Information on Getting a Daycare License
A daycare is a place of business that provides child care to other people's children. Depending on the local and state laws regulating childcare services, a daycare owner may run the daycare in her own home or in a separate, dedicated space. Before a daycare can begin accepting any children in its care, the owner must seek out and obtain a daycare license.
Other People Are Reading
-
Types of Daycares
-
Most states have laws differentiating between a home daycare and childcare center. A childcare professional who provides daycare services in her place of residence runs a home daycare. A childcare professional who runs a child care center is someone who watches children in a separate and dedicated space, such as a house she has rented out for the sole and exclusive purpose of providing childcare services.
Differences in Licenses
-
Though the criteria vary widely by state, licenses for the two different kinds of daycare structures often entail radically different application processes. For example, for most home daycare licenses, an applicant must provide a criminal background check for every member of the household over the age of 13, including any teenage children of the childcare provider, even if they aren't responsible for providing any childcare services. If there are any pets in the home, they must usually receive a clean bill of health from a vet. A traditional childcare center licensing applicant must usually only provide criminal background checks and physicals for herself and any employees she hires to help with the childcare business.
-
Typical Licensing Requirements
-
Because care of children requires extensive expertise and competence, the majority of states have a rather involved process for applying for a daycare license. First, applicants must typically take an accredited child and infant CPR course with the American Red Cross or another agency the state licensing board has pre-approved. They must pass a criminal background check and get a full physical, along with a signed affidavit from their health care provider verifying they are mentally and physically sound enough to fulfill the requirements of a job working with children. The state may require you to pass a written exam and will almost always require that you complete an application form. A health inspector must thoroughly examine the premises in which you intend to care for children and make sure that it is sanitary, safe and free of any potential hazards or toxins.
How to Apply for a Daycare License
-
To apply for a daycare license, contact the agency that governs daycare licensing in your state. Often this is the local Department of Children and Family Services, but sometimes it's through the state board of health. The state agency will give you the contact information of the branch nearest to your location. Contact them and ask them to send you an application packet for a daycare license. This packet will include the application, complete instructions and a list of additional paperwork which you must turn in along with your application to begin the licensing review process.
Because the process of obtaining a daycare license can be rather lengthy, many states will issue an interim temporary permit or license for you to continue providing childcare while the licensing agency reviews your application. During this time, you must work with the agency to comply with any inspection visits or provide additional information the agency needs to complete the review of your application.
-
