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Quality Child Care

Maryland Child Care Quality System

Maryland has a Quality Rating and Improvement System called Maryland EXCELS. For child care providers that participate, it’s a commitment to quality above and beyond licensing requirements. Providers are awarded ratings from 1 to 5 in areas such as developmentally-appropriate practice, professional development, and family engagement. It’s a journey for continuous quality improvement and providers are supported through coaching and other means to advance in Maryland EXCELS.
High-quality child care and early learning builds stronger communities, supports family success, and improves student outcomes in school and in life.
More than 5,000 programs participate in Maryland EXCELS. Child care providers who want to care for children whose care is paid for with a Child Care Scholarship must participate in Maryland EXCELS.

Choosing Child Care

Choosing child care is one of the most important decisions parents make for their children. Check out Maryland Family Network’s Tips for Choosing Quality Child Care. Maryland Family Network also has a Parent Checklist for parents looking for child care so that parents can be educated consumers.
Maryland EXCELS provides parents with a way to differentiate among the quality of child care settings.  It’s hard to find child care.  It’s even harder to know how to compare child care programs and understand the quality of the settings. Maryland EXCELS is designed to take the guess work out of looking for quality child care for parents.
Contact Us
1800 Washington Blvd Ste 445Baltimore, MD 21230-2344
410-659-7701

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