How to become a licensed child care provider

[Admin]

We've had a few inquiries about the requirements to become a licensed child care provider in the state of Maryland. We'd like to share this information here for future reference.

Licensing is handled by the Maryland Department of Human Resources - Office of licensing. Their main website is at: http://www.dhr.sailorsite.net/cca/license/

There are two types of licensing: one for a child care center and the other for a family child care home.

CHILD CARE CENTER - "Under Maryland law, a child care center is a facility operated by an individual, agency, or organization that offers child care services for part or all of the day, or on a 24-hour basis on a regular schedule, at least twice a week." More information is available here: http://www.dhr.sailorsite.net/cca/license/center.htm

FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME - "A family child care provider is a person who uses a residence other than the child’s home to provide paid care, on a regular basis, for one or more children who are not related to the person. In order to ensure a safe environment, the State of Maryland limits the number of children in a family child care home. A provider may have a maximum of eight children, with no more than two under the age of two. The provider’s own children under the age of six are counted within the group of eight." Many people who now consider themselves babysitters technically fit this category and are required to be licensed. More information is available here: http://www.dhr.sailorsite.net/cca/license/open.htm

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