Maryland State Department of Education Releases Bonus Payments to Eligible Maryland Excels Child Care Providers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Lora Rakowski, 410-767-0486
lora.rakowski@maryland.gov
Maryland State Department of Education Releases Bonus Payments to Eligible Maryland Excels Child Care Providers
Blueprint for Maryland’s Future Provides $5 Million in Bonus Awards
BALTIMORE (October 20, 2022) — Today, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) announced the distribution of bonuses to child care programs participating in Maryland EXCELS that demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement in their early education programs. As part of the transformative Blueprint for Maryland’s Future landmark legislation which expands access to high-quality child care and early childhood education in Maryland, $5 million will be distributed to Maryland EXCELS child care providers. The bonuses for this current fiscal year are triple the minimal amount established in the Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR).
Bonuses ranging from $150 to $13,500, based on the type of program, quality rating and capacity, will be paid to child care programs participating in Maryland EXCELS. Awards are available to EXCELS providers that achieved a first-time quality rating, a higher rating, or again earned a quality rating of 5 on or after July 1, 2022. Bonus payments will continue through June 30, 2023 for achieving programs and will start being released immediately. That means, providers will start to receive funds as early as midweek next week (week of October 24, 2022). The charts below indicate how bonuses will be determined:
|
Quality Rating
|
Child Care Center |
Child Care Center |
Child Care Center |
|||
|
COMAR |
Fiscal Year 23 Bonuses |
COMAR |
Fiscal Year 23 Bonuses |
COMAR |
Fiscal Year 23 Bonuses |
|
|
1 |
$50 |
$150 |
$100 |
$300 |
$150 |
$450 |
|
2 |
$250 |
$750 |
$500 |
$1,500 |
$750 |
$2,250 |
|
3 |
$400 |
$1,200 |
$800 |
$2,400 |
$1,200 |
$3,600 |
|
4 |
$1,000 |
$3,000 |
$2,000 |
$6,000 |
$3,000 |
$9,000 |
|
5 |
$1,500 |
$4,500 |
$3,000 |
$9,000 |
$4,500 |
$13,500 |
|
Quality Rating |
Family Child Care |
Large Family Home |
||
|
COMAR |
Fiscal Year 23 Bonuses |
COMAR |
Fiscal Year 23 Bonuses |
|
|
1 |
$50 |
$150 |
$50 |
$150 |
|
2 |
$150 |
$450 |
$200 |
$600 |
|
3 |
$300 |
$900 |
$400 |
$1,200 |
|
4 |
$500 |
$1,500 |
$800 |
$2,400 |
|
5 |
$800 |
$2,400 |
$1,000 |
$3,000 |
Unlike bonuses that will be distributed through House Bill 1100 to bolster staff retention, Maryland EXCELS bonuses reward high-quality programs and allow providers to build stronger programs that better serve the children enrolled, their families, and their communities. Increasing training and resources available to classroom teachers, providing benefits like retirement and paid leave, and increasing teacher salaries are examples of how child care providers have used Maryland EXCELS bonuses to make meaningful improvements to their programs.
“The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future invests critical resources needed to support and strengthen the child care and early childhood education programs in the State, so that all children have access to excellent learning opportunities and the best possible outcomes,” said State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury. “These bonuses demonstrate to our child care community that we prioritize investing in their success and that we support their commitment to continuous improvement. As programs reach higher levels, children benefit through higher-quality learning and care.”
On October 27 at 6 p.m., MSDE’s Office of Child Care will host a virtual Child Care Information Session on the Maryland EXCELS bonuses as well as resources for increasing Maryland EXCELS quality ratings. To register please visit: https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/child-care-information-session.
Maryland EXCELS is the State’s quality rating and improvement program for child care and early education programs. It provides child care programs and providers with a road map to achieve high-quality and resources to encourage and reward improvement. Child care providers can learn more by visiting: https://marylandexcels.org/commitment-to-quality/.
Maryland EXCELS also helps families see and understand the quality of programs when making decisions about child care and early education programs for their children. Families seeking child care will find a directory of participating programs and their quality ratings at https://marylandexcels.org/directory/.
# # #
Press Release Excel Bonuses for Child Care Providers 10 20 2022