Region 6 - Howard County

Contact Information:

Office of Child Care Region 6 (Howard County)
Maryland State Department of Education
3300 N. Ridge Road, Suit 190
Ellicott City, MD 21043

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Main office phone 410-750-8771
Office e-mail occ6how.msde@maryland.gov
Office fax 410-750-0324
Anyone who is interested in starting a child care business in a home or center is required to take the face-to-face orientation training. Please contact the Office of Child Care Regional Licensing Office to schedule the Orientation Training. To prepare for your orientation session, you may wish to view the on-line orientation preview. This does not replace the face-to-face orientation session you are required to attend at your regional Office of Child Care. (Click here to go to the Orientation page)

To obtain required “local permits” for a child care center license or family child care registration - click here 

For Provider Training (Pre-Service and Continuing) - please click here to find MSDE-approved training courses, trainers and training organizations.

NAME TITLE TELEPHONE
Afework, Sharon
Sharon.afework@maryland.gov		 Regional Manager 410-750-8779
Shaw, Bryan
Bryan.shaw@maryland.gov		 Secretary 410-750-8771
Leffson, Patricia
Patricia.leffson@maryland.gov		 Licensing Supervisor 410-750-7940
Bronson, Michelle
Michelle.bronson@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 410-750-8775
Crocken, Lori
Lori.crocken@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist  
Grobe, Genean
Genean.Grobe@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 410-750-8773
Moran, Sara
Sara.moran@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 410-750-8601
Skoda, Paul
Paul.skoda@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 410-750-8953
Warner, Lisa
Lisa.Warner@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 410-750-8774

Region 6 - Helpful Contact Information

Howard Co. Child Care Resource Center
(Provider Training & Child Care Referral Service)
9830 Patuxent Woods Drive, Columbia, MD 21046
Office: 410-313-1940/ Fax: 410-313-1430

Maryland Child Care Credentialing Program
MSDE/Office of Child Care Credentialing Branch 
200 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 21201
Office: 410-767-7805

Howard Co. Health Department
10630 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, MD 21044
Office: 410-313-7500/ 410-880-5888

Howard Co. Dept. of Social Services
7121 Columbia Gateway Dr., Columbia, MD 21046
Main Line: 410-872-4200/ Fax: 410-872-0914
POC: x376; x385
Food Program: x295, 297, or 362

Howard Co. Office of Planning & Zoning
George Howard Building
3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City, MD 21043
Office: 410-313-2393
Permits: 410-313-2436 or 2455

Howard Co. Family Child Care Association (HCFOCC)
P.O. Box 2154, Columbia, MD 21045
Message board: 410-776-4841 

Howard Co. Department of Fire & Rescue Services
6751 Columbia Gateway Drive
Columbia, MD 21046
410-313-6040

Maryland Dept. of Public Safety - CJIS Customer Service Center (Fingerprinting)
6776 Reisterstown Road Plaza, Suite 200,
Baltimore, MD 21215
410-764-4501
(Mon. - Fri., 8 am - 3:30 pm, Sat., 9 am - 4 pm)

Upcoming Events and Other Information:

Dear Providers,

We will be having a listening sessions for all child care providers.

We encourage your participation. We anticipate a number of providers to join us for this session. As a result, we are asking you to please be considerate and mute your device or telephone during the presentation. We understand there will be a lot of questions, so time will be provided at the end. It is important to note that this session will be recorded.

Please join us by using the information provided below.

Child Care Listening Sessions: 

TBA

REGIONAL ONLINE ORIENTATIONS

Virtual Orientation and Regulation Review Schedule for Region 6 & 13

Anyone who is interested in starting a child care business in a home or center is required to complete an orientation training. Please email the office at occ6how.msde@maryland.gov to express your interest in completing an orientation.

Include your name, phone number, which orientation you would like to attend, and the email address you would like the Google Hangout invitation to be sent to. The upcoming dates are listed below.

Family Child Care Orientations:
As a new applicant, you are required to attend an orientation session offered by the Office of Child Care (OCC) before the OCC can conduct an initial inspection of your home.

November 18, 2020 (6-9 PM) – location Google Hangouts/Meet

New Child Care Center Orientations:
As a new applicant wishing to open and operate a licensed child care center you must attend an orientation session offered by the MSDE Office of Child Care (OCC).

October 14, 2020 (10 AM - 1 PM), 2020 – location Google Hangouts/Meet

Regulation Review for Child Care Centers (Director’s Training):
As a new Center Director, you are required by COMAR 13A.16.06.05B (5) to attend a Director/Regulation training session within six month after being hired as the director of the facility. 

November 4, 2020 (10 AM - 1 PM) – location Google Hangouts/Meet

Family Child Care Regulation Review:
Regulation review for currently registered Family Child Care Providers - Because of limited space you must call 410.750.8771 to register to attend.  The orientations dates are as follows:

November 10, 2020 (6-9 PM) – location Google Hangouts/Meet

 

Round Tables

September - Date TBD – Family Child Care Round Table

October – Date TBD – Child Care Center Round Table

*****All dates and location are subject to change*****

 

To Apply for a Criminal Background Check

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.  When submitting your CBC request, you must include the appropriate OCC Regional Office authorization number. 

Online Licensing Inspection Results

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.

To File a Complaint

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 Regional Licensing Office covering the county where the program is located. 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.

Medication Administration Training for Child Care Providers

The Medication Administration Training (MAT) is a pre-service training required for individuals seeking to acquire a Child Care Center License or a Family Child Care Registration in Maryland.  MAT is provided by licensed Maryland Registered Nurses who have completed Medication Administration Trainer training and are apporved by the Nurse Consultant in the Office of Child Care's Licensing Branch.  MAT is a six (6) hour training conducted in a classroom setting with theory and practice.  A certificate is awarded upon completetion of the course in addition to passing content and skill tests.  

Need to find a MAT trainer in your area?  Click here

Registered Nurses interested in becoming a MAT Trainer? Click here

For more information about the MAT course or training, contact the Nurse Consultant at 410-767-1853

The Family Child Care Provider Grant Program

The Family Child Care Provider Grant Program (FCCPGP) exists to help registered family child care providers offset some of the costs of opening their child care programs. For information about the FCCPGP, click here.

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.