State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Maryland

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Maryland could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $29,990 (164 percent of poverty, 37 percent of state median income).

•    Waiting list: Maryland had no waiting list for child care assistance as of February 2010.     

•    Parent copayments: In 2010, a family of three with an income at 100 percent of poverty ($18,310 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $200 per month, or 13 percent of its income in copayments. A family of three with an income at 150 percent of poverty ($27,465 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $313 per month, or 14 percent of its income in copayments.¹

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Maryland’s reimbursement rates for child care providers serving families receiving child care assistance were below the federally recommended level—the 75th percentile of current market rates, which is the level designed to give families access to 75 percent of the providers in their community.
o    Maryland’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Region W²  was $226, or 30 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.
o    Maryland’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a one-year-old in Region W was $257, or 23 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, Maryland paid higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Region W at the highest quality tier was 26 percent higher than the rate at the lowest quality tier.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in Region W at the highest quality tier was still below the 75th percentile of current market rates.

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Maryland allowed parents to continue receiving child care for up to 30 days while searching for a job.  However, Maryland did not allow parents to qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job.³  

¹The state determines copayments based on maximum state reimbursement rates in the region where the family lives.
²Region W includes Anne Arundel, Calvert, Carroll, Charles, and Prince George’s Counties.
³Only Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients can qualify for child care assistance while searching for a job.

Source: Karen Schulman and Helen Blank, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm (Washington, DC: National Women’s Law Center, 2010). These data reflect policies as of February 2010, unless otherwise indicated.