“Commit to quality care and education by participating in Maryland EXCELS. Together, we can provide a better future for Maryland’s children.”

Maryland EXCELS is the state’s quality rating and improvement system for licensed child care and early education programs that meet nationally recognized quality standards.

Maryland EXCELS promotes quality by awarding ratings to the following programs: Child Care Centers, School-Age Child Care Programs, Family Child Care Homes, and Public Prekindergarten programs. These ratings are available to families, allowing them to make informed choices concerning the care of their children.

Programs earn quality ratings that form a pathway to excellence. A rating of 1 is awarded to providers and programs that successfully meet initial requirements. A rating of 5 is granted to those with the highest level of quality and who are state or nationally accredited.

Quality rated programs demonstrate competence in the following areas:

  1. Licensing and Compliance (LIC)
  2. Staff Qualifications and Professional Development (STF)
  3. Accreditation and Rating Scales (ACR)
  4. Developmentally Appropriate Learning and Practice (DAP)
  5. Administrative Policies and Practices (ADM)

Find Maryland EXCELS quality rated programs with the Find a Program tool.


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