Howard County Executive Calvin Ball recently announced the launch of the county's inaugural Early Head Start program, aiming to expand early childhood education opportunities.

The $750,000 initiative, a collaboration between the Community Action Council of Howard County and Howard Community College, will establish five new Early Head Start classrooms for children aged two or younger.

Families earning up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for this program.

"Since the COVID-19 pandemic, childcare options for infants and toddlers have dwindled and become more costly," Ball noted. "With nearly 20,000 children under five in Howard County but only about 10,000 childcare spots, the need is pressing."

Initial funding will support the centers for two years, with ongoing operating costs covered by the state's Blueprint for Maryland's Future initiative.

Last fiscal year, CAC denied enrollment to 70 children under age three and 35 families due to income limits.

"It is not an overstatement to call this a 'crisis' for childcare in Maryland," said Maryland State Delegate and Howard County Delegation Co-Chair Jessica Feldmark. "Affordable, quality childcare is a major challenge for many families and employers."

HCC's Children’s Learning Center, which opened in 2000 and closed in 2020 due to the pandemic, will reopen in partnership with CAC, supported by a $1 million Childcare Access Means Parents in School grant.

Three new classrooms will be located at HCC's Children's Learning Center in Columbia, with two more at CAC's Ellicott City Early Childhood Education Center.

Ball also announced a $22 million investment to renovate Faulkner Ridge Center to expand universal pre-K services, with the FY25 Capital budget including an additional $1.1 million for continued renovations.

This expansion will create 260 new seats for universal pre-K and enable full-day pre-K for four-year-olds from families earning up to 600 percent of the federal poverty level, according to the county executive's office.