ANNUAL REPORT

FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We are in a transformative moment for early care and education (ECE) in Montgomery County. Families with young children are navigating additional challenges amid a period of economic uncertainty, and the mission of the Children’s Opportunity Alliance (the Alliance) has never been more urgent. Our commitment to the families of Montgomery County is unwavering: every child deserves access to high-quality early learning experiences that lay the foundation for lifelong success.

This past year, we turned that commitment into measurable action. Together, we:

• Piloted initiatives that addressed barriers to participation in Maryland’s Pre-K Expansion program through $1 million in County funding.

• Expanded public awareness of ECE and its critical importance through numerous community events, including Read Across America Week, Month of the Young Child events such as a community conversation with author Dan Wuori, and tables at 15 different community gatherings.

• Released our second Fiscal Map, a comprehensive analysis of federal, state, and local investments in the County’s early care and education system.

This year also marked a defining milestone for our collective work: the completion of the Montgomery County Early Care and Education Common Agenda, and the launch of the aligned work groups that will put the ambitious strategies of the agenda into action. The Common Agenda represents a shared vision for change across our County’s diverse early childhood community. It was created with the input of educators, parents and caregivers, nonprofit leaders, business partners, funders, advocates, and more, alongside a comprehensive analysis of early childhood data from multiple state and local agencies. The Common Agenda sets an ambitious goal: by 2030, 75% of children in Montgomery County will demonstrate readiness for Kindergarten.

The Alliance has built significant momentum in systems-building work across the County, but even as we reflect on our shared progress, the urgency of our mission is clear. Our Fiscal Map and feedback from the community highlight the ongoing challenges facing our ECE system – shortages in available seats, workforce instability, and persistent inequities in access and opportunity. These findings remind us that progress is possible, but only through bold, collective action.

As we look ahead to the coming year, I invite you to engage, collaborate, and invest in this critical work. Together, we can build the sustainable, high-quality system our children and families deserve.

MISSION, VISION, & FOUNDATIONAL ACTIONS

ACTIONS OF THE ALLIANCE

LOCAL DATA

Source: US Census Bureau American Community Survey One-Year Estimates, 2024

KINDERGARTEN READINESS

Source: Maryland State Department of Education

Note: Direct certification is the process by which eligible children are certified for free meals without the need for a household application based on household participation in one or more means-tested Federal assistance program. It generally includes children from families with low incomes.

A YEAR OF IMPACT: REFLECTIONS ON FY25

Every action of the Alliance is aligned with our foundational action plan, which provides a roadmap to a more equitable and sustainable ECE system for Montgomery County.

 A BLUEPRINT FOR CHANGE: THE COMMON AGENDA

In March 2025, the Alliance introduced the Montgomery County Early Care and Education Common Agenda for 2025-2030. Developed through input from a diverse group of stakeholders, the Common Agenda is a collective blueprint for system transformation and includes actionable steps toward shared goals. Since its launch, over 50 individuals have joined three strategic work groups and an overarching steering committee. Each group brings together people with lived experience and professional knowledge to translate the Common Agenda’s vision into practical, coordinated action.

Our shared goal is ambitious: over the next five years, our Common Agenda seeks to ensure that 75% of Montgomery County children arrive to Kindergarten demonstrating readiness – that number sits at just 46% today. To ensure that we can deliver on this commitment to the children and families we serve, the Common Agenda is built around four strategies that are critical to the success of our goal:

1. Expand affordable access to high-quality early care and education programs by reducing the cost and removing barriers for families.

2. Engage with families about how to ensure their young children are thriving and how to navigate and access early childhood resources.

3. Recognize and advance the early care and education workforce to recruit, retain, and expand the number of high-quality educators.

4. Advocate for systems changes and new public and private funding for the early childhood system to reduce costs for families, raise wages and sustainability for the workforce, and make it easier for parents and providers to access support.

THE COMMON AGENDA

THE STATE OF AFFORDABILITY & ACCESS

THE STATE OF FAMILY NAVIGATION

THE STATE OF THE ECE WORKFORCE

IMPROVING ACCESS FOR ALL AGES WITH PRE-K EXPANSION

The Children’s Opportunity Alliance is a systems-building organization, and we take a comprehensive approach to improving access to high-quality early care and education for young children and their families in Montgomery County. As the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future continues to spur Pre-K expansion through a mixed delivery system, the landscape of available, accessible seats is evolving. A mixed delivery system expands Pre-K in both public school settings and in community-based programs, including both child care centers and family child care homes (FCCs). This approach means families are able to choose the type of high-quality care that best fits their needs. Access to Pre-K helps ensure that children are ready for Kindergarten, and our goal is to grow to 6,500 Pre-K seats in the County by 2030.

