Child Care Provider

Program Description

Child Care Providers attend to children in schools, businesses, private households, and child care institutions.  They perform a variety of tasks such as dressing, feeding, and overseeing play, are responsible for the safety and wellbeing of the children in their care, and work as part of a team.  

The primary goal of The Community College of Baltimore County’s Child Care series is to prepare individuals interested in working with young children, infants or pre-adolescents for an entry-level position (with room for growth) in group child care centers or family child care (home based) settings. ​CCBC offers four different course series options for students interested in this career track (see options below). The instruction in these classes includes skills for relating well to children, supporting nurturing environments, monitoring child development and communicating with parents and caregivers.  

​Students entering this program should have the ability to routinely lift children and sustain long hours of active wo​rk. See technical standards for more details. Child care providers need to maintain a safe play environment for children while also supporting children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development. The duties also require them to have strong communication skills to inform parents about daily activities, behaviors, and related issues.  ​

Career Outlook: Demand for this position is high and many local child care facilities are looking to fill positions. This training can also be the first step to pursue a career in education or social work. Without certification in Maryland, you cannot become a lead teacher, a director of a child care center, or run in-home child care.  

Research your career interests, explore live job postings, take a career assessment, discover which companies in the Baltimore region are hiring, and more.  View a brief tutorial video on how to use Career Coach at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnKS2W3Z4k8” href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnKS2W3Z4k8” href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnKS2W3Z4k8” target=”_blank”>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnKS2W3Z4k8” target=”_blank”>Career Coach.  Explore career and training opportunities at https://ccbcmd.emsicc.com/

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this Continuing Education Workforce Certificate, students will be able to:

1. ​meet the eligibility requirements set forth by the Maryland State Department of Education for child care providers;
2. demonstrate effective skills to work in child care settings as a professional.;
3. employ proper professional communication and employability skills in the workplace while serving as a child care professional; and
4. perform to a professional standard the operation of child care centers or as a family provider. 

Program Credentials

CCBC Credential:

Students will have access to a Continuing Education academic record (transcript). Students will be awarded a Continuing Education Workforce Certificate. Students will receive their 90 hour child care certificates and be eligible for their state certification. Students pursuing a Family Child Care Provider license can alternatively receive certificates for the 24 hour Family Pre-Service Modules.

Certifying Organization:

Maryland State Department of Education https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/node/733

CCBC Pathway & Track

Education Pathway: Education Track - Pathways are designed to help you meet your academic and career goals by aligning related courses and programs.  Pathway students participate in a variety of activities that help explore career opportunities in their field of study.  You can meet with a CCBC advisor who help align — or realign — your educational plan with the Pathway that best supports you and your goals.

Financial Aid and Payment Options

We offer financial aid by packaging public and private funding options to those who qualify, in select Continuing Education courses and programs. Additional opportunities for financial support include partial payment options through Nelnet Business Solutions and tuition waivers for those who qualify. Resources outside of CCBC may also be available through employer/sponsor paid tuition, the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DORS), and your local office of workforce development.

Some CE Workforce Development Certificate Programs are eligible for early high school funding through Maryland Blueprint for qualifying BCPS high school students.  Please check with your School Counseling Office to determine your eligibility for the BCPS Tuition Benefit Program. 

Program Length

​16 to 20 weeks

Child care courses begin multiple times throughout the year.

Program Requirements

A High School Diploma or GED is NOT required for program entry but may be required for employment. All students must be computer literate and have Internet access.

All childcare providers are required to maintain active CPR certification.

See technical standards for employment requirements.

Application Process

To apply, go to www.ccbcmd.edu/apply and complete the CCBC Continuing Education Workforce Certificate program application.  An email will then be sent with program information and any additional requirements necessary to apply for the program.

Open Entry – No screening or documentation required.

Prior Learning Assessment

This program has potential options for obtaining course waiver(s) for prior learning, based on previous coursework or articulated coursework from an approved curriculum.  A maximum of 45 hours may be earned from prior learning.  There are no prior learning course waiver(s) for the Family Provider option.

Program Course Sequence

Child Care Provider/Child Care Teacher Preschool: Student objective is to become a family childcare provider in the home, a child care center staff/teacher, or to work in a child care center as senior staff or director. Students must successfully complete Child Care I before taking Child Care II.

Child Care Family Provider: Student objective is to become a licensed family child care provider in their home.

Child Care Teacher School Age: Student objective is to work in an after-school program for children ages 6-12. Students must successfully complete Child Care I before taking Child Care: The School Age Child.

Child Care Infant/Toddler Provider: Student objective is to acquire certification to work with infants and toddlers.Students must successfully complete Child Care I before taking Group Care of Infants and Toddlers.

