About this site

MCE Launches Website for Child Care and After School Programs

In December, 2004, Maryland Cooperative Extension (MCE) offered the gift of a new website to the community of professionals and families on child care and afterschool issues. A click on www.mcecares.org takes the user to the MCE Child Care and After School Program web site. This site features the programs MCE's 4H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences Program Areas offer to enhance the quality of child care and afterschool programming through training for its professionals, educational on-site programs for children and youth, and resources for families to find quality care.

For more than a decade, Maryland Cooperative Extension has provided continuing education training for child care providers across the state. MCE offers training on topics across the Core of Knowledge (Maryland Department of Human Resources, Child Care Administration) to help professionals who work in child care centers and family child care homes maintain their registration and licenses. Training locations, events and times vary depending on the jurisdiction.

Through the 4H Youth Development program we offer programs for elementary and middle school age children in afterschool sites. 4H clubs can be organized through an afterschool program. Also, specific short-term educational programs such as "Reading Buddies" and "Entrepreneurship" can enhance afterschool programs. Our 4H effort is part of the national USDA 4H Afterschool Initiative.

The MCE Child Care and Afterschool Program website also benefits professionals and families as a consortium of information about Maryland specific child care research and program evaluation, and professional education opportunities. This website is intended to be a one-stop location to learn about what's happening in child care in our state. Our goal is to enhance the quality of care for children and youth by

1) bringing together the resources of our agency's program areas and making them available to the professional community, and

2) coordinating information about child care and afterschool program, research and funding activity in Maryland to support professionals who work with children, youth and families.

For more information about the website, contact Lis Fost Maring, PhD, Faculty Research Associate and Extension Family Life Specialist at 301.405.8339 or by email at efmaring@umd.edu.