June 10, 2020

The Honorable Lawrence J. Hogan, Jr.
100 State Circle
Annapolis, MD 21401
Dear Governor Hogan:
As Maryland moves to Stage Two of the Roadmap to Recovery, we write to request your guidance and
collaboration to address the serious shortage of childcare and the crisis childcare providers face, as well
as the impending eviction and foreclosure crises.
In light of non-essential businesses reopening and calling employees back, childcare needs across
Maryland are poised to increase dramatically. As of June 8th, the subsidy for essential workers has ended
and we do not know how many of those parents are no longer able to afford childcare. At the same time,
the Maryland State Department of Education’s (“MSDE”) Maryland Together Recovery Plan for Child
Care, which is aligned to phase in concurrently with the Roadmap to Recovery, calls for the closure of
Essential Personnel School-Age Programs (“EPSA”).1 This closure, combined with the closure of
Maryland’s public schools for the remainder of the year, exacerbates the need for school-age childcare
until the end of summer. As MSDE’s plan does not contemplate licensed child care programs resuming
operations until Phase III, it is critical that some provisions for childcare be made so hardworking
Marylanders are practically able to go back to work under Phase II guidelines. A plan based on tuition
paid for by families who have not received a paycheck for nearly three months—some of whom have
been unable to access any unemployment benefits at all—is not, in our view, a viable plan.
On March 18, the undersigned elected officials sent a letter to the State Superintendent of Schools, Dr.
Karen B. Salmon, requesting use of local school facilities to provide needed space for childcare for
essential workers, which was initially denied. On a call with County Leaders on June 4th, Dr. Salmon
stated that MSDE is working on a plan to allow school facilities to be used for childcare. We respectfully
request that we and our local school systems are consulted and included in the development of that plan,
fully cognizant that it is subject to adjustment in light of the ever-changing nature of the COVID-19
pandemic and our collective response.
We applaud your decision to prohibit foreclosures and evictions during the COVID-19 crisis, which
provided critical temporary relief to protect our residents. As the Maryland Judiciary and rest of our
economy begin to open up, we anticipate increased pressure to remove that prohibition. Many tenants
and homeowners are facing substantial late fees on rental and mortgage payments as well as the very
real threat of losing their homes when the moratorium is lifted.

1

http://marylandpublicschools.org/newsroom/Documents/MSDEChildCareRecoveryPlan.pdf

 Accordingly, we ask for your leadership to help design, implement, and expand programs that will provide
needed relief to homeowners, renters, mortgage holders, and landlords to mitigate the substantial
damage this crisis has inflicted on our communities. Throughout our state, homeless prevention programs
were already over-capacity and with the need to adjust the physical spaces with social distancing
guidelines, we have even fewer beds serving homeless populations than in pre-COVID times.
In summary, to best move forward while protecting the health and welfare of all Marylanders, we believe
the following is needed:
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Guidance on childcare provisions as businesses reopen, along with consultation, collaboration
and cooperation on a data-driven plan to use local public schools to meet increased demand;
A strong statewide foreclosure and eviction prevention program; and
Proactive planning efforts and consistent coordination between state and county leaders and
health officials with sufficient notice for effective implementation.

We remain committed to and look forward to working together to achieve these goals to ensure that
Maryland emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic a better place for all Marylanders.

Sincerely,

Steuart Pittman
Anne Arundel County Executive

Bernard C. Jack Young
Mayor of Baltimore City

Jan Gardner
Frederick County Executive

Calvin Ball
Howard County Executive

Angela Alsobrooks
Prince George’s County Executive
  
cc:
Dr. Karen B. Salmon, State Superintendent of Maryland Schools
Kelly M. Schulz, Secretary, Maryland Department of Commerce
Tiffany P. Robinson, Secretary, Maryland Department of Labor
Steve Schuh, COVID-19 Task Force

John Olszewski
Baltimore County Executive

Marc Elrich
Montgomery County Executive