compiled by Sylvia Blair
Finding quality child care or early childhood centers that are convenient and affordable can be a challenge. In Carroll County, child care centers, early learning centers or preschool-based care can help parents who are juggling the demands of work and family. Local centers offer a variety of programs.
ABC Care, Inc.
Locations throughout Carroll County • 410-751-3700 • abccareinc.com
Areas of Focus:
Program offers enriching daily experiences, including science, cooking, art, computer, drama, and a variety of team-building activities.
All About Kids Learning Center
601 Old Liberty Rd., Sykesville • 410-795-7802
Areas of Focus:
Facilitates individual growth and independence, and provides opportunities for children to maximize their potential. The center is committed to standards of excellence and works together with families, caregivers, and the community.
Almost Family Child Care Center
1705 North Main St., Hampstead • 410-374-5359 • care.com
Features of the Center:
Offers all-inclusive tuition, state-approved curriculum, breakfast, lunch, and snacks, secured access, and a large playground.
Berry Patch Early Learning Center
4510 Lower Beckleysville Rd., Hampstead • 410-374-3501 • berrypatchel.com
Areas of Focus:
Curriculum designed to foster the social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical needs of children. Children are actively involved in learning through play, with opportunities to explore, experience, and succeed. Widely accepted learning/education theories, and principles of child growth and development are utilized.
Building Blocks
2967 Manchester Rd., Manchester • 410-374-1114 • buildingblocksearlycare.com
Areas of Focus:
The center provides an intellectually stimulating environment, including a balanced curriculum, to prepare children for the lifelong love of learning and higher education success.
Carroll Child Care and Learning Center
224 North Center St., Westminster • 410-848-0644 • carrollchildcare.com
Areas of Focus:
This nonprofit program serves families of all income levels by offering an environment in which children can discover, learn and grow. The center is an affordable, convenient and credentialed pre-K education and child care program. It offers subsidized tuition for qualifying families. Lower tuition rates cover nearly all program costs, including food.
Carroll Lutheran School
1738 Old Taneytown Rd., Westminster  • 410-848-1050 • clsedu.org
Areas of Focus:
The center provides an environment conducive to completing homework each afternoon, with support as needed. Activities are offered, including outdoor play, games, crafts and time in the gym, as available.
Catholic Charities Head Start
255 Clifton Blvd., Westminster • 667-600-2571
Areas of Focus:
The center provides early education, child development, and intervention services to low-income children and their families. The children, ages 3 to 5, are prepared for kindergarten, and the center offers support services to their families.
Celebree School
Locations throughout Carroll County • 410-515-8750 • celebree.com
Areas of Focus:
The center embraces three core values: protect, educate and nurture. The setting combines enriching educational opportunities with a culture focused on providing nurturing support, so children are equipped with all the right tools to achieve success.
Child’s Nurturing Center
2320 Old Westminster Pike, Finksburg • 410-833-7730 • childsnurturingcenter.com
Areas of Focus:
Classrooms are language-enriched and designed around thematic-driven learning centers to foster developmentally-appropriate activities for children.
Coppermine 4 Seasons
2710 Hampstead-Mexico Rd., Hampstead • 410-239-3366 • coppermine4seasons.com
Areas of Focus:
Provides youth programming that serves the growing needs of families. Instructors include elementary and middle school teachers, as well as Coppermine coaches and staff.
Fresh Start Early Learning Center
111 East Main St., Westminster • 443-465-6882 • freshstartelc.com
Areas of Focus:
Daily program provides an atmosphere that encourages all areas of development, including physical, mental, emotional, social and creative. Staff teaches and meets children at their levels of learning.
Gerstell Academy
2500 Old Westminster Pike, Finksburg • 410-861-3000 • gerstell.org
Areas of Focus:
A values-based leadership model takes root with daily nurturing in an environment enriched by challenging opportunities to explore, interact, create, learn and play.
Grace Bible Christian Preschool and Kindergarten
3250 Charmil Drive, Manchester • 410-374-9286 • gbcnc.com/preschool
Areas of Focus:
Designed as a Christian program. Learning experiences are developmentally appropriate. Activities and toys include blocks, music, housekeeping, science, book corner, and play dough.
Holy Spirit Early Childhood Learning Center
2205 Old Liberty Rd., Eldersburg • 410-795-2287 • hslceldersburgmd.org
Areas of Focus:
The goal of the center is to provide a Christian environment for the social and educational growth of children.
Hot Spots
Locations throughout Carroll County • 443-591-5420
Areas of Focus:
Helps students apply skills learned during the traditional educational day, then transfer and reinforce that knowledge using instructional strategies, hands-on learning experiences, and digital tools.
Kindercare
1641 Liberty Rd., Eldersburg • 410-781-4709 • kindercare.com
Areas of Focus:
The center fosters an environment that will help children excel physically, emotionally, socially, and intellectually. The center recognizes the health and safety of each student as a top priority, in a nurturing atmosphere.
Little Feet
Two locations: 18132 Falls Rd. and 3459 Shiloh Rd., Hampstead • 410-239-9349 • yourlittlefeet.weebly.com
Areas of Focus:
The center strives to provide children, teachers, and parents support, friendship, and a sense of connection to a safe, high-quality, educational community. The center offers a Christian influence with a non-denominational approach.
Little Friends of Grace
21 Carroll Street, Westminster • 410 -848-7020 • gracelc.org/little-friends-of-grace
Areas of Focus:
The center offers educational and Christian instruction that is age-appropriate. Materials are provided to give the children hands-on learning experiences. Typical materials are blocks and Play Doh. The program has housekeeping, science, art, and reading centers.
