CHILD CARE STANDARDS, LICENSING, ACCREDITATION, REGULATORY QUESTIONS
Are the providers on your database all licensed?
Are all licensed programs the same?
What is child care accreditation?
What do I need to do with the attendance sheets?
How do I find out the licensing history of a program?

GENERAL QUESTIONS
Will child care make your child more likely to get sick?
How many children can a provider care for at one time?
What is the fee for childcare?
Are subsidy payments accepted?
Who can I contact about child care if I move to another county?

CHILD CARE STANDARDS, LICENSING, ACCREDITATION, REGULATORY QUESTIONS

Are the providers on your database all licensed?

Yes. When you call us for referrals you are getting the most current and up to date information on licensed child care providers in our community. When making referrals a range of possible child care alternatives will be provided. For example information to families of their options to choose a License-Exempt Provider.

Are all licensed programs the same?

The Child Care Licensing Program of California’s Community Care Licensing Division, licenses and monitors both Child Care Centers and Family Child Care Homes in an effort to ensure programs offer a safe and healthy environment for children. All licensed programs are required to meet specific criteria and adhere to various regulations. However, these criteria and regulations pertain to the facility and the provider, not the educational program. Specific programs vary on their philosophy of early childhood education, style of curriculum, types and amount of educational materials, and structure of the learning environment.

Also, there are specific and different licensing requirements for child care center programs and family child care homes. The differences range from educational requirements to staffing ratios related to the available physical space per child.

Because the child care needs of each family varies, it is important to speak with and visit several programs before making a decision.

What is child care accreditation?

Accredited programs go through a rigorous process measuring the program against national standards on childhood education, health and safety. For most programs, it is a voluntary process.

Child Care Center programs are accredited through the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Family Child Care Home programs are accredited through the National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC).

For more information, frequently asked questions and a more in depth explanation, please visit the following websites:
NAEYC – Accreditation Website
NAEYC – Accreditation Brochure
NAFCC - Website
NAFCC- FAQ

What do I need to do with the attendance sheets?

All licensed providers will display an attendance sheet for you to sign your child in and out of on a daily basis. When you drop your child off you mark the exact time of arrival and provide your full signature. When you pick your child up you mark the exact time of pick up and provide your full signature.

Parents who’s child care payments are subsidized will have an additional attendance sheet to complete in conjunction with the licensed child care provider’s attendance sheet. The requirements for filling the subsidized attendance sheet is the same with one additional requirement. The parent and the provider sign the bottom of the subsidy attendance sheet prior to submitting them to SNCS for reimbursement. Parents enrolled in the child care assistance programs are instructed on how to fill these out accurately so that the reimbursement process is seamless.

How do I find out the licensing history of a program?

You can request to review the facility files of all licensed programs by contacting your local Regional Office or County Licensing Office.

The file contains information regarding evaluation visits conducted by CCL and any complaints against the facility that were substantiated by the Department.

Also, the law requires that all licensees post and provide copies of any information about the facility’s compliance with licensing regulations to all parents of children in care.

All parents should receive and sign a copy of the Notification of Parents’ Rights form. To view these forms, click on the link below.
For Child Care Centers
For Family Child Care Homes

GENERAL QUESTIONS

Will child care make your child more likely to get sick?

Infectious diseases among children in out-of-home child care settings has drawn considerable attention from researchers and the media.

Research has shown that:

• Children who regularly participate in groups of six or more have a higher incidence of infections compared with children in smaller groups.
• Because of their close proximity and sharing of toys, food, and other objects, children in groups are prone to infectious disease outbreaks.

The good news:

• More than 90% of infections in children who are in large groups are mild infections that are common in the larger community.
• The effect of large group attendance on illness is most dramatic in the first year of birth and the first year of child care attendance. The effect decreases in the second, and disappears by the end of the third year of attendance, or by age three if children have been attending since infancy. This is thought to be caused by increased immunity of children who have attended child care.
• Recent studies have shown that children who participated in child care were less likely to experience respiratory illnesses and asthma in the early school years than children who were not exposed to group care during early childhood.
• Proven methods for decreasing illness in group settings are: hand washing, surface/toy sanitizing, and immunization.

Source: Aronson S, Shope T. Improving the Health and Safety of Children in Nonparental Early Education and Child Care. Pediatrics in Review. 2005;26:86-95  Retrieved from the American Academy of Pediatrics on 01/15/09.

How many children can a provider care for at one time?

State licensing laws have specific adult to child ratios and capacity limits depending on the program. Small family child care homes can care for no more than 8 children and large family child care homes can care for no more than 14 children at any one time. Small family child care homes require only the owner/provider be present while large family child care homes require the addition of an assistant. Depending on the type of center program, capacity limits vary as do adult-child ratios. For more information on center capacities and ratios, visit California’s Community Care Licensing website.

What is the fee for childcare?

There may be a fee for families who are income eligible and receive assistance with their child care expenses. Subsidized reimbursements may not cover all costs that a provider charges for their services. For example, SNCS reimburses providers on behalf of the parent. As a state contractor, SNCS can only reimburse the provider based on the RMR (Regional Maximum Reimbursement). The provider we are reimbursing may charge more than what the RMR will cover. The difference between the RMR and the provider’s rate is called “co-pay.” The family is responsible to pay the provider the difference between the provider’s rate and the maximum subsidy amount. SNCS is not responsible to collect the family’s co-payment. The co-payment is between the child care provider and the parent. Note that when a parent and provider sign the bottom of an attendance sheet and submit that to SNCS for reimbursement, they are agreeing that the same rate of reimbursement and co-pay, if applicable would be charged to non-subsidized families as well.

Another example of where a fee may be applicable for eligible families is with transportation costs. Our funding terms and conditions do not permit reimbursement for transportation to and from the child care providers business.

Finally an income eligible family may be assessed a “family fee” for child care services. The family fee is collected for the family by SNCS. A family fee is nothing like the co-pay. A family fee is assessed to an income eligible family based on their gross monthly income and family size. When a families income is at 40 % of State Median Income is when a family fee is assessed. When a family’s income reaches or exceeds 75% of State Median Income a family is no longer income eligible for the subsidy programs. The family fee is billed to the parent 3 weeks before the care begins. The parent is responsible to pay their family fee by the 5th day within the month that care is occurring. The family fee is not billed per child. The family fee is assessed and based on the child care schedule with the most hours. The state requires that these fees are contributed back into the subsidized programs.

Are subsidy payments accepted?

Most child care providers are accustomed to and accept reimbursement from the state. If you are looking for child care referrals, SNCS can tell you who accepts subsidized child care reimbursements when you call in.

Who can I contact about child care if I move to another county?

Child Care Resource & Referral (R&R) agencies are located throughout the State of California, as well as the country. Check in your local phone directory for the R&R that serves your county. You can also access a directory of local R&R agencies on the Child Care Resource and Referral Network website.