Child Care Licensing Branch
NOTE: Maryland State government offices will be closed on the following Service Reduction Days:
· Friday, May 24, 2013
· Friday, August 30, 2013
· Wednesday, November 27, 2013
· Tuesday, December 24, 2013
· Tuesday, December 31, 2013
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.
FOCUS ON:
Playground and Water Safety
Click here to download the
Office of Child Care's
Playground and Water Safety
Guidelines
Information on Medical Cribs Used in Homes and Child Care Settings - After the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC's) crib standard becameng effective for child care centers, family child care homes, and places of public accommodation (such as hotels) in December 2012, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published a statement about medical cribs used in homes and child care settings. This statement can be found at the following link: http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ucm333796.htm.
· Effective April 15, 2012, the FBI moved to an all-electronic criminal background check (CBC) application process and is no longer accepting hard-copy fingerprint cards. Because the Maryland Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) follows FBI guidelines, the use of hard-copy CBC applications at the State level are also being phased out as of that date. Instead, all CBC applicants are being encouraged to submit their applications electronically. However, hard-copy applications are still being accepted by CJIS if electronic submission is not possible. Click here for a list of State-approved private electronic fingerprinting services and State-operated electronic fingerprinting locations. Electronic applications may also be submitted through many State and local police agencies. Child care programs that have their own State-certified electronic fingerprinting equipment and operators may continue to submit CBC applications.
· Visit the Office of Child Care's online child care licensing inspection results site – www.CheckCCMD.org! The site offers detailed compliance findings from child care licensing inspections conducted since January 2011. The site may also be used to find licensed child care programs and providers, and to link to a wide variety of information about early care and education in Maryland.
· Heat Index Charts – Maryland’s
Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recommends the Iowa Health Department’s Child Care Weather Watch Wind-Chill and Heat Index Factor Charts as a guide to prevent over exposure of children while playing outdoors during extreme temperatures. The chart is available here.
· Air Quality Alerts – You
can sign up to receive email alerts for air quality here.
· The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has adopted new, stricter standards for infant cribs and crib safety. Click here for information about these new standards.
· Maryland’s “Angel’s Law,” which became effective on October 1, 2010, requires window coverings in family child care homes and child care facilities to meet certain child safety guidelines. Click here for information about this law.
· Click here to access "Find It Fast" - a quick reference guide (with links!) for child care career and professional development.
· Click here for a current list of Medication Administration & Asthma Trainers who are approved by The Office of Child Care to conduct training in medication administration and asthma-related issues for 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. Local Community Colleges also offer these courses. Click here for a current list of Community College contact persons.
· 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:
· Maryland law 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 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.
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 believe a particular child care program is in violation of State child care licensing laws or regulations, you may file an official complaint against that program. To file a complaint, contact the appropriate Regional Licensing Office. Complaints may be filed in person, or by telephone, or in writing by e-mail, fax, or letter. Anonymous complaints are accepted, so complainants do not need to identify themselves. Each complaint is investigated by the Regional Licensing Office. Upon completion of the investigation, a report of findings is created. This report is available upon request if the investigation confirms that the violation occurred, or if it cannot be determined whether or not the violation occurred.
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 Family Network.
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.