The number of child care providers in Carroll County fell 9.55 % between Jan. 1, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2024. That’s the third smallest decrease in the state.
Meanwhile, the number of child care slots in Carroll County decreased from 6,459 on Jan. 1, 2020, to 6,341 on Jan. 1, 2024. That’s a 1.83% decrease — the fifth smallest in the state. That decrease is so small because the number of child care slots in the county actually grew by 169 between 2022 and 2024 after dipping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of top-rated child care facilities -- those with a rating of 5 on the state's EXCELS rating system -- in Carroll County held steady at 19 between 2020 and 2024.
Here’s what Holly Berry, owner and operator of Berry Patch Early Learning Center, had to say about the child care situation in Carroll County:
"During COVID, we were in survival mode. We weren't getting paid. We were promised money. But we weren't getting the money from the state."
– Hannah Massey