How to Open a Home Daycare for Special Needs in California

Children with special needs require close care and supervision.

Children with special needs require close supervision and care from qualified, caring individuals. According to the American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census bureau, 2.9 percent of the California population under 18 years of age had a disability in 2009. In California, licensing for home daycares is done by the Health and Human Services department.

Things You'll Need

• Application for Family Childcare Home License

Instructions

1. Contact your local State Licensing Agency and tell them that you want to start a home daycare for special needs children. Plan to attend one of the scheduled orientations for those wishing to open a home daycare in California. As of November 2010, those living in Del Norte, Inyo and Sacramento counties need to contact their County Family Child Care Home licensing office instead of the State Licensing Agency office.

2. Assess your skills and training and decide if you're qualified to run the type of daycare you want. If you want to care specifically for mildly-ill or autistic children, you must have education in that area. Potential daycare providers need to complete at least three semester units (or the equivalent) on the identification, transmission, control and care of common childhood illnesses and communicable diseases, plus fifteen additional hours of health and safety training including pediatric first aid and CPR.

3. Familiarize yourself with the Family Child Care Home licensing laws and regulations. All childcare providers are required to abide by these regulations. A link to the web page can be found in the resources section of this article.

4. Submit all application forms. The forms are available on the website found in the resources section. You can only submit your application after you've attended the orientation.

5. Hire additional workers if needed to meet the teacher-to-child ratios for special needs children.

6. Submit to a criminal background check including being fingerprinted after your application is submitted and accepted. Information on where and how to get fingerprinted will be mailed to you. All persons providing care and all adults living in the household will also be required to be fingerprinted and subject to a criminal background check.

7. Complete the home inspection. A Licensing Program Analyst will contact you to schedule a home inspection. Your home must meet requirements such as being reasonably neat and clean, and have the following: a working smoke alarm, a serviceable phone, and a fully-charged fire extinguisher.

Tips & Warnings

• The document "Family Child Care Home Regulation Highlights" and all of the forms in the "Application and Instructions for a Family Child Care Home License (LIC 279A)" must be printed and brought to the orientation. There is a nonrefundable fee to attend an orientation.

References

• State of California: Family Child Care Home Licensing
• Daycare.com: California Specialized Care of Mildly-Ill Children Licensing
• American Community Survey- California: 2009 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates
• State of California Health and Human Services Agency: Pre-Licensing Readiness Guide- Family Childcare Home

Resources

• Manual of Policies and Procedures: Community Care and Licensing Division, Family Child Care Homes
• California DSS: Application and Instructions for a Family Child Care Home License