notice. The nonprofit slammed the sudden shift in a letter delivered Wednesday to the state’s top leadership...

Maryland education department sought to bypass Maryland Family Network — then abruptly reversed course - The Baltimore Banner

Pandemic parents: Why can child care open in schools that won’t allow classes?

Schools in Montgomery County won’t open for traditional classes in the fall, but hundreds of elementary schoolchildren may be taking part in “distance learning hubs” in the same buildings that were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

In programs run by child-care providers long based in county schools, students would take their Chromebooks to school daily and join small cohorts of their peers — akin to parent-organized “pandemic pods” that are popular across the country. Children ages 5 to 12 would follow online learning schedules and participate in activities during free time...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/pandemic-parents-why-can-child-care-open-in-schools-that-wont-allow-classes/2020/08/18/fad0243c-dc9c-11ea-809e-b8be57ba616e_story.html?fbclid=IwAR3gzqAhDz9CoftH5raQPsL0HRBwhbswwjT74D4nJGnj2J5OBsbhiis13R4