MSDE Form OCC 1260 is the notarized release that lets Maryland’s Office of Child Care search state abuse and neglect records as part of your child care background check. You complete it by hand, sign it in front of a notary, and mail the original to the regional licensing office that covers your facility’s county. The form is a free PDF from the Maryland State Department of Education, and Maryland caps the notary fee for a standard in-person signature at $4, or $8 for the original notarization.1Maryland Secretary of State. Notary Division
Who Has to File One
The release covers a wider group than most applicants expect. Maryland regulations require a signed and notarized OCC 1260 from every person who might have contact with children in a regulated setting: center employees, substitutes, and volunteers; family child care providers and co-providers; every adult age 18 or older living on the premises of a child care facility; and trustees, managers, or board members of a corporate or organizational operator who may have frequent contact with children in care.2Maryland State Department of Education. Office of Child Care Release of Information Form OCC 1260 The Office of Child Care can also require it from anyone else it identifies.
Timing is tight. Under COMAR 13A.16.03.06, a center operator must submit the signed and notarized release to the Office of Child Care within five working days of hiring a new employee or learning that a new adult age 18 or older is living on the premises.3Maryland State Department of Education. COMAR 13A.16 Child Care Centers – Section: 13A.16.03.06 Notifications Until both the abuse and neglect clearance and the criminal background check come back clean, the individual cannot be alone with any child in care.
Where to Get the Form
Download OCC 1260 from the Division of Early Childhood’s licensing forms page at earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org. It is listed by form number and opens as a printable PDF.4Maryland State Department of Education. Licensing Forms There is no fillable electronic version. Print it and complete it by hand in blue or black ink.
How to Complete the Form
The form runs two pages. Page one collects your identifying information and residential history. Page two collects family history, the authorization language, and the notary block. Every field is checked against state and federal databases, so small errors can delay clearance or trigger a wrong match.
Page One
Start by entering the facility name and address at the top. That connects your release to the specific program you work for or live at. Then fill in your full legal name, including first, middle, maiden, and last, along with any other names you have used. Former married names and legal aliases go here too.
Provide your current street address, phone number, date of birth, email address, and either your Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. The form accepts an ITIN in place of an SSN.2Maryland State Department of Education. Office of Child Care Release of Information Form OCC 1260
The residential history section asks for every address where you lived outside Maryland during the past five years. List the full street address, city, state, zip code, and dates of residence for each. Attach extra pages if you need more space. This exists because federal child care law requires abuse and neglect registry checks in every state where an applicant lived during the preceding five years.5Child Trends. Barriers and Solutions to Implementing CCDBG Act Interstate Background Check Requirements Omitting a prior state won’t save time; it creates a gap the Office of Child Care will flag.
The bottom of page one asks for your gender, primary language spoken, position at the facility (employee, resident, substitute, volunteer, and so on), race, and ethnicity. Those demographic fields help the state match records accurately.
Page Two
Page two asks for the full names and birth dates of your children, whether or not they live with you. If you have no children, check the box that says so. This helps the state confirm the right record when names are common.
Below that is the authorization statement. Signing it authorizes the local Department of Social Services to release any files or records of child and adult abuse or neglect to the Office of Child Care, so the office can evaluate your suitability for employment in child care or decide whether to approve a facility’s license or registration.2Maryland State Department of Education. Office of Child Care Release of Information Form OCC 1260 A separate checkbox lets you authorize the Office of Child Care to share the results with an authorized representative of the child care center or family child care provider. If you are the operator yourself, that checkbox does not apply to you.
Getting It Notarized
Your signature must be witnessed and stamped by a notary public. An unsigned or un-notarized form will be rejected. Do not sign before you are in front of the notary; the notary needs to watch you sign.
Maryland caps the fee for a standard in-person notarial act at $4 per signature, or $8 for the original notarization.1Maryland Secretary of State. Notary Division Banks, UPS stores, and shipping centers commonly offer notary services. Some public libraries and local government offices provide free notarizations; call ahead. If you use remote online notarization instead, the cap is $30.
Where to Send the Completed Form
Mail the original notarized form to the regional licensing office that oversees your facility’s county. Maryland has 13 regional offices, each covering one or more counties. Find the office for your county on the Division of Early Childhood’s Regional Licensing Offices page.6Maryland State Department of Education. Regional Licensing Offices If you already have an assigned licensing specialist, send it directly to that person.
The state requires the original hard copy with the actual notary seal. Photocopies, scans, and faxes are not accepted. Make a copy for your records before mailing the original, and consider certified mail or a tracked service so you can confirm delivery.
What Happens After You Submit
Federal guidelines set a target turnaround of 45 days or less for child care background checks.7Child Care Technical Assistance Network. CCDBG Act Background Check Requirements Actual processing times in Maryland vary with volume and whether interstate checks are needed. The Office of Child Care notifies the facility or individual of results through a formal letter or an updated clearance status in the licensing system.
While clearance is pending, you can still work at the facility, but you cannot be alone with children. Another cleared staff member must be present and within sight and sound whenever you are near children in care.8Code of Maryland Regulations. Code of Maryland Regulations 13A.16.07.06 – Child Security
A record of being identified as responsible for child or adult abuse or neglect does not automatically bar you from all child care employment, though it may, depending on the circumstances. The Office of Child Care conducts an individualized assessment that weighs the nature and seriousness of the incident, how long ago it occurred, your age at the time, your current probation or parole status, the specific position you are applying for, and any other information the office considers relevant.9Maryland State Department of Education. Background Checks and Fingerprinting
The Other Checks That Run Alongside
The abuse and neglect release is only one piece of Maryland’s background check process. Federal and state law also require fingerprint-based criminal background checks at both the state and FBI levels, handled separately from OCC 1260.10Maryland State Department of Education. COMAR 13A.16 Child Care Centers – Section: 13A.16.02.02 Initial License Fingerprinting goes through the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, and a full state and FBI check costs $28 by mail or $48 in person.11Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Background Check – DPSCS Both must come back clean before you can be alone with children, so start each one as early as you can.
All background checks must be renewed every five years under federal law, and Maryland regulations may require a shorter renewal cycle in some cases.9Maryland State Department of Education. Background Checks and Fingerprinting Keep your clearance letters and renewal dates on file so the next cycle doesn’t catch you short.