College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, just 4 miles Northeast of Washington, DC. It is a small and quaint town with a great deal of character, but it's well known as home to the largest university in the Washington Metropolitan area, the University of Maryland, College Park, which employs more than 15,700 people. A total of 20 state-licensed child care programs within the city serve the population of 32,000 residents. The average price for infant care is $255 per week (or $13,260 per year for full-time), while full-time care for 4-year-old preschoolers is $200 per week (or $10,400 per year). To find out the average cost of daycare in your zip code, click here to use our
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College Park is ethnically diverse and one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. Almost half of the adult population has at least a bachelor's degree. Providing developmentally appropriate, safe, and healthy early education programs is a priority for the community. The State of Maryland mandates child care regulations. To be able to offer formal daycare and preschool (for children other than their own), caregivers are required to register with the Office of Child Care. Regulated child care facilities guarantee compliance with the minimum requirements on health, safety and appropriate curriculum and environment for children. Licensed child care providers have gone through live training provided by State's Regional Licensing Office. OCC monitors all activities, teacher to child ratio, as well as education and training requirements of directors, providers and assistants in order to give the best quality of service to all children in care.
There are 13 Child Care Centers and 7 Family Child Care Homes in College Park, MD. Among those 20 licensed daycare and preschool programs, 9 are all inclusive and offer care for children with special needs (for instance with facilities that offer access to wheelchairs and/or removed barriers for children with disabilities). With almost 30% of the residents of College Park speak a foreign language, parents can see to enroll in one of the 5 bilingual daycares within the city. In language immersion early education programs, children often learn a foreign language through music, reading, writing and other cultural activities.
College Park has a poverty rate of 27%. The Child Care Scholarship (CCS) program supports eligible working families in Maryland with financial assistance to pay for the cost of quality early care and education. There are 8 child care facilities accept child care vouchers. Families who are interested in participating in this program should contact the Child Care Subsidy Central (CCS Central) which evaluates documents about employment records, income, as well as other required documentation. The family must also be prepared to follow the Maryland State Standards for the child's immunization.