MSDE Approved Child Care Courses | Earn Maryland COK Training Hours Online 

Maryland approved child care trainings you'll actually want to sit through

Learn practical classroom-ready strategies from a Speech Language Pathologist & Early Intervention Specialist — plus access to digital resources and a community of educators like you!
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Speech-language pathologist preparing child care training materials for early childhood educators
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Browse all live and self paced MSDE approved professional learning

Trainings you'll actually want to finish

Bridging Child Development is a Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) approved child care training organization

Bridging Child Development is a Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) approved training organization

We provide child care training for infant, toddler, and preschool teachers across Maryland so you can meet your MSDE licensing requirements and Core of Knowledge hours with strategies you'll actually use.

Maryland Child Care Training Requirements

Everything You Need To Know:

Annual Training Requirements

Maryland child care providers are required to complete: 

  • 12 clock hours of annual in-service training A minimum of 6 hours from Core of Knowledge (COK) areas as defined by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Office of Child Care (OCC).
  • This applies to staff in child care centers, large family child care homes, and family child care homes.

(Family child care providers complete 18 clock hours during their first year of registration, then 12 clock hours each year after.)

Approved COK areas in Maryland

Our trainings are approved by MSDE across all six Core of Knowledge areas:

  • Child Development

  • Special Needs

  • Community

  • Curriculum

  • Professionalism

  • Health, Safety & Nutrition

Each certificate you receive identifies the COK area it fulfills — making it easy to track and submit your hours to MSDE.

Looking to Advance Your Career?

Beyond annual licensing requirements, many Maryland educators choose to continue their professional growth through the Maryland Child Care Credential Program and participation in Maryland EXCELS. If you want to see what COK area each course fulfills, click here.

Maryland State Child Care Association (MSCCA)

Bridging Child Development is a proud Business Member of the Maryland State Child Care Association (MSCCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting, advocating for, and strengthening Maryland's child care community. This means we stay informed about updates affecting Maryland child care providers and our trainings are designed with Maryland's early childhood community in mind.

Meet Your Trainer

Hi, I'm Kelly
A licensed Speech Language Pathologist, Early Intervention Specialist, Child Care Trainer, and Former Family Child Care Owner

I work alongside teachers every day caring for children with developmental delays, feeding challenges, speech and language disorders, and more.

I kept hearing the same thing: "Our trainings don't teach us this." So I created trainings that do! 

No fluff. Just practical strategies designed to fit naturally into everyday routines with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers
Speech-language pathologist working on professional development resources for early childhood educators

Get your training hours

Get your Maryland COK Training Hours

Frequently Asked Questions:
sTart your own program

Opening a Child Care Program in Maryland

  • Licensing for child care centers, large family child care homes, and family child care homes in Maryland is administered by the MSDE Office of Child Care (MSDE-OCC). Requirements vary by program type and capacity.
  • Contact your licensing agency - they can give you advice on the requirements, rules and regulations in Maryland.

Email: earlychildhood.msde@maryland.gov
Phone number: Varies by county
Website: Click here

  • Maryland also supports providers through the Maryland Child Care Credential program and the Maryland EXCELS quality rating and improvement system — both of which recognize professional development and quality improvement in licensed programs.