May 2026 Newsletter
The Sandbox: Affordability and Access: Navigating the Cost of Early Care and Education
Montgomery County recently approved its final budget for the next fiscal year, and we are grateful for an additional $500,000 allocated to the Working Parents Assistance Program, secured during an extremely tight budget year thanks to the advocacy of many of you. We also thank the Montgomery County Council for investing $38.9 million to support early care and education in our community.
In the May edition of The Sandbox, Children’s Opportunity Alliance Executive Director Kimberly Rusnak reflects on a powerful statement from County Council President Natali Fani-González:
“Education starts when the child is born. In this particular industry, the early childhood educators also deserve a raise, they also deserve protections, and they deserve to have funding for working families to put their children into these centers.”
Fani-González’s words cut to heart of the affordability crisis that is facing families in Montgomery County. Support pathways exist, but our community needs to work collaboratively to make sure that families can understand and access them. Too many children in our County are missing opportunities for high-quality early care – and it’s time to act.
Early Care and Education Neighborhood Ambassadors
On May 20, 2026, our first cohort of Early Care and Education Neighborhood Ambassadors completed their learning series! Over eight sessions, 10 Montgomery County residents learned about ECE programs and services, built community leadership and advocacy skills, and gained experience connecting families to ECE offerings. The ambassadors also supported an ECE resource fair, which connected nearly 60 families to local resources.
County Councilmember Kate Stewart joined our final session to hear more about the cohort’s learning and growth.
Congratulations to our new ambassadors! Stay tuned for information on an upcoming cohort.
Now Hiring: Family Navigation Community Engagement Associate
The Alliance is hiring a Family Navigation Community Engagement Associate to lead our ECE community engagement, outreach, and education work. They will be responsible for developing trusted relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders, representing the Alliance at community events, and growing our coalition of ECE supporters.
The ideal candidate will have an understanding of the local ECE landscape and the unique issues faced by vulnerable families with young children.
This position can be tailored as either full-time or part-time based on your availability or preference. We believe in accommodating great potential in various forms.
Maryland Early Care and Education Coalition
We are proud to be a founding leadership member of the Maryland Early Care and Education Coalition (MECEC), a newly launched statewide collaborative group that seeks to define and support a shared early childhood vision.
Learn more about MECEC and the partners involved.