Group care is offered in a non residential setting in a building that has been built or adapted to accommodate a child care center. A child care center might be in a church, synagogue or school.

Things to consider:

• The size and capacity of child care centers vary widely.
• Child care centers tend to be open year round.
• Child care centers do not typically offer weekend or evening care.
• Children are typically grouped by age with a teacher and an aide for each class.
• Adult to child ratios vary with age and class size. 

In-home care may be provided in the child’s home by a caregiver that lives in or out of the home.  In-home care is not licensed by the State of Maryland, therefore Montgomery County Child Care Resource and Referral Center (LOCATE) does not provide referrals for in-home child caregivers.

Things to consider:  

• In-home providers are not licensed.
• Providers may live in or out of your home.
• Providers may have various levels of training.
• You may have to pay taxes on behalf of provider.
• Depending on the type of in-home caregiver you may have to provide a private bedroom, a weekly stipend, tuition reimbursement and vacation time/pay. 

For complete information on in-home care resources you can order an In-Home Child Care Resources booklet from the Maryland Committee for Children at www.mdchildcare.org.

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How To Choose A Summer Camp

When selecting a summer program for your child consider all of your options:  group care, a family child care provider, parks and recreation department programs, community based organizations (i.e. Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA), school districts, day and overnight camps.

LOCATE Child Care can assist you in identifying licensed summer programs in Montgomery County.  Contact LOCATE: Child Care for assistance at 240-777-3130 between 9 a.m. and 12 noon and 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

There are many different rules and regulations for unlicensed summer programs.  Thorough research about the programs you are considering is important.  Important questions to ask include:

1.   Is this program licensed or accredited? By whom?

2.   How long has the program been in business?

3.   What are the hours of operation?

4.   What is the total number of campers attending the 

     program?

5.   What is the ratio of counselors to campers?

6.   What type of training do the counselors receive?

7.   What are the ages of the campers? 

8.   How old are the counselors?

9.   What sessions are offered during the summer?

10.  Is transportation provided?

11.  Do the children go on field trips?  How are they 

      transported?

12.  Is the staff required to have background checks?

13.  What is the discipline policy?

14.  Will the staff administer medication?

15.  In the event of an emergency, what is your plan?

For more information on summer programs go to www.mdchildcare.org or www.ChildCareAware.org.

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