Statewide participation in the new Maryland QRIS, EXCELS, was launched in July 2013. With the redesign of the program, there was also a redesign of the awards, bonuses, and incentives. These changes included the following:
- Program bonuses were awarded to participating programs based on the check-level rating and assigned capacity of the facility. These bonuses ranged from $50 to $1000 for family child care and from $50 to $4500 for centers.
- Full-amount credential bonuses were available to staff in participating programs. Staff bonuses were based on the credential level and ranged from $200 to $500 at levels 2, 3, and 4 and from $600 to $1000 for staff levels 4 plus, 5, and 6. The bonuses at the lower levels (levels 2–4) were one-time only, while the bonuses at the higher levels (levels 4 plus–6) were annual. There were also bonuses for the Administrator Credential, with level 1 receiving a one-time award of $400, and levels 2, 3, and 4 having the chance receive an annual awarded of $750, $1000, and $1500, respectively.
- Participating programs and their staff could access quality improvement incentives, grants, and supports including but not limited to:
- Accreditation Fund support
- Curriculum Fund
- Child Care Quality Incentive Grants
- Training vouchers and reimbursement
- Child Care Career and Professional Development Fund
- Increased subsidy reimbursement rates by check levels (levels 3, 4, and 5)
- Infant/Toddler Expansion Grants