The University of Maryland (UMD) has been renovating an abandoned building on Calvert road in College Park for the last few years through a UMD-College Park partnership. We appreciate that the project was committed to enhancing “the vitality of the city, making it an even more attractive place to live, work and study” (from a project information web page, accessed on March 11, 2020). However, it seems that affordable child care was not a part of this initiative. The daycare center opening was announced to the students and employees on March 4, 2020. Parents of prospective students were invited to information sessions with the planned upscale, for-profit daycare provider Bright Horizons. The tuition costs were not published online before the information sessions, and only revealed to the parents after an hour-long presentation. Announced monthly prices are as follows: $1,925 for infant and toddler care, $1,625 for two-year-olds, and $1,360 for preschool, with a non-refundable application fee of $150. As a reference, the typical application fee range is $25-$75. Further, lunches were not included in tuition price, and discounts were not offered to UMD students, faculty and staff. 

These prices are significantly higher than the average for full-day child care in College Park and Prince George’s County. According to the Maryland State Department of Education Child Care Subsidy Reimbursement Rate Adjustment Report (September 1, 2019), the median child care rates for the region including Prince George’s County for the center-based child care are the following: $1245 per month for the infant care,  $902 for 2-4 year olds and $766 for five years and above. UMD is a public university, with 25% of the 2020 revenue coming from state appropriations, and 30% from tuition and fees, both sources being for unrestricted use. That means that the university (1) used our taxes and student fees to help construct this daycare (whether directly or indirectly), (2) advertised this daycare to students and employees as an option to improve their livelihoods, and (3) selected a daycare option unaffordable to most students and employees thus catering to a small, wealthy demographic. This actively creates an inequitable working and learning environment, discouraging diversity in the academic programs and in the workplace. Currently due to the unaffordable child care, many UMD students, faculty and staff members are forced to terminate their studies, secure additional employment, or adjust their living conditions to afford child care costs. Transparency, inclusion, and diversity among UMD students, faculty and staff in decision-making regarding family-related issues should be a priority on our campus. While inflated child care costs and increased costs of living affect us all, it is important we formulate a plan, with realistic costs, that is inclusive to all families and individuals within our UMD community.

We, UMD students, alumni, faculty and staff, hereby petition for the UMD administration and the University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents to take urgent measures to make the newly opening Child Development Center accessible to all students and employees, and not just a select few. Below are proposed measures, which could be a starting point to resolve this issue:

1. The tuition costs offered by Bright Horizons should be reduced to reflect the median costs of child care for the county (both costs cited above) using the real estate leverage the UMD-College Park partnership possesses. Specifically, UMD has invested into rebuilding the property, which College Park owns. Therefore, the partnership members have significant leverage of rent when negotiating tuition prices with the daycare provider;
2. If Bright Horizons cannot provide lower tuition rates, UMD should seek out non-profit daycare providers or operate the center internally;
3. Limit annual tuition cost increases to inflation rate;
4. Provide a sliding scale child care subsidy to current UMD students, faculty and staff depending on their income;
5. Cap the maximum percentage of the UMD employee salary that can go towards child care and subsidize the remainder of the cost. This is especially important for graduate research assistants and other full time faculty and staff, who have a monthly paycheck smaller than the proposed infant care tuition. In this case, for example, tuition could be capped at 50% of their salary for one child, 75% for two, and 100% for three and more;
6. Allocate a number of spots with enrollment priority for low income students and employees. The rest of the spots should be allocated according to the waitlist. Siblings of already enrolled students should have a priority waitlist placement.
7. Publish tuition costs and applicable subsidies online, similar to current UMD Center for Young Children tuition statement guidelines;
8. Make selection and enrollment processes transparent and performed by UMD (currently it’s performed by a for-profit daycare provider Bright Horizons);
9. Maintain transparency on the Bright Horizons’ progress in participation in the Maryland Excels Rating and Accreditation Program. In addition, collect, monitor, and publicize feedback from enrolled UMD parents on an ongoing basis (quarterly at minimum), and if the quality is not satisfactory, seek out an alternate daycare provider or operate the center internally;
10. Remove or significantly reduce the application fee for current UMD students, faculty, and staff;
11. Provide hot lunches included in the cost of tuition for all age groups above infant;
12. Publish annual enrollment and tuition statistics, indicating how many students and low income employees were able to use child care services.

We hope that raising this issue will help the students, faculty and staff, and the university administration to work towards building mutual trust, increasing transparency of decision making and ensuring that all campus community members are benefiting from the recent family-oriented developments, such as this long awaited opening of the UMD Child Development Center.