Maryland Families, Back to School, and the Child Care Crunch: What You Need to Know

1. The Start of the School Year & Local Child Care Tensions

As summer winds down, Maryland parents are bracing for the shift to school routines and as schedules tighten, the pressure to find reliable after-school care rises. While capacity for children under 5 in Maryland remains stable since pre-pandemic levels, 

the pool of licensed family daycare providers has shrunk by over 21%, with a 5.5% drop in overall childcare slots statewide. This means limited flexible in-home options, and heightened competition for center-based or nanny placement as families head back to school.

2. National Cost Pressures and Economic Realities

Childcare remains one of the most significant costs for American families:

• Nationwide, the average cost for center-based care reached $9,200 annually per child in 2023, about 10% of a typical family’s income and well above the 7% “affordable” benchmark set by U.S. health authorities

• The average monthly childcare cost hovers near $1,000, with much higher figures in high-cost-of-living areas like parts of Maryland

• Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari noted that average annual childcare costs reached $11,582 per child in 2023 and argued that affordable early education is critical to a healthy labor market and broader economic growth

  
  

3. Growing Demand, Shrinking Workforce

• Across the U.S., childcare revenue continues to climb, expected to exceed $71.8 billion in 2025, while the broader market is projected to rise from $65 billion in 2025 to over $95 billion by 2034 at a CAGR of 4.3%.

• In Maryland, the number of childcare workers plunged by 26.6% from 2019 to 2022, one of the steepest declines nationally. Median salaries remain modest, around $34,410 in 2023, less than half the state average and far below public school teacher pay.

  
  

4. Why Hiring Now Matters—Especially for Nannies

With public and private capacity under strain, and continued statewide efforts to shore up family daycare access, nannies offer a critical lifeline:

• Maryland's Growing Opportunities for Family Child Care (GOFCC) program helped license 159 new family care providers and created 1,078 new slots between September 2022 and August 2024.

• Flexible, trusted child care, such as nannies placed via your agency, can fill the gap for after-school care, infant care, or when center spots are oversubscribed.

  
  

Why Now Is the Time to Act

As our community enters the school-year hustle, childcare remains a pressing and expensive challenge. In Maryland, shrinking provider networks, high costs, and workforce shortages have strengthened the case for personalized, reliable nanny placements. At The Fairy GoddessMother Nannies & Domestics Agency, we match families with experienced, vetted nannies who can adapt to evolving schedules, offer peace of mind, and act as seamless support when public systems fall short.

Act early: Setting up consultations this month gives families a head start before demand peaks.