Child-care advocates tell commissioners thousands of young children lack access to care and pre-K

Elizabeth Ozer, representing First Up, spoke during public comment on June 25 and urged county leaders to address large gaps in child-care and pre-K access that constrain families’ ability to work and local businesses’ ability to staff.

Ozer said there are about 5,750 children under age five in Montgomery County eligible for child-care assistance and roughly 3,500 of those children are not served. She added that an estimated 5,000 children ages three and four are eligible for publicly funded pre-K, but only about 1,900 are served — leaving roughly 3,000 eligible children without pre-K access.

Ozer asked the board to consider child-care workforce supports in county contracting and housing planning and urged business leaders to participate in tri-share or employer-supported child-care models piloted with ARPA funds. Board staff agreed to follow up with additional program details and requested Ozer leave contact information so staff could make materials available.

The board did not vote on policy changes at the meeting; the speaker’s materials and fact sheets were offered as resources for future budgeting and program discussions.