The number of child care providers in Caroline County decreased 25.97% between Jan. 1, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2024. That’s the second largest decrease in the state.
Meanwhile, the number of child care slots in Caroline County decreased from 1,031 on Jan. 1, 2020, to 784 on Jan. 1, 2024. That’s a 23.96% decrease — the largest in the state.
The number of top-rated child care facilities -- those with a rating of 5 on the state's EXCELS rating system -- in Caroline County fell from nine in 2020 to six this year.
Danielle Zulauf, owner of Tiny Trailblazers in Preston, said the shortage of licensed day care providers has prompted unlicensed operations to spring up in the county.
"There is definitely a competition in the area now where during the pandemic, a lot of unlicensed providers opened up in homes, and they've never gone away. And so, you know, they don't have to follow the same rules and regulations as we do...I've definitely seen that affect people being able to fill up their spots in licensed day cares."
– Mikayla Roberts