EquiCare Grants for Quality Infant and Toddler Care in Montgomery County (Maryland)

The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Early Childhood Services, in partnership with the Office of Grants Management (OGM), is soliciting grant applications for the County’s 2024 EquiCare: Subsidy Seats Grant Program from licensed child care providers located in Montgomery County to cover the cost of quality child care funding for infants and toddler (age 6 weeks to 36 months) seats aligned with current trends for child care seats.

Donor Name: Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Early Childhood Services

State: Maryland

County: Montgomery County (MD)

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 02/05/2024

Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000

Grant Duration: 3 Years

Details:

The grant aims to enhance the availability of high-quality infant and toddler child care seats and address the needs of families that do not meet the eligibility criteria for current early childhood public programs.

Funding Priorities

This grant program is anticipated to receive a large number of applications and total funding requests that will exceed the amount of resources available. Priority in awarding funding will be given to proposals from licensed child care programs located with a physical address in 20877, 20886, 20902, 20866, 20906.

Grants provided under this program may be requested as multi-year awards of up to three years, pending satisfactory program performance and continued appropriation of funding by the County Council. Proposals should include at maximum a three-year budget that includes a projected inflationary increase for each of the future fiscal years.

Funding Information

2024 EquiCare: Subsidy Seats award amounts will vary, with a total pool of $1,000,000. The minimum grant award that will be considered for any applicant is $282,720 for centers and letter of compliance programs and $57,504 for family child care and large family child care. Programs seeking funds would apply for a designated number of seats, and eligibility would be assessed according to County-established criteria. The performance period of these grant awards will extend through June 30, 2025. Organizations with more than one facility in the County must submit a separate application for each facility. Applicants will submit multi-year funding proposals of three (3) years but funding beyond the first 12 months will be contingent on both satisfactory project performance and future Council appropriations.

Target Population

The target populations for this grant program are Montgomery County children age six (6) weeks to 3 years from homes at or below the 400% federal poverty line. These households likely do not meet the eligibility criteria for current early childhood public programs and lack sufficient resources to meet their childcare needs.

Eligibility Criteria

Lead applicants may only submit one application per facility, and must meet all of the following conditions:

The organization must be a licensed child care provider based in Montgomery County, as demonstrated through the following required documentation:
- A License/registration number provided by the Maryland State Department of Education for your child care program under COMAR: Family Child Care (13A.15), Large Family Child Care (13A.18), Center Child Care (13A.16), or Letter of Compliance (13A.17);
The organization must meet specific program criteria, as demonstrated through the following required documentation:
- Accreditation by a recognized state or national entity (ex. Maryland State Department of Education, National Association for the Education of Young Children, National Association of Family Child Care)
- Published rating of level 3 or higher in Maryland EXCELS
The organization’s staff must meet these minimum education requirements, which differ based on these two childcare provider types:
- Child Care Center and Letter of Compliance:
  - Assistant Teacher in EquiCare Grant classroom:
    - Infant/Toddler Child Development Associate (CDA); OR
    - 45-Hour Infant Toddler Course with 2 years’ experience
  - Teacher in EquiCare Grant classroom:
    - Associates Degree in Early Childhood; OR
    - Child Development Associate (CDA) Infant/Toddler Child
    - Development Associate (CDA) with 2 years’ experience.
- Family Child Care and Large Family Child Care:
  - Approved Provider:
    - Associates Degree in Early Childhood; OR
    - Child Development Associate (CDA) Infant/Toddler Child
    - Development Associate (CDA) with 2 years’ experience.
  - Additional Adult (if applicable):
    - 45-Hour Infant Toddler Course with 2 years’ experience
The organization must be currently registered and in Good Standing with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT);
All activities and expenditures under this grant program must be provided in Montgomery County, and be exclusively for Montgomery County residents.