Region 10 - Southern Maryland Office (Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's Counties)

Contact Information:

Office of Child Care Region 10 - Southern Maryland Office (Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary's Counties)
Maryland State Department of Education
41670 Courthouse Drive
P.O. Box 1709
Leonardtown, MD 20650
Map This Location

Main office phone 301-475-3770
Office e-mail occ10stm.msde@maryland.gov
Office fax 301-475-4017

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
Copsey, Susan
susan.copsey@maryland.gov		 Regional Manager 301-475-3770
Clements, Caty
catherine.clements@maryland.gov		 Office Secretary 301-475-3770
Robertson, Joy
joy.robertson@maryland.gov		 Licensing Supervisor 301-475-3770
Hodkiewicz, Janet
janet.hodkiewicz@maryland.gov		 Lead Licensing Specialist 301-475-3770
McCauley, Kim
kimberly.mccauley@maryland.gov		 Lead Licensing Specialist 301-475-3770
Alpert, Julie
julie.alpert@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 301-475-3770
Farr, Amy
amy.farr@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 301-475-3770
Modlin, Stacy
stacy.modlin@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 301-475-3770
Rolen, Rachel
Rachel.Rolen@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 301-475-3770
Shirley, Deborah
deborah.shirley@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 301-475-3770
Walker, Janice
janice.walker4@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 301-475-3770
Wise, Courtney
courtney.wise@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist  301-475-3770
Brandon, LaQuanna
laquanna.brandon@maryland.gov		 Licensing Specialist 301-475-3770
Patterson, Shanelle
shanelle.patterson@maryland.gov		 Quality Assurance Specialist 301-475-3770 Ext. 119

Upcoming Events and Other Information:

Licensing Orientations

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.

Please contact our office at 301-475-3770 to schedule the appropriate orientation. 

2025 Orientation Schedules

Family Child Care Orientation

  • January 21, 2025 - 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. -Charlotte Hall Library
  • February 11, 2025 - 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Charlotte Hall Library
  • March 4, 2025 - 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Charlotte Hall Library
  • April 15, 2025 - 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Charlotte Hall Library
  • May 13, 2025 - 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Charlotte Hall Library
  • June 17, 2025 - 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. - Charlotte Hall Library

(Future Family Child Care dates TBD – pending availability of library meeting room – can only reserve 3 months in advance.)

Child Care Center/Large Family Child Care Home/Letter of Compliance Orientation

  • January 13, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • February 12, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • March 5, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • April 16, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • May 7, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • June 11, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • July 2, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • August 13, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • September 8, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • October 15, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • November 12, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • December 10, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office

Center Director Regulation Review

  • January 8, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • April 9, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • July 9, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • October 8, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office

Family Child Care Regulation Review

  • February 6, 2025 – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • May Date TBD – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • August Date TBD – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office
  • November Date TBD – 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Region 10 Office

Roundtables

TBA

Special Notice to Parents and Providers

Maryland's Child Passenger Safety Law (effective October 1, 2013) requires that children under 8 years old ride in an appropriate child restraint unless the child is 4 feet, 9 inches or taller. Every child from 8 to 16 years old who is not secured in a child restraint must be secured in a vehicle seat belt in every seating position in the vehicle.  If you would like to learn more about this law, or would like information on selecting or using child restraints, please call Maryland Kids in Safety Seats (Maryland KISS) at 1-800-370-KISS(7328) or log on to www.mdkiss.org.

Helpful Numbers

Department of Social Services
Calvert - 443-550-6900
Charles - 301-392-6400
St. Mary's - 240-895-7000

Child and Adult Care Food Program
Southern Maryland
Toll-free 1 800-477-3993 ext.5040
http://www.theplanningcouncil.org

Family Child Care Associations

  • Calvert - 410-586-8009, Kristina Ganyon, President
  • Charles - 301-392-3481, Wendy Dingus, President
  • St. Mary’s - 301-737-0763, Bridgette Lawrence, President 

Child Care Center Association Group

National Association for the Education of Young Children
1-800-424-2460
http://www.naeyc.org

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.