County DSS outlines childcare navigator role, $2 million allocation and mid-October hiring target

Jordan Anderson, public information officer and legislative liaison for the Prince George's County Department of Social Services, told the Child Care Improvement Work Group that the navigator role is part of the county's road map to universal child care and will sit in a new Strategic Partnerships and Community Impact division.

"The county council has provided us with a $2,000,000 funding allocation, and we're using part of that funding to specifically fund the navigator salary," Anderson said. He said recruitment is underway, 34 applications arrived within five days of posting, interviews will continue through the month, and the department hopes to onboard the navigator by mid‑October. Anderson also said the navigator must submit an annual report to the county council and county executive by Feb. 1 (the slide in the presentation lists 02/01/2001, which appears to be a typographical error in the deck).

Anderson said the navigator will build a strategic plan to expand capacity, work closely with county offices (including Central Services and Procurement), coordinate across state and local partners, and identify referral pathways so providers and families know where to go when they need state-level support. He added DSS will also hire an analyst to provide administrative support to the navigator and that the role will track patterns in licensing, permitting and administrative obstacles so the county can target supports.

The presentation positioned the navigator as an implementation-focused role: "that navigator role will be housed in" the Strategic Partnerships and Community Impact division and will help route issues the navigator cannot resolve to the proper state or county agency. The department emphasized it remains subject to state permitting and licensing authorities and that some approvals will continue to require state review.