Building a stronger ECE system is an economic imperative.
Montgomery Moving Forward (MMF) issued a Call to Action for Early Care and Education in January 2018, following more than a year of extensive research and community outreach. Since then, we have been leading and facilitating a number of efforts aimed at achieving the goals set forth in the Call the Action.
Why is ECE so important?
ECE has direct impact on employers and employees because working parents with young children need access to affordable, high-quality child care in order to be productive employees.
High-quality ECE is also a powerful investment in the future, because today’s infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are tomorrow’s workers, taxpayers, and parents.
ECE is also a good fit for MMF’s Collective Impact approach. To learn more about how we work, visit About MMF.
ECE Advocacy Highlights
On February 15, 2022, the Montgomery County Council voted unanimously in favor of Bill 42-21, landmark legislation to establish an Early Care and Education (ECE) Coordinating Entity in the county. Council President Gabe Albornoz and Councilmembers Nancy Navarro and Craig Rice are the lead sponsors of the bill, and all other Councilmembers are cosponsors. Read the press release.
MMF has developed recommendations regarding formation of a public-private Early Care and Education (ECE) Coordinating Entity for Montgomery County. This process was supported by a special appropriation from the Montgomery County Council, and the recommendations report was delivered to the Council in January 2021. Download the full report or the executive summary. For more resources, visit the Entity Project page.
In 2021, MMF worked with community partners to pilot The Basics in Montgomery County. The Basics consists of five parenting and caregiving pillars to promote high-quality cognitive and social emotional development from birth to age five. The program is now managed by the Montgomery County Collaboration Council for Children, Youth and Families. To learn more, visit their Basics web page.
MMF’s 2020 Symposium was a three-part virtual event held on November 5, 12, and 19. Visit the Symposium event page to learn more and view videos of the Symposium sessions.
The cross-sector ECE Workforce Advocacy Coalition convened by MMF issued a call to U.S. Senators and Representatives from Maryland to invest in the recovery of the ECE workforce and implement policies that will allow it to build back better. The Coalition also issued a call to the Maryland State Department of Education regarding school-age child care.
The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on ECE – affecting children, parents, employers and early care providers.
MMF is working closely with our ECE Expert Advisors Group, county government, and leaders from across sectors to monitor how Covid-19 is impacting the ECE landscape and how this unexpected and unprecedented situation will affect ECE needs and priorities going forward.
The pandemic has also made the equity gaps that disproportionately affect children of color more stark. Now, more than ever, it is essential that we invest in building a strong, resilient, equitable and accessible ECE system.
See More ECE Resources at the bottom of this page for more information on ECE equity gaps.
ECE Action Items:
Steps You Can Take Today
51% of children entering public kindergarten in Montgomery County are NOT kindergarten ready.
One year of child care for a young child costs more than in-state tuition at a public university.
Low wages and high turnover plague the ECE workforce. Nationwide, the average turnover rate is 30%.
We envision a coordinated, comprehensive ECE system that will advance two important goals:
1. Attracting and retaining a talented workforce of today by supporting families with young children; and
2. Ensuring the skilled workforce of tomorrow by addressing the growing opportunity gap.
In support of these big goals, our community must work toward three key outcomes:
To learn more, see see MMF’s Call to Action for Early Care and Education.
In March 2020, MMF launched the ECE Toolkit for Employers.
The ECE Toolkit is a resource for employers and parents in Montgomery County, MD. It was created by a team of local employers and child care experts, in response to goals set forth in MMF’s Call to Action for Early Care and Education.
The ECE Toolkit provides guidance and resources to help employers:
- Connect employees with tools and advice for locating high-quality child care
- Share information about programs and tax credits that can help employees pay for child care
- Learn more about family-friendly benefits for a better bottom line
- Boost their competitive edge