The number of child care providers in Charles County fell 16.03% between Jan. 1, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2024. That’s the ninth smallest decrease in the state.
Meanwhile, the number of child care slots in Charles County decreased from 6,150 on Jan. 1, 2020, to 6,039 on Jan. 1, 2024. That’s a 1.8% decrease — the fourth smallest in the state. The drop is so small because the number of child care slots in the county increased by 198 between 2022 and 2024 after dropping dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the number of top-rated child care facilities -- those with a rating of 5 on the state's EXCELS rating system -- in the county fell from 10 in 2020 to only three this year.
Here’s what Katherine Savage, a daycare provider in Charles County, had to say about the child care situation there:
“The interaction and the affection that the children used to get, they no longer get. I’ve seen a lot of providers not want to give hugs or shake hands. At the same time, tuition prices have increased, and the parents are now having difficulty paying it because their wages haven’t increased. But our prices have increased, and we have to increase our prices.”
– Harrison Deitz