Home Day Care License Requirements in Maryland

Attendance at Orientation Session One

• Call the Office of Child Care’s Regional Licensing Office to schedule the first of two orientation sessions. At this first meeting, an Office of Child Care representative outlines the application process and distributes all the necessary forms. These include forms for basic information, health evaluations and releases for child abuse and neglect clearances, as well as forms required for criminal background and fingerprint checks. Also, fill out a written emergency escape plan and a plan for a responsible adult to take charge in the provider’s emergency absence.

Orientation Session Two

• Attend a second orientation to learn about family child care regulations after completing the application process. Office of Child Care staffers explain the regulations and offer tips for compliance. Staffers cover all the details of child health and safety, child supervision and general operations during this session. Complete a Self-Assessment Guide to test your home’s readiness and your knowledge of regulations.

Training

• Complete at least 24 hours of courses dedicated to topics relevant to child care. Topics might include child development, child health and safety, program curriculum, and provider professionalism, which includes subjects like running a business and provider-parent relations. Obtain CPR and first aid certification appropriate to the ages of the children in the program, and training in Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) if the program includes children under age 2. The Office of Child Care must approve all courses for them to be accepted for registration requirements.

Inspections

• Schedule and pass at least two inspections for the home being used as the site of the family child care program. An Office of Child Care licensing specialist will look for compliance with the state’s regulations, such as the presence of hard-wired smoke detectors and a first aid kit. At this time the specialist also reviews the Self-Assessment Guide with the provider. The local fire department will assess fire prevention and safety, such as easy access to fire extinguishers. Local authorities or the health department may require additional inspections depending on the home’s location.

Continuing Compliance

• Stay in compliance with regulations; a new family child care provider is issued a certificate of registration valid for two years. After two years, a program that has continued to meet all requirements and regulations receives a non-expiring certificate. All programs are inspected three times during every two-year period to ensure continuing compliance; two of these inspections are unannounced, while the third is scheduled to review the program’s records.