A committee of College Park residents asked the city council in October to offer grants to home-based child care providers and property tax credits to established centers in an effort to expand the number of local day care businesses.
The College Park Child Care Task Force, which the city council appointed in January, also suggested that the city create a website listing all licensed providers in College Park to give families an easier way to find information.
“If you’re able to even increase the amount of businesses here that can survive and care for children, we’re going to be a real standout city in this entire metropolitan area,” Gavin Neubauer, a University of Maryland (UMD) public policy student and a member of the nine-member task force, said at the Oct. 7 city council meeting.
Task force members presented a report recommending nearly 20 actions for the mayor and city council to lower child care costs and increase availability in the city. Neubauer and College Park Estates resident Christina Martin Kenny, the mother of two, presented the report, which the group compiled after conducting interviews with local parents and child care centers and analyzing state data.
Neubauer said from February 2020 to October 2024, the number of child care providers in Maryland has dropped by 15.5%. He added that the average cost to parents for center-based care is more than $15,000 a year, and a state program offering child care scholarships has been frozen since May.
“We have a competitive child care market where there is a lot of very strong demand as families move into this area, but there’s little information and high cost throughout,” Neubauer said.
According to the task force’s report, College Park has 18 licensed child care providers, including 11 day care centers, five home-based providers, and two tax-exempt religious organizations offering after-school care.
Kenny said no member of the task force with children younger than 5 years old has children enrolled in these facilities.
“In my own community, the options for child care in the city of College Park are neither affordable nor accessible,” Kenny said. “There’s just too few of them.”
She added that some day care centers charge expensive fees to parents on their waitlists, without the guarantee they will ever secure spots for their children.
The committee proposed capital projects grants or zero-interest loans of up to $2,500 for home-based providers to establish their programs and make their homes safe for children. Other ideas included subsidizing CPR and other training for employees, a city event to connect parents and providers, and extended hours and city scholarships until the state program resumes.
Mayor Pro Tem Denise Mitchell (District 4) said offering funds to home-based centers is a good idea because some parents prefer to place their children in smaller environments. She also suggested working with Prince George’s Child Resource Center to achieve some of the recommendations.
Mayor Fazlul Kabir initiated a round of applause for the task force and its work after a 40-minute presentation. He suggested that the council hold a future workshop to further discuss the report.
“Part of our calling is we want to increase the quality of life of people,” Councilmember Maria Mackie (District 4) said. “So I’m supportive of trying to move forward on some of your ideas.”