Quality Matters

When choosing child care and early education programs, cost and convenience are important considerations for you, the parent. However, the ultimate value a program can offer you and your child is the quality of the care and education it provides.

High-quality programs engage not only with the children but with families, who are their child’s first teachers. They use community resources to enrich the experiences and learning opportunities for children. Staff members in high-quality programs have the education and experience to understand child development and offer learning activities that are appropriate for the age and developmental stage of each child.

Maryland EXCELS helps families find high-quality child care and early learning programs that welcome children of all abilities and backgrounds and support the development of each and every child. By helping programs improve the quality of their practices and services to meet national standards, Maryland EXCELS ensures that families across Maryland have access to care and education that will help them thrive in school and life.

Participating programs include licensed child care centers, family child care homes, school-age before and after care programs, Early Head Start and Head Start, faith-based schools and nurseries, and Public Pre-K. All programs are evaluated for health and safety, staff qualifications, developmentally-appropriate practice, program improvement, and business practices. Maryland EXCELS awards Quality Ratings 1 through 5 with details available in our Find a Program directory so that families can make an informed choice about quality.

Learn more about Maryland EXCELS here.

  • The look of high-quality

    What does high-quality child care and early education look like?

    • The program and educators are responsive to the needs of each individual child.
    • Families are engaged in their child’s program.
    • There are supportive, engaging experiences.
    • Interactions between staff and children are warm and positive.
    • Learning opportunities are developmentally appropriate, interactive, and plentiful.
    • Health, safety, positive relationships, and learning are priorities.
  • Regulated Child Care Basics

    Regulated child care means that the caregiver has been licensed by the Maryland State Department of Education’s Office of Child Care (OCC). In order to be licensed, child care providers must meet minimum health, safety and program requirements including the following:

    • The child care facility must pass an inspection to show that it is safe, clean and appropriate for child care.
    • There must be an adequate supply of safe and age-appropriate activity equipment and materials for children.
    • The caregiver and program staff must undergo criminal background checks, child abuse and neglect clearances, physical examinations and have substantial training in child care.
    • For added protection, the Office of Child Care checks the Sex Offender Registry to ensure that registered sex offenders are not working in a child care facility.

    Only regulated care guarantees that the minimum legal requirements are met. Ask to see a child care provider’s license or certificate of registration to show that they are regulated. Using unregulated care can be dangerous and put children at risk because the provider has not met the health, safety and professional standards required of regulated providers.