An office may issue a license to a drop-in center. A drop-in center shall provide care exclusively to children on an intermittent and occasional basis for less than 4 hours a day while parents are not on the same premises or not immediately available, or both. Drop-in centers include child care centers located in shopping malls or shopping centers for the occasional use of customers, child care centers located in resorts for vacationers, and similar settings. An applicant for a drop-in center license shall meet the requirements of this subtitle with the exception of: COMAR 13A.16.03.02 concerning admission to care; COMAR 13A.16.05.12 concerning outdoor activity area; COMAR 13A.16.09.01A(7) concerning outdoor play; COMAR 13A.16.09.03B(1) and (2) concerning materials and equipment; COMAR 13A.16.10.01A(3)(c) concerning emergency evacuation and disaster drills for children; and COMAR 13A.16.12.01 concerning food service. An applicant for a drop-in center license shall: Submit to and receive prior approval from the office of a written plan of operation for the center; and Operate according to the approved plan. An applicant shall include in the written plan of operation: The ages, numbers, and groupings of children to be served; The space, materials, equipment, and furnishings to be used at the center; The hours, days, and months of operation; The activity program of the center; and A method for ensuring that children are released only to their parents or other persons authorized by parents to pick up children who are properly identified to the center. An applicant may request variances for COMAR 13A.16.05.03A concerning indoor space requirements, and COMAR 13A.16.08.03 concerning group size and staffing. A child younger than 2 years old may not be admitted to a drop-in center. The operator shall: Require the parent of each child to complete and sign an emergency card and health history form on the child before the child's admission to the center; and Ensure that the emergency card and health history form are signed and updated, if necessary, by the parent each time the child is dropped off at the center. Education Article, §§9.5-401, 9.5-404—9.5-411 and 9.5-413—9.5-418; General Provisions Article, §4-333; Human Services Article, §1-202; Annotated Code of MarylandAgency Note: Federal Statutory Reference — Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. §12101 et seq.);Pro-Children Act of 1994 (20 U.S.C. §6081 et seq.);Child Care Development Block Grant (45 CFR Parts 98 and 99 and 42 U.S.C. 9858 et seq.);Social Security Act §418 (42 U.S.C. 618) Effective date: October 20, 2008 (35:21 Md. R. 1826) Regulation .03E amended effective April 19, 2010 (37:8 Md. R. 618); January 13, 2020 (47:1 Md. R. 14)