Optional Course for Child Care Provider/Child Care Teacher Preschool, Child Care School Age Provider, Child Care Infant/Toddler Provider (not financial aid eligible); Students without equivalent coursework may be required to complete this class by their employer.

Additional Information

Course Substitutions:

Courses from other community colleges may be similar, but need to be reviewed by the Coordinator prior to registration.

Additional Offerings:  

Communication Skills Training: CHI031; 9-hour requirement for 99-hour certification

Medication Administration: CHI042; state-approved course meets 6-hour requirement for providers to administer medication

Child Care Administration: CHI008 state-approved course that meets 45 hour Director requirement

Credential Booster Classes: Instruction in higher Maryland Child Care Credential levels to help daycare providers be aligned with Maryland EXCELS (Excellence Counts in Early Learning and School-age Care)

CHI057 Age & Developmentally Appropriate Supervision

CHI066 Developmentally Appropriate Practice

CHI063 Including All Children and the ADA

CHI055 The Child Care Provider as a Professional

CHI031 Communication Skills

Skills for Success:​

See Technical Standards at end of this document.

Career Opportunities:​

Demand for this position is high and many local child care facilities are looking to fill positions.  This training can also be the first step to pursue a career in education or social work.  Without certification in Maryland, you cannot become a senior staff or director of a childcare center, or run an in-home child care.

Students who complete CHI 019/043 and CHI 020/044 can receive college credit for the Early Childhood Development degree if they successfully demonstrate content proficiency by scoring an 80% or better on the Teacher Education Proficiency Exam administered by CCBC’s School of Wellness, Education, Behavioral and Social Sciences.

Career Coach

Research your career interests, explore live job postings, take a career assessment, discover which companies in the Baltimore region are hiring, and more.  View a brief tutorial video on how to use Career Coach at https://youtu.be/C7KpznbPYfA.  Explore career and training opportunities at https://ccbcmd.emsicc.com/.

Program Contact Information

For more information email CEHealth@ccbcmd.edu​

Jennifer Jurch, Program Coordinator jjurch@ccbcmd.edu​

Mark Henderson, Administrative Support Assistant II mhenderson@ccbcmd.edu​​​​​​​

Technical Standards

Technical Standards for CCBC’s Childcare Certification Training Series

The primary goal of The Community College of Baltimore County’s Child Care series is to prepare individuals interested in working with young children, infants or pre-adolescents for an entry-level position (with room for growth) in group child care centers.  The duties of a Child Care worker require the ability to routinely lift children and sustain long hours of active work. They need to maintain a safe play environment for children while also supporting children’s cognitive, emotional and social development.  Their duties also require them to have good communication skills for communicating with parents about daily activities, behaviors, and related issues.  Following is a partial listing of the types of skills typically required for adequate job performance:

Physical Requirements:

A. Sufficient strength and mobility to:

• Lift or move children up to 50 pounds or more
• Climbing, balancing, and stooping

B. Fine motor coordination sufficient to perform precise tasks such as:

• Physical activities that require considerable use of arms and legs, moving your whole body
• Assembling and handling playground equipment
• Assisting in preparing food and serving meals

C. Adequate vision to:

• See details at close range (within a few feet of the observer)

D. Sufficient hearing to:

• Hear and give verbal instructions in person under noisy conditions
• Identify and understand the speech of another person

Interpersonal Skills and Professionalism:

A. Have the ability to:

• Develop and maintain constructive, cooperative working relationships with others
• Provide customer and personal services, including the ability to perform customer needs assessment, meet quality matters standards, and evaluate customer satisfaction
• Commit to learning and understanding new principles and methods for curriculum and training design
• Commit to following approved standards, guidelines, policies, and procedures given by the Maryland State Department of Education
• Interact in a professional manner with many personalities and attitudes and with people from many different backgrounds
• Maintain proper certifications required to perform the duties of the profession

B. Sufficient communication skills to:

• Provide information to supervisors, coworkers, and subordinates by telephone, written form, email, and in person
• Communicate with people outside of the organization and representing the organization to customers
• Communicate with children’s parents about daily activities, behaviors, and related issues
• Communicate in a calm and professional manner

Intellectual Ability and Emotional Stability To:

• Apply critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Exercise independent judgment to properly perform tasks at hand
• Support children’s emotional and social development, including encouraging understanding of others and developing a positive self- concept
• Work with young children, infants and/or pre-adolescents from various backgrounds and with different levels of emotional stability and social development
• Work calmly and efficiently in a fast-paced, stressful environment
• Maintain calm during emergency situations
• Identify signs of emotional or developmental problems in children and appropriately communicate the issue to their parents

​Environment Requirements:

• Working in an environment that is often noisy
• Working in an often times stressful and fast paced environment
• Working in an environment where you will be exposed to bodily fluids