Maryland EXCELS Quality Rating Badge 1 Maryland EXCELS Quality Rating Badge 2Maryland EXCELS Quality Rating Badge 3 Maryland EXCELS Quality Rating Badge 4 Maryland EXCELS Quality Rating Badge 5

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 Transcript (PDF)

 

Key features of quality rated programs are listed below:

Quality Rating 1 Badge
  • Activities support each and every child’s individual needs
  • Family-teacher conferences are offered
Quality Rating 2 Badge
  • 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
Quality Rating 3 Badge
  • 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
Quality Rating 4 Badge
  • 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
Quality Rating 5 Badge
  • 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