Region 1 - Anne Arundel County

Contact Information:

Office of Child Care Region 1 (Anne Arundel County)
Maryland State Department of Education
49 Old Solomons Island Road
Suite 206
Annapolis, MD. 21401
Map This Location

 

Main office phone 410-573-9522
Office e-mail occ1aa.msde@maryland.gov
Office fax 410-573-9848
NAME TITLE TELEPHONE
Farley, Charlene 
charlene.farley@maryland.gov		 Regional Manager 410-573-9522
Smith, Tonya
tonya.smith1@maryland.gov		 Office Secretary III 410-573-9522
Hewitt, Erin
erin.handley@maryland.gov 		 Licensing Supervisor 410-573-9841
Cahlink- Seidler, Nancy
nancy.cahlink-seidler@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 410-573-9843
Sherwood, James
james.sherwood@maryland.gov		 Lead Licensing Specialist 410-573-9846
Gardner, Joy
joy.gardner@maryland.gov 		 Licensing Specialist 410-573-9527
Green, Nikya
nikya.green@maryland.gov		 Lead Licensing Specialist 410-573-9526
Brown, Racheal
racheal.brown1@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 410-573-9524
Justice, Katherine
katherine.justice@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 410-573-9528
Hollenczer, Dawn
dawn.hollenczer@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 410-573-9844
VACANT   410-573-9525
VACANT   410-573-9529
Paige, Rhonda 
rhonda.paige@maryland.gov		 EXCELS Specialist 410-573-9523

To become a child care provider you first need to decide if you want to open a business in your home or if you want to create a center-based business. Below is a definition of each type of business:

  • Family Child Care – You may provide care for up to 8 children in your home
  • Large Family Child Care – You may care for up to 12 children in your home
  • Child Care Center – You may provide care in a facility outside of your home that is zoned to be used as a child care center.  The number of children you serve is dependent upon the square footage of the building.

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. You may take the appropriate virtual informative online orientation at:

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.

Upcoming Events and Other Information

As a new applicant, you are required to attend an orientation session offered by the MSDE Office of Child Care (OCC). ALL orientation(s) will be held at the Severn Public Library

Severn Public Library

2624 Annapolis Road
Severn, MD 21144

Family Child Care Orientations (12:00pm-4:00pm):

  • Wednesday, January 8, 2025
  • Wednesday, February 12, 2025
  • Wednesday, March 12, 2025
  • Wednesday, April 9, 2025
  • Tuesday, May 13, 2025
  • Wednesday, June 11, 2025
  • Wednesday, August 6, 2025
  • Wednesday, September 10, 2025
  • Wednesday, October 8, 2025
  • Wednesday, November 5, 2025

*Mask is required, must be on entering the building.

Please contact the OCC at 410-573-9522 Monday thru Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm to register for the Family Child Care orientation.  You must stay the required time of the orientation. You will be able to ask questions at the end of the orientation session. You may also visit the MSDE website at www.marylandpublicschools.org.

Center/ Large Family Child Care Orientations (12:00pm-4:00pm):

  • Wednesday, January 15, 2025
  • Wednesday, March 19, 2025
  • Wednesday, May 21, 2025
  • Wednesday, August 13, 2025
  • Wednesday, September 17, 2025
  • Wednesday, October 15, 2025
  • Wednesday, November 12, 2025

*Mask is required, must be on entering the building.

Please contact the OCC at 410-573-9522 Monday thru Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm to register for the center/ Large CC orientation.  You must stay the required time of the orientation. You will be able to ask questions at the end of the orientation session.  You may also visit the MSDE website at www.marylandpublicschools.org

As a new Center Director, this training is required by COMAR 13A.16.01-.19 for any Director hired after January 1, 2009.  It must be taken within 6 months of the hire date. Directors who would like a "refresher" session may also attend.

Center Director’s Training (12:00pm-3:00pm):

  • Wednesday, January 22, 2025
  • Wednesday, March 26, 2025
  • Wednesday, May 28, 2025
  • Wednesday, August 20, 2025
  • Wednesday, September 24, 2025
  • Wednesday, October 22, 2025
  • Wednesday, November 19, 2025

*Mask is required, must be on entering the building.

 Please contact the OCC at (410)573-9522 Monday thru Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm to register for the upcoming orientation in which you would like to attend. You will be able to ask questions at the end of the orientation(s) session. You may also visit the MSDE website at www.marylandpublicschools.org.

NOTE: If Anne Arundel County public schools are closed or opening 2 hours late due to bad weather the orientation will not be conducted. Please listen to weather reports before coming to Annapolis. You may bring a bag lunch and/or snacks.

 

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, 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 course 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 approved 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 competition 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.