Child Care Choices
Empowering Early Childhood Educators and Child Care Providers at Every Step
Connecting early childhood professionals and families with the support and resources that help children thrive.
The Mental Health Association of Frederick County (MHA) supports early childhood educators and families by creating safe, nurturing, and developmentally-appropriate learning environments for children through Child Care Choices
We partner with parents, caregivers, and educators when young children experience behavioral or emotional challenges in preschool or child care settings. Our approach focuses on understanding each child’s individual needs and strengths, while offering compassionate, practical support. We empower families and early childhood professionals through resources, events, workshops, and activities.
Child Care Resources for Early Childhood Educators
Programs providing comprehensive solutions for new and existing early childhood professionals, offered at low or no cost.
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MHA offers hundreds of high-quality training and professional development workshops each year on topics such as discipline, observation, and child development.
Child Care Choices is an Office of Child Care approved training organization (Approval #CKO-156225). Early care and education professionals receive continued training credit for our workshops.
View or register for online training coursesTraining is self-paced and available in English and Spanish
Event Calendar (July - August)
Ways to register for a training class:
Call 301-662-4549 to register by phone. Payment by credit card is required.
Fax, mail or deliver your registration form to the address below:
Mental Health Association of Frederick County
226 South Jefferson Street
Frederick, MD 21701We can also bring our training to your location. For more information, call Sarah Martin at 301-662-4549 or email smartin@fcmha.org.
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PERKS supports children’s emotional well-being in early learning settings. By working alongside teachers and families, we provide on-site guidance that helps children thrive and remain in stable, quality child care.
Services offered include:
Coaching for early education staff
Resources and strategies to help decrease challenging behaviors in the classroom
Parent trainings
Regulated child care programs with children, from birth to 5 years old, who exhibit social, emotional, or behavioral concerns
To learn more about PERKS, contact us at 301.662.4549.PERKS is a service provided by Child Care Choices and funded by the Maryland State Department of Education.
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Growing Opportunities for Family Child Care (GOFFC) guides potential educators through the licensing process while supporting them in building a strong business foundation and high-quality child care program.
Participation is free and includes all of the required training, access to knowledgeable coaches, and a variety of resources to support you in opening and operating your in-home child care business.
For more information, fill out this online request.
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LOCATE: Child Care is a free, confidential service that helps families find regulated, high-quality child care tailored to their needs, including location, cost, and each child’s unique personality.
LOCATE: Child Care offers personalized assistance by telephone Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. You can also access a web-based version of the search database anytime.
To reach LOCATE: Child Care, call 1.877.261.0060 or follow one of the links below.
For Parents
The LOCATE: Child Care service and the search for afterschool programs are provided by Maryland Family Network. The following links will direct you to an external site.
LOCATE: Child Care Search for Regulated Child Care
If you have a complaint regarding a child care program or provider, please contact your local Office of Child Care at 301.696.9766 (Frederick) or 410.549.6489 (Carroll), or call Child Care Choices at 301.662.4549. For a copy of the LOCATE: Child Care Complaint Policy, please click here.
For Providers and Educators
Promote your business through LOCATE: Child Care by making sure that your information is accurate and complete. The following link will take you to the Maryland Family Network site where you can complete a questionnaire online.
Frequently Requested Information and Resources
The Child Care Choices, a program of the Mental Health Association, is a member of the Maryland Child Care Resource Network with funding from the Maryland State Department of Education through Maryland Family Network.