Maryland Child Care Scholarship for Kinship Caregivers

Childcare is one of the largest expenses facing grandparents and relatives who are still working or going back to school while raising a child. Maryland's Child Care Scholarship program can cover most or all of that cost, but a partial enrollment freeze affects new applicants.

What the Scholarship Covers

The Child Care Scholarship (CCS), administered by the Maryland State Department of Education, pays licensed childcare providers directly. You may owe a small sliding-scale copayment based on household income, but for many kinship families the copay is minimal or zero. The scholarship covers licensed childcare centers, family childcare homes, and some school-age programs.

Who Qualifies

To be eligible, you need to be working, enrolled in an approved education or training program, or incapacitated. The child must be under 13 (or under 19 with special needs). Household income must fall within the state's income eligibility tiers, which extend to moderate income levels — you do not need to be in poverty.

What Happens During the Enrollment Freeze

The General Assembly enacted a partial enrollment freeze and waitlist under HB 849 (Chapter 594 of 2026), effective July 1, 2026. Kinship status or family hardship alone is not a freeze exception. The freeze cannot apply to a person or family enrolled in TCA or TANF; a child, parent, or caregiver enrolled in SSI; a sibling of a child already enrolled; a person who became unemployed within the past 30 days and would have qualified before becoming unemployed; a federal, state, or local government employee furloughed without pay for more than 7 consecutive days because of a shutdown who would have qualified before the furlough; an employee of a child care center, family child care home, or large family child care home; or a child who is homeless. Applicants must still meet the other CCS criteria.

Other eligible applicants go on the waitlist. Scholarships are prioritized by greatest financial need based on annual household income; applicants working at least 20 hours a week as an employee or operator of a child care center, family child care home, large family child care home, or eligible publicly funded pre-K program that accepts CCS children; applicants enrolling a child under 3; then the length of time on the waitlist. If your family meets a freeze exception, provide evidence of that specific status; otherwise, you can still apply and be placed on the waitlist.

How to Apply

Apply through the MSDE Child Care Scholarship Family Portal. You will need proof of your work or school enrollment, household income verification, and documentation of the kinship care arrangement. If you are already receiving TCA or SNAP, bring the approval letters — they help establish income eligibility quickly.

The Maryland Financial Help Guide explains how the Child Care Scholarship fits alongside TCA, SNAP, and health coverage, and provides a document checklist for each program so you can apply for multiple forms of help in a single preparation session.

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