Little People’s Place
604 Johahn Drive, Westminster • 410-848-0834 • littlepeoplesplace.com
Areas of Focus:
The center’s faith-based curriculum is also based on scientific research, clinical studies, and experience and education.
Little Sheep Christian Preschool
1402 N. Main Street, Mt. Airy • 301-829-2185 • mtairybaptistchurch.com/get-involved/christian-preschool
Areas of Focus:
The center is an educational ministry of Mt. Airy Baptist Church. The program is Bible-based and offers an educational preschool curriculum. Â
Littlest Learners Child Development Center
Carroll Community College, 1601 Washington Rd., Westminster • 410-386-8470 • www.carrollcc.edu
Areas of Focus:
The child development center and lab school provide a safe, preschool environment for children of college students, employees and the community, and offer flexible schedules. Open year-round, the center has expanded its hours to better meet the needs of working parents, and it includes a nature-based program.
Mt. Airy Day Care and Learning Center, Inc.
605 Ridge Ave., Mt. Airy • 301-829-6364 • mtairydaycare.com
Areas of Focus:
The center nurtures and values each family and child, building relationships to make experiences enjoyable, loving and treasured.
New Beginnings Christian Learning Center
501 East Baltimore St., Taneytown • 410-751-0090 • newbeginningsclc.com
Areas of Focus:
The center provides a safe, quality program that will allow children to grow and learn in an environment that has a Christian emphasis and is developmentally age-appropriate.
Our Children’s Place
37 South Cranberry Rd., Westminster • 410-848-3694 • childcarecenter.us
Playtime
1550 Old Westminster Pike, Westminster • 410-876-4464
Areas of Focus:
Full- and part-time child care services from Mondays-Fridays are available in this learning environment for children.
Rhymes and Reasons
730 Old Liberty Rd., Eldersburg • 410-549-0502 • rhymesreasons.com
Areas of Focus:
The curriculum-based activities are designed to stimulate the emotional, physical, creative, social, and intellectual growth of children.Â
St. John School
45 Monroe St., Westminster • 410-848-7455 • sjwestschool.org
Areas of Focus:
The preschool utilizes organized and free-play activities that are intended to provide opportunities for children to interact, explore and relate successfully in their environment. The program uses a multi-sensory, hands-on learning approach to teach fine-motor, auditory and visual skills.
Stepping Stones
7300 Spout Hill Road, Sykesville • 410-549-6585 • asteppingstonechild.com
Areas of Focus:
The center provides children with a sound intellectual, emotional, social, and physical foundation to enable them to take their first steps towards a successful school experience.
Sunshine Child Development Center I
4033 Lineboro Road, Lineboro • 443-375-1114 • childcarecenter.us
Areas of Focus:
The center provides a caring environment designed for children to thrive, and an age- and developmentally appropriate curriculum that is adjusted as children learn and grow. There is also a Sunshine Child Development Center II.
The Goddard School
2002 Back Acre Circle, Mt. Airy • 301-829-5323
6300 Goddard Park Dr., Sykesville • 410-549-8822
Areas of Focus:
The school provides a nurturing environment, a play-based curriculum, safe and secure facilities, and STEAM learning, which introduces children to science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics.
The Montessori School
1055 Montessori Dr., Westminster • 410-848-6283 • montessorischoolofwestminster.org
Areas of Focus:
Children develop their physical, intellectual and spiritual selves to their fullest potential, so that they can explore the world around them in an orderly, disciplined environment.
The Young School
400 Meadow Creek Dr., Westminster • 410-848-5248 • youngschool.com
Areas of Focus:
Learning is facilitated through sensitive observation and questions that are designed to build upon each child’s unique abilities and curiosities, at all of the ages served.Â
Union Bridge Early Learning Center
124 S. Main St., Union Bridge • 410-775-2717 • childcarecenter.us
Areas of Focus:
The program is designed to expand the basic skills of children ages 3-4. An outside playground and an indoor toy area develop the large muscles. Small-muscle development is encouraged by using blocks, science, games, toys, arts, and crafts. The use of themes and units, which are developed through these activities, contributes to instruction.
Wee Care Best
2893 Baltimore Blvd., Finksburg • 410-833-1155
1430 N. Main St., Hampstead • 410-239-3711 • weecarebest.com
Areas of Focus:
The center offers care for children in a nurturing and supportive environment, with flexible programs to meet families’ needs.
Wesley Freedom UMC Early Years Learning Center
961 Johnsville Road, Sykesville  • 410-549-2257 • wesleyfreedom.org
Areas of Focus:
The center ministers to the needs of young children in a Christian atmosphere and fosters physical, social, emotional and intellectual growth of each child.
The Y in Central Maryland Academic Center (Before andAfter Care at the Hill Y)
The Hill Y, 1719 Sykesville Rd., Westminster • 410-848-3660 • ymaryland.org
Areas of Focus:
Programs for all ages. Stay and Play allows up to 90 minutes of drop-off time, during which children participate in activities while families work out. The before- and after-school program is curriculum-based, with organized activities and homework time. Offers help with virtual learning when students log into their classrooms.
The Y in Central Maryland Chipmunks Learning Enrichment Program
2101 Old Westminster Pike, Finksburg • 410-848-2772 • ymaryland.org
Areas of Focus:
Held at the Sandy Mount United Methodist Church in Finksburg. It is a part-time preschool that helps children learn through play. Topics include language arts, science, math, and social and emotional skills development.
Note: This list is not considered a referral or recommendation. This list does not include home-based care. For more information about enrollment, openings, or costs of care, contact the centers directly.
