IMPACT, FALL 2018
The Division At-A-Glance Understanding the roles and responsibilities of the Division of Early Childhood and its branches can making finding the assistance and answers you need much easier. Under the direction of Assistant State Superintendent Steven Hicks, the Division is responsible for early care and education in Maryland. The main mission of the Division is to improve early education in Maryland so that young children are well prepared for school.
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Licensing
Credentialing
Child Care Subsidy
Maryland EXCELS
Licensing Branch Louis ‘Lou’ Valenti, Branch Chief
Child Care Career and Professional Development Fund - a tuition assistance program for child care providers to obtain a college education at participating colleges/ universities in Maryland.
Child Care Quality Incentive Grant Program - a grant program for child care providers to improve the professionalism and quality of child care programs.
Family Child Care Provider Grant Program - a grant program to help registered family child care providers offset some of the costs of opening their child care programs.
The Child Care Resource Network, overseen by grantee Maryland Family Network, provide leadership and services designed to help parents find quality child care that meets their family’s needs; improve the skills of early childhood professionals and their programs; and help programs, communities and individuals develop or expand high quality programs for children. There are Resource Centers in each region.
Special Needs Continuing Training / Technical Assistance for Caregivers – comprehensive statewide technical assistance and training for caregivers who are providing services to special needs children, birth through 3 years of age.
Expansion of Child Care for Medically Fragile Children Birth to Five – provides medicallybased child care and early education services to children with medical diagnoses and those who have development delays, physical disabilities, and behavioral issues requiring specialized care.
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 license of programs found to be in serious violation of child care regulations
Helping child care programs achieve and maintain regulatory compliance
The Division is composed of the:
Office of Child Care,
Early Learning Branch, and
Credentialing Branch Angeline Bishop-Oshoko, Branch Chief
Collaboration and Program Im- The Credentialing Branch ensures provement Branch. that child care providers have Here’s how the division is currently access to quality training and assists providers in attaining higher structured: levels of training and education. OFFICE OF CHILD CARE These opportunities include: Jennifer Nizer, M. Ed., Director Credential Program - a The Office of Child Care is career ladder that directs responsible for licensing and individuals to build knowledge inspecting all child care centers and skills in a cumulative and family child care providers in manner from introductory Maryland. The Office also training to advance level administers Maryland's subsidized education. child care program for working families and the state’s Child Care Training Vouchers/ Reimbursement - assist child Credentialing System and care professionals participating Maryland EXCELS, the state’s in the Maryland Child Care quality rating and improvement Credential Program at Level system. Two or higher with the costs of training for professional Within the Office of Child Care, development. there are four branches:
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