Division of Early Childhood

TUESDAY TIDBITS

We're excited to announce that the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant Application is now open until April 30, 2024. To assist potential applicants, there will be three technical assistance sessions available.  Administered by the Division of Early Childhood at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), the Prekindergarten Expansion Grant is a competitive program aimed at providing funding to local education agencies (LEAs) and private child care providers. Its goal is to support the delivery of high-quality prekindergarten and school readiness services statewide, aligning with The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. This grant aims to enhance the availability and accessibility of top-tier prekindergarten educational programming and school readiness services for both three-year-old and four-year-old students. If you're interested in learning more about these grants and determining if they're a good fit for your program, be sure to explore the Push to Pre-K sessions. "Push to Pre-K," our initiative aimed at equipping child care providers with the necessary tools to access State prekindergarten grants. Maryland EXCELS Participation – Recording Available Licensing Requirements – Recording Available Components of an Educational Program, Defining High-Quality Pre-K, & Finding Qualified Staff Members – Recording Available Grant Writing Tips – Recording Available

School Readiness Symposium “A Window into Maryland’s Early Learning Standards”

We hope that you will join us on April 9, 2024, at Turf Valley Resort for this look into the Early Learning Standards. 

Our panel of speakers will be highlighting the process of developing the Standards as well as participating in a facilitated conversation about implementing them most effectively in a variety of ECE settings. In addition to the keynote presentation, participants will attend two interactive workshops designed to provide an opportunity to actively explore the standards within a specified domain. Each workshop will be facilitated by one of WestEd’s content area specialists. Don’t miss this opportunity to be a part of the conversation!

The registration deadline is March 25, 2024.

IF YOU ALREADY REGISTERED FOR THE JANUARY 17TH SYMPOSIUM AND YOU FILLED OUT OUR SURVEY COMMITTING TO THE APRIL 9TH DATE YOU DO NOT NEED TO REGISTER AGAIN.

Scholarship Open Office Hours

Join us for the open office hours of the Child Care Scholarship program! Our MSDE staff members are ready to assist both enrolled families and dedicated child care providers with any questions about applications, payments, or managing a Scholarship account.

April 16, 2024

12:00-1:00 PM

Click the flyer to view the Scholarship Open Office Hours in Spanish

January 30, 2024 Child Care Portal Session Recording

A walkthrough of the Child Care Provider Portal

• Provider Session

Training/Professional Development

45-Hour Critical Competencies Training for Infant Toddler Educators

Free to all infant toddler teachers! Learn about current knowledge and skills to support our youngest learners in Social and Emotional Development, Cognitive Development and Language, Literacy Development. This training is 15 session series. You MUST attend all sessions. Enroll while funding is still available! To inquire about upcoming training, contact one of our approved trainers. Approved Trainers

Supporting Maryland’s Multilingual Learners: WIDA Early Years Essential Actions

Free 15 hours of training. Series of 8 modules that promote the implementation of the WIDA Early years 14 Essential Actions to support early childhood educators as they work with multilingual children and their families. Approved Trainers

Have a bachelor's degree? Want to teach Pre-K in your FCC home?

ASPIRE PreK is a multi-year program to help FCC providers learn to implement state funded, high-quality PreK programs. Join us on the March 25th webinar to find out if it is the right choice for you! To learn more and register, visit www.aspireprek.org/2024-webinars.

Introduction to Maryland Credentialing

Join us on March 21st for a workshop from MSDE to learn about the benefits of participating in the Credentialing Program and what you need to do. Learn more

Living with Family Child Care

MFN has a new resource for family child care homes to know their rights when it comes to HOAs and landlords. Living with Family Child Care can help providers to persuade and inform landlords, HOAs, local zoning boards and others about the benefits of family child care homes. It's available free in English, Spanish, French, Russian, Arabic, Farsi and Amharic. Learn more

Do you need help meeting children's social emotional needs?

