Work group raises scholarship wait lists and administrative barriers for providers

Chair (speaker 1) and members reviewed how scholarship program funding unpredictability can create enrollment freezes and long wait lists that prevent families from accessing care. The chair asked the work group to consider mechanisms at the state level to make funding more predictable and locally responsive, and to examine wait‑list prioritization so families with greatest need are served first.

Members identified administrative burdens for providers in the scholarship program (payment corrections, enrollment changes, documentation and communication challenges) and urged the work group to identify specific changes to reduce transactional friction that discourages provider participation. The presenter noted state actions like HB 849 and HB 1321 create transparency measures and sliding fee tools that the work group could align with when making December recommendations.

Work group members also discussed cross‑county effects (for example, Montgomery County's Working Parents Assistance program backfilling families during scholarship freezes) and asked the navigator and staff to monitor neighboring county programs when designing county strategies.