LEONARDTOWN, Md. — At the July 15, 2025, meeting of the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County, the commissioners approved a plan for the Department of Recreation and Parks to continue development of a new childcare center, which is slated to open by August 2026.
The center will prioritize children of county employees, offering them discounted rates and first access, though it will eventually be open to the broader public once those needs are met. The facility will serve up to 100 infants and preschool-age children and is being designed as a support structure for working parents employed by the county.
Recreation and Parks Director Raymond Bivens explained that the department is seeking an outside contractor, possibly a nonprofit, to operate the center. While no vendors have been selected yet, Bivens stated that there has already been some interest from nonprofit organizations. Charles County’s long-term partnership with a nonprofit to run a similar EMS childcare facility was cited as an example.
Bivens said the department hopes to expand before- and after-school care offerings and noted that using an outside contractor wouldn’t change the core mission of the center, which is to serve county employees first.
Commissioner Mike Hewitt expressed support for the idea of outsourcing operations of the childcare center to a private entity. “I think it’s always a good idea to use somebody else to run something unless we’re experts at it. What we primarily do in Recs and Parks is recreation and park services, not childcare, so I would definitely be in favor of that.”
The outside vendor would be responsible for paying utilities and outfitting the building.
Commissioner Eric Colvin raised concerns about affordability, pointing out that a private provider would need to earn a return on investment, potentially increasing costs. In response, Bivens acknowledged both advantages and drawbacks to outsourcing. One major concern was the county’s ability to maintain consistent staffing; compared to the ability to maintain a sufficient workforce, the question of slightly higher costs is not as severe. “If we’re having a tough time staffing and keeping the facility up, we’ll be turning people away or not have the predictability that a larger entity would in that area,” Bivens said. A private entity, he explained, might have more flexibility in covering shifts during employee absences.
While officials emphasized the project’s value to county workers, questions about public equity were raised. Commissioner Hewitt shared that he’d heard concerns from residents who, while contributing tax dollars toward the project, might not be eligible for discounted rates received by county employees. In response, representatives of the Department of Recreation and Parks stated that the issue will be directly addressed once specific discount rates for employees and residents have been determined.
The center is also meant to help with employee retention. For example, department representatives noted that the county invests tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in training for deputies in the Southern Maryland Criminal Justice Academy, but without competitive benefits, those recruits may ultimately leave for neighboring jurisdictions like Charles or Calvert County. Alternatively, providing benefits like discounted childcare might do more to entice those deputies to pursue longer-term careers in the county.
Commissioner Alderson encouraged continued attention to that goal and emphasized the potential for educational partnerships. “We are trying to make a promise, I believe, to have off-hours daycare for some of the shift work employees… And I would also like to see a strong partnership with St. Mary’s County Public Schools regarding early childhood education curriculum. We have an opportunity here to create a strong school-to-work pipeline with CSM, [and] this would be a great stepping stone towards getting that degree [and] fulfilling that end of their career trajectory.”
The board passed the measure with one commissioner voting in opposition.
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Another taxpayer subsidized program that serves only a portion of people who pay taxes.
Unbelievable, what does that say to the 10,000 plus federal employees or more whom I am sure need day care. MIKE is right, outsource and then oversee it on a commissioners level and the health dept., where it belongs.