As we focus on Pre-K expansion, a systems-level lens is crucial. Lessons learned from other communities have shown that expanding Pre-K primarily through public schools can unintentionally destabilize community-based child care programs, including FCCs. These community-based programs often deliver care to infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children, all in one setting. When community-based programs lose enrollment and tuition revenue, entire communities feel the impact: programs close, educators exit the workforce, and families of infants and toddlers face widening gaps in care. Our goal is to sustainably increase the number of available and affordable Pre-K seats across diverse settings while maintaining stability across the ECE ecosystem, so that all families have access to the care they need.

In FY25, the Alliance received an additional $1 million in funding from the Montgomery County government to expand access to high-quality preschool for the County’s young learners. Building on the engagement work we conducted in FY24 to identify the major barriers to participation in Pre-K, we set to work administering these funds. Our results:

• Supported the system in growing from 207 to 646 state-funded Pre-K seats for targeted populations.

• $7,001,300 in state Pre-K Expansion Grant dollars secured for the County.

• Piloted Pre-K Expansion Grant assistance for eligible providers, including writing and grant management support. We supported nine child care centers with grant writing and four centers with grant management in the FY25 Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) grant cycle, as well as supported 11 centers with grant writing for the FY26 grant cycle, through a contract with Maryland State Child Care Association (MSCCA), Family Child Care Alliance of Maryland, Capacity Partners, and Innovations in Education LLC. This support yielded 160 new state-funded Pre-K seats in SY2025-26 and 340 new seats in SY2026-27.

• Implemented a subsidized tuition initiative that funded 34 additional seats at centers that received the MSDE Pre-K Expansion Grants but lacked sufficient funding to meet identified demand. We continued this pilot by bridging the summer funding gap, and 17 children utilized the funded seats over the summer.

• Piloted Pre-K capacity-building efforts for five centers in high-need areas via an expanded contract with MSCCA and Innovations in Education, including 22 subsidized full-day seats at two of the centers. Two centers were awarded MSDE Pre-K Expansion Grants, representing 40 new seats and $578,980 in state funding.

• Awarded grants to four nonprofit intermediary associations that implemented Pre-K Expansion education and capacity-building solutions for over 100 family child care centers.

• Supported two first-time Pre-K Expansion Grantees in enrollment outreach via direct mail information. Both centers were fully enrolled by the start of the school year.

PARTNERSHIPS IN ACTION

“Family child care homes are a key part of a strong Pre-K mixed delivery system. They offer warm, high-quality learning right in our neighborhoods and meet families where they are. FCC educators are brain architects — nurturing, teaching, and shaping the foundation for lifelong learning and success. That’s why it’s so important to build awareness and make sure outreach efforts truly include and celebrate FCC programs — they’re an essential part of expanding access and opportunity for all children.”

- Jenn Nicholls, Treasurer, Family Child Care Association, Montgomery County Chapter

The Nurturey, a community-based child care center in Gaithersburg, participated in the full spectrum of our center-based supports. We funded up to 12 seats while The Nurturey participated in individualized capacity-building, so that they weren’t stressed by vacant seats and could focus on preparation for the state grant implementation. The Nurturey successfully applied for the Pre-K Expansion Grant with writing and administrative assistance from the Alliance and was awarded 20 state-funded Pre-K seats for SY2025-26. They now receive grant management and enrollment support, which helps to mitigate the administrative burden of the expansion. The Nurturey, now fully enrolled, is a thriving model of community-based collaboration.

“Thanks to the Children’s Opportunity Alliance, The Nurturey was able to strengthen our foundation and successfully join Maryland’s Pre-K Expansion program. Their capacity-building support empowered us to grow our impact and offer more families access to high-quality, tuition-free early learning.”

- Vernessa Brodie, Executive Director, The Nurturey

 MONTH OF THE YOUNG CHILD

Each April, the Children’s Opportunity Alliance joins families, educators, and community partners to celebrate the Month of the Young Child – a national recognition of the essential role early care and education plays in helping children reach their fullest potential.

In April 2025, the Alliance hosted a series of events designed to engage the community, elevate awareness of early learning, and strengthen support for young children and the people who care for them.