Child Care Providers: Licensing Standards
Topic Overview
In the United States, licensing standards for child care centers vary
by each individual state. General provisions for licensing address these issues:
- Health and safety requirements
- Ways
of dealing with a child's negative behavior
- The number of staff
that are needed to safely care for the children
- Training
requirements for staff
- Type of equipment
needed
- Requirements for daily program
- Types of food
services needed for children of different ages
Standards vary widely by each state. And how each state monitors and enforces guidelines also varies greatly.
As part of your research, find out which of your potential child care
providers are accredited or are in the process of obtaining accreditation by
the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the
National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), and/or the National After School Association.1
Accreditation from these organizations helps ensure that a family or group
child care center meets basic quality standards, even if your state has lax
licensing requirements or enforcement.
For detailed information on state child care licensing, see the Other
Places to Get Help section of the topic Choosing Child Care.
References
Citations
- Alkon AD (2003). Nonparental child care section of
Psychosocial issues. In CD Rudolph et al., eds., Rudolph's Pediatrics, 21st ed., pp. 512–515. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Credits
| By | Healthwise Staff |
|---|
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics |
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| Specialist Medical Reviewer | John Pope, MD - Pediatrics |
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| Last Revised | September 14, 2012 |
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Last Revised:
September 14, 2012
Alkon AD (2003). Nonparental child care section of
Psychosocial issues. In CD Rudolph et al., eds., Rudolph's Pediatrics, 21st ed., pp. 512–515. New York: McGraw-Hill.
