The number of child care providers in Talbot County fell 16.39% between Jan. 1, 2020, and Jan. 1, 2024. That’s the 10th smallest decrease in the state.
Meanwhile, the number of child care slots in Talbot County decreased from 1,403 on Jan. 1, 2020, to 1,370 on Jan. 1, 2024. That’s a 2.35% decrease — the sixth smallest in the state.
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 eight in early 2020 to four at the start of this year.
Here's what Lynne Diefenderfer, a child care provider from Trappe, had to say about child care in Talbot County:
"I feel that most providers in this county have left this business for multiple reasons. They have reached retirement. MSDE (the Maryland State Department of Education) continues to push requirements on them that they don't want to follow. Children are different today, they are raised in a media world where family time isn't important and they don't have to respect elders. Parents have no respect for providers. Providers don't want to be educators: they would like for child care to go back under human resources and we were only responsible for preparing children socially for school. State scholarships have broken many providers waiting on pay that they seeked out other means of income. Schools are taking our toddlers only leaving us with 2 and unders: we can't compete with free care. Lastly, too many providers see on social media where it's very easy to provide care without a license."
-- Jenna Bloom and Jerry Zremski