Maryland education board proposes new family childcare regulations for nursery schools

The Maryland State Board of Education convened on July 25, 2023, to discuss proposed regulations for family child care providers seeking to operate non-public nursery schools. The meeting, led by President Crawford, featured Dr. Cook, who presented the adjustments made to the regulations based on stakeholder feedback.

The proposed regulations aim to authorize family child care providers to run approved non-public nursery schools within their settings. This change allows these programs to serve as practicum sites for state-approved teacher certification. Dr. Cook highlighted four key areas of concern that were addressed in the new regulations.

Firstly, the regulations maintain a prohibition on operating pre-kindergarten programs in the living spaces of residences. This measure ensures that child care activities occur in designated areas, separate from family living spaces, without necessitating additional construction.

Secondly, the requirement for pre-kindergarten programs to operate in separate rooms for children under the age of two has been removed. This decision reflects research supporting mixed-age learning environments and offers greater operational flexibility.

The third point of discussion involved the requirement for an additional staff member for children under two years old. While the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) acknowledged concerns from family child care providers, it decided to retain this requirement to ensure adequate supervision, emphasizing that funding from the Blueprint for Maryland's Future initiative would assist in hiring necessary staff.

Lastly, the regulations retain the requirement for an educational program administrator, allowing family child care providers the option to fulfill this role themselves or appoint someone else. This flexibility aims to ensure proper administrative oversight while maintaining accountability.

Dr. Cook concluded that the proposed regulations strike a balance between stakeholder feedback and the essential standards for child care and pre-kindergarten programs in Maryland. The board then opened the floor for questions, followed by a motion to publish the proposed regulations.