How to Become a Licensed Daycare Provider

Providing daycare is an easy to manage home-based business if you enjoy working with young children. A daycare professional renders a valuable service to children and parents. Parents can go about their busy schedules knowing that their children are in safe hands and the children get all the care they need with the advantage of having other children to play with.

Things You'll Need

• Ability to work with young children Capability to provide snacks and meals to children Home with space to play, a telephone, a bathroom and a kitchen Experience of working with young children 2 backup daycare providers Qualifications required by the state Family members without an abuse record State license

Instructions

1. Make sure that you personally meet all the requirements of your state for issuing a license as a day care provider. Most states require a daycare provider to be over the age of 18 with a Social Security number. You may require the experience of looking after a young child or children even if the child is your own for at least two years. Some states provide training before issuing a daycare professional license. Some states require only a high school diploma, but others expect a daycare professional to have a certificate showing she or he has completed a community college course or have a college degree in child development.

2. Make sure your application for a license to start a daycare center will not be turned down by the authorities based on your family or the people who live in your home. You must check the requirements of the state with regard to licensing. Most states will run a health check to make sure that there is no risk for the health of the children you care for because of any health condition of a member of your family. If a family member has an abuse complaint in the past, your daycare license application will be turned down.

3. Make sure that your home has all the equipment that will help get you a license to run a daycare center. Your home should be equipped with a telephone, a kitchen and a bathroom. You will have to make nutritious meals and snacks for the children at regular intervals. The food and your home should be clean.

4. Make sure that your social attitudes will get you a license to run a day care center. You need to be willing to look after children from all cultures. You should be willing to care for children regardless of race, gender, religion or national origin.

5. Make sure that you have a backup connection with at least two daycare providers in the event of your falling ill or being unable to work for any reason. You will be required to work irregular hours around the schedule of the parents of the children in your care and provide unlimited access to parents. You cannot leave the children unattended for even a minute. You need to monitor and keep health and emergency records of the children.

Tips & Warnings

• Your registered license will be issued for a year. One complaint by a parent can make you lose your license forever.