Child care tuition in Maryland may increase after state bonuses dry up

Parents of children in private childcare could face tuition increases stemming from an unlikely cause: no training funding for their children’s teachers for a year.

For years, child care and preschool teachers could receive up to $400 a year through a state program Unpleasant coverage of the training, including the 12 required hours. Additional professional development, such as university courses on child development and special education, could earn them bonuses ranging from $200 to $1,500.

Not this school year.

State education officials say funding for the Maryland Child Care Credential Program has dried up. launched in 2000 to reward teachers who go above and beyond state requirements. This is expected to return in fiscal year 2026.

Until then, some early childhood teachers — who often earn minimum wage or a few dollars more — are suddenly left without the extra income they rely on to cover the slow season or pay burdensome bills. Advocates worry it will push teachers out of the low-paid sector, worsening child care shortage.

In the meantime, some childcare companies are doing their best to cover the difference, with tuition increases on the table.

Ruthi Claytor, owner of Grannie Annie’s Child Care & Learning Center in Anne Arundel County, is expected to pay $7,200 in training costs, which amounts to about $400 for each of its 18 teachers. She said that because the training is mandatory, she feels it is her responsibility to cover the costs for her staff, who earn between $18 and $19 an hour.

Claytor likened the annual bonuses to a tax refund that could be used for things like new tires or down payments on apartments.

“If you make less than $20 an hour, it’s hard to save for those expensive items,” Claytor said. “They are disappointed and a bit scared because they have become dependent on that bonus.”

Claytor is looking at next year’s budget, and possibly her tuition, to find money to raise her teachers’ salaries and make up for lost bonus money. Historically, Claytor increases tuition by 5% each year, but may need to increase it by 6% to accommodate education costs among other increased expenses.

More than 8,600 early childhood educators were participating in the program that provided the bonuses at the time of a letter from Shayna Cook to the General Assembly in June, the assistant state superintendent who oversees the state’s early childhood programs. That represents 15% of the field. The program issued 933 training vouchers this year, the letter said.

Applications, vouchers and bonuses were suspended after June 30 because there is currently no federal or state funding for them, according to the program’s website.

The Maryland State Department of Education declined to comment further.

Christina Peusch, executive director of the Maryland State Child Care Association said more than 11,000 emails were sent last summer to state officials and lawmakers, including the state school board, asking for emergency funding, but the money was not returned.

Georetta Alexander has spent more than 20 years in the field and currently teaches 2-year-olds The Goddard School of Owings Mills. By completing additional training and participating in community education events, she qualified for $600 a year in bonus money and some large bills just before the summer.

“Knowing that I could plan how to use that money gave me a sense of peace,” Alexander said. “It was always kind of a safety net to know that was coming in.”

Brenda Tyrrell, who owns the Prime Time Children’s & Youth Activity Center in Calvert County, said she has spoken with other owners who require only minimal training for their staff, which the employees will have to pay for themselves.

“I feel like it’s going to bounce back and really bite us in the end,” Tyrrell said. “It is the children who will suffer. Because people need training.”

Tyrrell designed its own bonus program for its employees, which pays between $200 and $500 each for additional training and participation in community events, such as an apparel drive. To afford that in a business that’s “not going to make you rich,” Tyrrell had to make other sacrifices, like not buying new mulch, rain gear and bicycles. for the more than 200 children under her care.

The choice has not yet affected the tuition fees.

“If I have trouble getting that money, I will have to increase my tuition fees. There is no alternative,” Tyrrell said, adding that she typically raises rates annually to reflect inflation. “Tuition will have to increase, which will impact parents who say, ‘It costs so much to have my kids in daycare, I might as well stay home.’ And that will affect the economy.

“It’s a snowball effect,” Tyrrell added.

Here’s another layer, Peusch said: If daycare centers struggle to retain teaching staff or keep up with rising costs and close, that reduces the number of private providers that can participate in the state’s pre-K expansion. At least half of preschool programs should come from the private market by 2028, but the vast majority of Maryland school districts did not even reach 10% last school year. And Maryland already lost 15% of its child care providers between January 2020 and January 2024.

At the Goddard School where Alexander works, teachers have access to an online training resource to meet their needs. That will be free for them, said program director Caitlyn Holley.

Holley said that while the online training is “great for convenience,” there can be challenges for teachers who learn best by asking trainers questions directly, especially teachers for whom English is not their native language. She hopes to send teachers to an in-person conference next year, but that will come at an additional cost.

In her letter to the General Assembly, Cook said the Education Department would provide “high-quality, no-cost” professional development opportunities throughout fiscal year 2025. The Education Department’s Early Childhood Division provided links to online resources for free training in a recent newsletter.

Advocates and educators said prior to that email that they had not seen any free training offered by the department this year, and that the associated programs were not administered by Maryland.

Peusch said it is unclear to her how many people will be able to benefit from these trainings and how many hours they will fill.

The loss of funding for training and bonuses makes some teachers feel unappreciated just a few years into the pandemic shone a light on the essential nature of childcare.

“It’s just hard to get something and get a little bit of recognition for what you do,” Prime Time’s Tyrrell said, “and now you’re on your own.”

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, a community-funded journalism program that gives parents the tools they need to make decisions about the way their children learn. Read more.