Child Care Licensing Branch
NOTE: Maryland State government offices will be closed on the following Service Reduction Days:
· Friday, September 4, 2009
· Wednesday, November 25, 2009
· Thursday, December 24, 2009
· Thursday, December 31, 2009
· Friday, May 28, 2010
Please understand that these Service Reduction Days will affect service delivery. Processing of Child Care Subsidy applications and payments will be delayed, as well as Credentialing and Licensing determinations. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Alert! Click here for information about a safety recall of 2.1 million drop-side cribs manufactured by Stork Craft.
New! Click here to access "Find It Fast" - a quick reference guide (with links!) for career and professional development.
Click here for the current list of approved Medication Administration RN Trainers available to provide training in medication administration to child care and early education providers. This 6-hour course is approved for child care licensing education credit. For more information about the course, contact the listed trainers directly by telephone or e-mail.
Click here for the Division of Early
Childhood Development's Child Health Issues
portal page. This page provides child health-
related information and Internet links for
parents, child care providers and other early
childhood programs, and the general
community. Visit this page for updates on
preventing the spread of the flu (including the
H1N1 influenza virus).
Click here to download The Role of Professional Child Care Providers in Preventing and Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect, a manual prepared by the U.S. Administration for Children and Families to help providers understand their roles and responsibilities in preventing and identifying child maltreatment.
NOTICE to Child Care Facility Operators and Family Child Care Providers:
· On October 1, 2009, a new law (Senate Bill 356) went into effect that requires all child care facilities and family child care providers to have a written emergency preparedness plan. The plan must cover emergency situations that require evacuation, sheltering in place, or other protection of children, such as in the event of fire, natural disasters, or other threatening situations that may pose a health or safety hazard to all children in care, including those with disabilities. For more information regarding this new law, please click on the following link http://mlis.state.md.us/2009rs/billfile/sb0356.htm.
· For information on obtaining training to create the plan, visit the Project Security Blanket website http://www.projectsecurityblanket.org/. This training is offered through the Chesapeake Child Care Resource Center and is funded by the Maryland State Department of Education. Training is available statewide and online.
Click here to visit the Office of Child Care's child care licensing inspection findings site. This site provides public access to findings from routine licensing inspections conducted since mid-2007. The on-line inspection database will be updated monthly to include recently conducted inspections. NOTE: To make sure the site displays properly, please set your computer to accept cookies [How?].
Click here for details about new licensing regulations that became effective October 20, 2008.
Overview of the Licensing Branch
The Office of Child Care (OCC) is responsible for the regulation of child care, facilitating the development of new child care resources, promoting the use of regulated care, monitoring caregiver compliance with child care licensing requirements, encouraging the growth of caregiver professionalism, and providing technical assistance to caregivers and parents.
Within OCC, the Licensing Branch is specifically responsible for all child care licensing activities.
These activities include:
- Licensure or re-licensure of new or existing child care facilities,
- Monitoring program compliance with child care regulations,
- Investigating complaints of improper or illegal child care,
- Taking enforcement action against the licenses of programs found to be in serious violation of child care regulations, and
- Helping child care programs to achieve and maintain regulatory compliance.
In addition, the Licensing Branch works closely with elected officials, other State and local government agencies, the caregiver community, child advocacy organizations, and child care consumers on issues related to protecting the health and safety of children in care.
The Licensing Branch maintains thirteen Regional Licensing Offices around Maryland, each of which is responsible for all child care licensing activities within its geographical area. If you are interested in becoming licensed to operate a child care program or have any questions about child care licensing regulations, please contact the Regional Licensing Office in your area. If you are a parent or an employer and have any concerns about a particular child care program, please address those concerns to the Regional Licensing Office covering the area where the child care program is located. Under Maryland law, a person or business that uses or is considering using the services of a specific child care program has the right to review certain portions of that program's licensing file.
If you're a parent in need of child care, click here for some suggestions to help you decide what kind of child care is best for your child. You may also wish to download the Office of Child Care's informational brochure for parents called A Parent's Guide to Regulated Care.
If you need assistance in locating available child care programs in your area, click here to access the LOCATE: Child Care service, which is available through the Maryland Child Care Resource Network. LOCATE: Child Care is a computerized resource and referral database that contains information on all regulated child care in the state of Maryland. The service is publicly funded and is operated by the Maryland Committee for Children, Inc.
If you need help with child care costs, click here for information about the Child Care Subsidy (Purchase of Care) Program, which provides subsidized vouchers to eligible working families in need of child care.
Click here to access the Maryland Sex Offenders Registry (SOCEM), which is maintained by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. In addition to providing detailed offender information, the site carries "amber alerts" for abducted children and an information/resource section for parents and educators on preventing and combating youth gangs.
Click here for the Maryland Judiciary Case Search service, which provides free public access to the Maryland District Court and Circuit Court Case Management System. District Court criminal, civil, and traffic case records and Circuit Court criminal and civil case records are available. The amount of historical data may vary by jurisdiction.
NOTICE to Child Care License/Registration and Employment Applicants: Commercial LiveScan fingerprinting services are now available.
Private agencies ("commercial fingerprinting services") are authorized by COMAR 12.15.05 to submit fingerprints directly to the Maryland Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) for the purpose of obtaining criminal history record checks. Electronic fingerprint applications produce fast, reliable background check results. At present, there are several private agencies certified by Maryland CJIS to provide LiveScan fingerprint services. They offer services at a variety of locations around the state. Click here for a list of these agencies and information about their services.