Child Trends’ interactive map shows the variation in how approximately 30,000 Maryland families used the state’s Child Care Scholarship (CCS) subsidy program to enroll in programs that have achieved higher ratings in Maryland’s quality rating and improvement system (QRIS). The map reflects enrollments in March 2025.
Families can use the scholarships (funded by the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant and the State of Maryland) to help pay licensed child care centers, registered home-based care programs, or informal relative care providers.
Providing access to high-quality care is a core feature of Maryland’s CCS program. All center- and home-based programs that serve children with a CCS participate in Maryland EXCELS, the state’s QRIS. Programs are rated (1 to 5) based on factors such as staff qualifications and professional development, developmentally appropriate practices, and administrative policies and practices. Programs that meet initial requirements are rated a 1, while those that meet the highest level of quality and are state- or nationally accredited are rated a 5. Regardless of their rating, all Maryland EXCELS participants go above and beyond basic licensing requirements.
This map shows CCS recipients’ enrollment in programs with quality ratings of 3, 4, or 5 as of March 2025. Additional information is also provided for each ZIP code.
This map shows the percentage of children in each ZIP code in Maryland who are using CCS to attend a highly rated child care program, by child age.
Interact with the map: Hover over ZIP codes for additional information. Click the magnifying glass icon to search for a specific ZIP code. Click the house-shaped recenter icon, located in the menu at the top-left of the map, to reset the map. For additional information on how to navigate Tableau maps, see these instructions.
Filter by age: Use the drop-down menus to filter the data by age group.
Legend: Click legend items to highlight or isolate specific groups. Click again to return to the full view.
Key findings
1. On average, nearly half of CCS recipients in a given ZIP code attend a highly rated child care program (with a quality rating of 3–5). However, the share varies widely from one ZIP code to another.
2. Fifteen ZIP codes have at least 500 children participating in CCS, accounting for roughly 25 percent of all CCS recipients in Maryland.
- A few of these ZIP codes have high usage of highly rated providers, reflecting strong local supply of such care. Specifically, three of the 15 ZIP codes with large numbers of children receiving CCS have at least half of children in highly rated care.
- However, most areas with large numbers of children receiving CCS have less than half of children enrolled in highly rated providers. This suggests a mismatch between need and availability of highly rated options.
3. 39 percent of ZIP codes have at least half of school-age children in highly rated care. In contrast, 25 percent of ZIP codes have at least half of children under age 2 in highly rated care, as do 34 percent for children ages 2–3 and 37 percent for preschool-age children (ages 3–6.5, not in kindergarten). Note that ZIP codes with fewer than 10 CCS recipients in a given age group were excluded from these analyses.
4. In some regions, neighboring ZIP codes have similar rates of children enrolled in highly rated providers.
- Some clusters of ZIP codes have high rates of enrollment in highly rated providers. Talking with stakeholders in these areas could shed light on strategies that help providers achieve a high rating and help families access these higher-rated programs.
- Conversely, some clusters of ZIP codes have low rates of enrollment in highly rated programs. By talking with stakeholders in these areas, such as staff at Child Care Resource Centers and families receiving a CCS, Maryland could better understand whether this is due to a low supply of higher-rated programs or other factors.
5. In some regions, neighboring ZIP codes show stark differences in use of highly rated care. These differences could be due to localized provider availability, transportation barriers, or differences in the need for nonstandard-hour care stemming from local occupational patterns.
Data sources
Child Trends’ analyses combined data from the five sources listed below. These data reflect Maryland’s CCS enrollment as of March 2025, representing 508 residential ZIP codes (excluding P.O. boxes) and 41,645 children. ZIP codes with fewer than 10 CCS recipients were masked and labeled “No information” to protect children’s identities.
- Maryland State Department of Education. (2025). [Unpublished raw data on CCS child enrollment].
- Maryland State Department of Education. (2025). [Unpublished raw data on licensed child care providers].
- Maryland State Department of Education. (2025). [Unpublished raw data on QRIS participation and ratings].
- Schroeder, J., Van Riper, D., Manson, S., Knowles, K., Kugler, T., Roberts, F., & Ruggles, S. (2025). IPUMS National Historical Geographic Information System: Version 20.0 [dataset]. IPUMS. http://doi.org/10.18128/D050.V20.0
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research. HUD-USPS ZIP Code Crosswalk, Q4 2024 [dataset]. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/usps_crosswalk.html
Notes and Suggested Citation
This map was created as part of a Child Care Policy Research Partnership between the Maryland State Department of Education and Child Trends, which is funded by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the United States (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (Grant # #90YE0288). Study findings are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, ACF/HHS or the U.S. Government.
For additional information on this partnership and Maryland’s CCS program, please see the following links.
- Child Trend’s CCS research partnership with Maryland
- Maryland State Department of Education CCS information
Suggested Citation
Maxfield, E., Madill,. R., & Gabriel, A. (2026). Map of Maryland families’ use of subsidies on highly-rated child care. Child Trends. DOI: 10.56417/7638e5145h