Families
Maryland EXCELS knows how important it is for you to choose a high-quality child care program that’s right for your child. With these new quality rating badges, you will be able to easily see if a program participates in Maryland EXCELS and has achieved a quality rating.
To learn more about what the Maryland EXCELS quality rating badge means for your family, watch this short video.
Maryland EXCELS: Choosing Quality for Your Family
VIDEO
Video Transcript (PDF)
Key features of quality rated programs are listed below:
Activities support each and every child’s individual needs
Family-teacher conferences are offered
Children’s developmental progress is observed
2+ opportunities for families to engage in the program
Activities informed by early learning guidelines
Family-teacher conferences are offered at least once a year
Activities support each and every child’s individual needs
Children’s developmental progress is measured
Staff have increased training and experience
3+ opportunities for families to engage in the program
Activities informed by early learning guidelines
Family-teacher conferences offered at least once a year
Activities support each and every child’s individual needs
Children’s developmental progress measured and linked to curriculum
Staff have higher levels of training and experience
Continuous quality improvement process informed by independent assessors
4+ opportunities for families to engage in the program
Activities aligned with a state recommended curriculum
Family-teacher conferences offered at least twice per year
Activities support each and every child’s individual needs
Children’s developmental progress assessed with multiple measures and linked to curriculum
Staff meet highest levels of training and experience
Continuous quality improvement process informed by independent assessors
State or national accreditation achieved
5+ opportunities for families to engage in the program
State recommended curriculum used
Family-teacher conferences offered at least twice per year
Activities support each and every child’s individual needs
