Nationally, there are about 330,000 licensed child care programs. For getting license there are background checks but for every childcare center its not needed. The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the federal law that sets the parameters from which state legislation is written, does not require background checks for child care providers Any individual applying for licensure as a daycare center, group daycare facility, or family daycare home voluntarily licensed by the Department must be at least eighteen (18) years of age.
The applicant has to produce necessary documents as per the information required by the department. In order to get a Child Care Center License has to first apply for orientation Orientations are done regularly. It is non refundable so the owner of the child care center should make sure that every formalities are done properly. They may sign up for an orientation by contacting the State Licensing Agency nearest you. To see a list of Child Care Licensing Agencies in California. The child care provider should be familiar with the licensing laws and regulations. The child care provider should pass home inspection and also must complete and submit all the information and forms required in the application packet.
There are certain centers which are exempted from licensing they are being highlighted in the below points:
- Relatives who are looking after kid instead of the parents.
- Caregivers do not receive payment for services
- Parents rotate responsibility for care of all of the children equally among themselves
- Every caregiver is a parent, legal guardian, or adult relative of at least one child in the Co-Op
- No more than 12 children are cared for at any given time by any provider/parent.
- Public/private schools
- Before and after school programs/extended day care programs operated by public/private schools.
- Recreation programs operated by Boy and Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, and similar organizations ,Public recreation programs
- Organized Camps as defined in Health and Safety Code Section 18897.
- Certain school parenting programs or adult education child care programs.
- Temporary child care services provided to parents who are on the same premises as the site of the child day care program. This does not include child care programs operated on the site of a ski facility, shopping mall or department store.
- After School Education Safety Programs as defined in Education Code Section 8482 – 8484.3
- Registered Heritage Schools as defined in Education Code Section 33195.
Background checks: The reality of background check is that only 33 states only conducts background check using fingerprints against FBI records and only 29 states conducts a state criminal records check and the other twenty-one states require a check of the sex offender registry before hiring child care center staff.
A full background check is key to providing this protection. It includes:
- Using fingerprints for checks of FBI criminal history records.
- Using fingerprints for state checks of criminal history records.
- Checking the child abuse registry.
- Checking the sex offender register.
Child Staff Ratio: Child to staff ratio must be adhered to during all hours of operation. Ratios are determined by a point system. Points are determined by the age of children. Twelve points per staff member is the maximum. Zero to less than twenty-four months is equal to 2 points. Twenty-four months to under 36 months is equal to 1 1/2 points. Thirty-six months to under 5 years old is equal to 1 point. Five years old to under 13 years of age is equal to a ½ point. Local jurisdictions that license child care providers may be more stringent. For more information,
read here.
Health & Safety Requirements:
1.Sleep, Play, & Restrooms should be clean
2.The center should be properly ventilated (heat/light) even the restroom should be properly ventilated.
3.Use of alcohol or smoking is prohibited during operating hours when children are present. Tobacco related products like chew and pouches are not allowed.
4.There should be hand washing facilities and diaper changing areas in the center. There should be separate hand washing sink and diaper changing sink. The sanitizer for the diaper changing area is recommended to be a stronger bleach water solution (1-3 Tablespoons to 1 Quart of water per NAEYC Accreditation Program 2011). Use gloves while changing diapers. The employee is to wash his/her hands between each diaper change. The child’s hands should also be washed. Disposable/cloth diapers: There are no rules requiring a particular type of diaper
5.Fire Safety and Evacuation Plan
A fire evacuation plan must include the staging area, exit locations, evacuation routes and fire extinguisher locations. Include a routine drill schedule.
6. Food Source/Thawing
- Serve pasteurized milk and juice only
- No home canned foods, except jams or jellies.
- No wild game, USDA approved meat only.
- Do not thaw foods at room temperature.
Thawing Options:
- In refrigerator (best option)
- In cold running water
- As part of cooking process
- In microwave, then immediately complete cooking
Food Preparation/ Personal Hygiene
Food preparation includes:
Cooking meat and poultry to proper temperatures , avoiding cross-contamination, They should properly wash there hands before cooking hand ,use clean clothes or apron during food prep, minimize bare hand contact with food ,unwrapped foods may not be re-served once plate is on the table, use serving utensils or gloves whenever possible to prevent hand ,contact with ready to eat foods.
Wash Hands Often: Before touching or preparing food, before putting on gloves, after wiping nose, after coughing into your hand, after changing each diaper, after using the toilet.
Food Contact: Surfaces/Sanitizing: Food contact surfaces must be kept clean (counters, tables, high chairs, cutting boards) and sanitized with a solution of chlorine 50-200 ppm or, quaternary ammonium chloride 200 ppm.
7.Smoke Detectors, Fire Extinguishers, Fire Exits
Fire Extinguisher - A minimum of one fire extinguisher (type 2A:10-BC) ,Smoke Detector - one for each sleeping area, hall-way, and on each floor level. Each one must have a test button. Emergency Exits - Adequate emergency exits are determined by the local Fire Official. No second story or basement child care without an approved fire exit. Unlicensed Family ICCP providers must be in compliance with Fire Safety Standards in the Child Care Licensing Rule
Inspection: Care Aware® of America believes that all child care programs that regularly care for unrelated children for as a business entity should be licensed and should be inspected regularly with inspection reports posted on the Internet for easy parent access. The child care centers will adhere to rules and regulations of keeping there child care centers healthy and safe if there are frequent inspection of the programs that are being conducted at the centers. Violations of the programs can also be prevented with the help of unannounced inspections. Accidents are also being prevented with the help of inspection at regular intervals of time.
Training is also very important. Initial training helps ensure providers have a base of knowledge about how children develop before beginning to work with them. It also acquaints them with basic health and safety skills such as first aid and CPR, practices related to safe sleep position for infants, information about the danger of shaking babies and the prevention of other hazards such as children swallowing small objects or drowning in small amounts of water. Annual training supports initial learning and helps providers improve their skills, deepen their understanding about how children learn, and stay current on changes in health and safety practices. Annual training can also reduce the isolation of family child care providers.
If you are interested reading more on Government policies on setting up child care centers,
please read here.
