Early Childhood Services   

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 Child Care Resource Team

We Have the Know How You Need

To Keep Your Child Care Business Strong

And To Prepare Children for School

Family child care providers, center directors and center staff have direct access to a free service designed to give you the technical assistance and training you need to build your new child care business or keep an existing program strong while preparing children to be fully ready for school. 

With one phone call you can talk, free of charge, directly with experts about the issues that impact you. This service is designed for both new and existing providers who are dedicated to providing quality care. We provide technical assistance in the following areas:

Business Development and Support: 

From starting a new child care business to fine tuning the one you have, we can help.  We can show you:

• Tips and resources on what you need to improve your program or stay in compliance with the Office of Child Care licensing regulations.
• Low cost marketing tips to promote your program
• Ways to help you recruit, retain and motivate staff
• How to operate a safe and healthy program that meets licensing standards. We can answer questions about health and safety issues, managing infectious diseases/injuries and emergency policies and procedures

Program Resources and Support:

    Curriculum Support: We can help make your classroom run more smoothly.

    We can show you:

• Ideas to create stimulating learning centers (art, science, blocks etc.) in your program
• How to effectively use a MSDE approved curriculum in your program
• How to design your lesson plans to meet the individual needs of your students
• Ideas for daily schedules and transitions to help make your day run smoothly
• Resources you need to provide developmentally appropriate care for infants toddlers and preschoolers

     Inclusive Child Care/Special Needs Resources: 

     We have complete information on how successfully include children with special needs in  

     your program.  We will:

• Help you understand the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) regulations
• Give you strategies to make program accommodations to meet the needs of all students
• Provide tips on how to effectively communicate with families
• Connect you with resources to help support successful inclusion of children with special needs in your program
• Assist you with developing health and safety care plans for children with special needs  

     Infant and Toddler Caregiver Support: 

     We offer specialized support for providers caring for children birth to three. We can:

• Show you how to assess the needs of your infants and toddlers
• Help you create individualized developmentally appropriate lesson plans based on your assessments
• Provide tips on how to set up your classroom with stimulating learning centers for infants and toddlers
• Support you with aligning your teaching strategies with the “Healthy Beginnings”/MMSR guidelines 

New Child Care Program Support:

We have can help you get your new child care program off to a great start.  We provide:

• Assistance with selecting the approved classes you need
• Tips for creating policies, procedures and contracts for your business
• Easy ways set up and maintain your program’s records
• Money saving information on what materials to buy for your child care program
• How to arrange your child care space

Professional Development Resources and Support:

 We can also help you grow professionally. We can:

·         Help you map out plans for your long-term professional goals

·         Identify scholarship programs to save you money on  your education costs

·         Explain state and national accreditation programs and how they will benefit your program as well as support you as you pursue accreditation or credentialing.  Our support includes information on the following programs:

·         Credential Programs

o        Child Development Associate (CDA) credential

o        Maryland Child Care Credential

·         Accreditation Programs

o        Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Accreditation

o        National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Accreditation

o        National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) Accreditation

o        National After School Association (NAA) Accreditation

Get Started Today!

The Child Care Resource Team is available 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday – Friday.  We provide assistance over the phone or, if necessary, we will conduct a site visit.  With one phone call you will connect to local child care experts who utilize resources throughout the region.

The Child Care Resource Team is provider friendly and business smart!

Call:  240-777-1457

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