Join UMD’s study of Maryland's social emotional consultation program. Teachers receive consultation on behavioral concerns, plus $300. Center Directors receive $200. Learn strategies while helping us document the impact of this program! Learn more

Strengthening Business Practices Series for Family Child Care Programs (9 COK hours)

Strengthening Business Practices for Family Child Care Programs is a 3-module series, that will be presented by Audrey Cupe-Green and Patty Aburn, Baltimore City’s MSDE Quality Assurance Specialists. The training will cover topics such as sound fiscal management, marketing, and more. Learn more

Workforce Development Partnership

Seeking child care centers on Maryland's lower shore! Join our Workforce Development Partnership to grow your team and enhance staff career support. Fill out our form here to learn more and join us. Form

Child Care Advancement Network Building Educators (CCANBE) Program

Maryland State Family Child Care Association (MSFCCA) presents Phase 2 of the CCANBE program, the Global Credentials, Local Opportunities initiative in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University and the Maryland State Child Care Association (MSCCA). This program is set to run from March 1 to June 30, 2024. Learn more

Eureka! Discovering the Importance of Heuristic Play for Infants and Toddlers - March 26, 2024

The objective of heuristic play is to offer diverse sensory experiences, facilitating children's independent discovery and learning through interaction with everyday objects, as opposed to conventional toys. This session will delve into implementing heuristic play techniques within the classroom setting and the resultant developmental advantages for children. Learn more

Early Childhood Educator Health Extravaganza 2024 - March 30, 2024

Registration is Now Open for an Unforgettable Day of Wellness! We're thrilled to announce the Early Childhood Educator Health Extravaganza 2024, an event exclusively designed to celebrate YOU- the heart and soul of early childhood development. TIME: 11:00am-3:00pm

LOCATION: Michael E. Busch Annapolis Library - Annapolis, MD 21041 Campbell-Chambliss Community Meeting room AB Register

Mud Magic and Messy Play Spring Conference - April 6, 2024

Join us as we uncover the developmental benefits of mud and messy play and bring back the joys of this creative and imaginative sensory-rich, nature-based play. Through family engagement ideas, lesson plans, and inclusive practices, we will cook up ways to say yes to mud and messy play! Learn more

Leadership Training. The Difficult Talk - April 19, 2024

Childcare Management Solutions LLC is having a Leadership Training for Directors, Administrators, Family & Large License Providers with min. 2 yrs. licensed & experience. 8:30a-4:30p Discussion: Transforming Leadership, Resolution Strategies and Creating Personal Boundaries using Vision Boards. Earn 6 COK Hrs. in Professionalism - Cost $75 

8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 10905 Livingston Rd., Ft. Washington, MD 20744 - Call to enroll 301-203-7648 (No Walk-Ins) Learn more

Early Childhood Connections Conference 2024 - April 20, 2024

Early Childhood Connections Conference will take place at Wisp Resort. The theme this year is nature-based learning! Registration closes March 29th. Email childcarechoices@fcmha.org for more information! Learn more

MSCCA Conference by the Sea 2024 - May 2, 2024

MSCCA Conference by the Sea 2024 Buckle Up as We Look Back and EXCELerate Early Childhood in the Future! Attend In Person or Virtually! Registration Open Now! Please join MSCCA as we celebrate our 40th anniversary as an organization! Join us for early childhood professional comradery with industry experts, quality training, great exhibitors, raffles, and awesome team building. You do not need to be a member of MSCCA to attend. Deadline to apply for MSCCA training voucher was March 2nd. Learn more

Professional Development Institute (PDI) Autism, the Art of Learning - May 11, 2024

During this PDI, we will explore how children with Autism can learn and thrive in their early childhood settings. 8:00am - 2:00pm Harriet Tubman Cultural Center 8045 Harriet Tubman Ln, Columbia, MD 21044 Cost - $50 MSDE Approval Number: CWO-162395 COK Hours: 4 Special Needs Learn more

Guidance Regarding COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Illnesses in K-12 Schools and Child Care 

(Updated 7/11/23)

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) and Maryland State Department of Education
(MSDE) recommend that schools and child care programs follow the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Operational Guidance for K-12 Schools and Early Care and Education Programs for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year.