What is a Licensed Child Care Center?
Please visit the State of California, Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division (CCL) for information. For your convenience, below is the CCL page contents.

In order to get a Child Care Center License:

1. You must attend an orientation.
   • Orientations are scheduled on a regular basis all over California.
   • There is an orientation fee and it is nonrefundable, so be sure that you meet the qualifications for a license before you sign up for an orientation.
   • You may sign up for an orientation by contacting the State Licensing Agency nearest you. To see a list of Child Care Licensing Agencies in California, click here: Regional Offices. The Regional Offices Directory will show you what counties each Child Care Licensing office covers. To see an orientation schedule for your area, click here: Orientation Schedules.
   • To preview a sample of some of the information that will be covered at the orientation, click here: Preview of Orientation.
2. You must be familiar with all Child Care Center licensing laws and regulations.
   • You can read the Child Care Center licensing requirements by clicking here: Child Care Center Licensing Requirements (Title 22).
     • The licensing requirements are not available from the Department of Social Services Warehouse. You must print your own hard copy. Be sure to have plenty of paper in your printer--there are over a hundred pages!
   • You can read a short summary of these requirements, by clicking here: Regulation Highlights.
     • The Regulation Highlights are not available from the Department of Social Services Warehouse. You must print your own hard copy.
   • For additional information and resources regarding basic licensing requirements, self-assessment guides, safe food handling and other health and safety issues, disaster planning, and waivers, exceptions and exemptions, please visit the Child Care Advocate website.
3. You must pass a home inspection. A Licensing Program Analyst will contact you to schedule an inspection of your home.
4. You must complete and submit all the information and forms required in the application packet. We will not accept your application until after you have completed the orientation. There is an application fee that is nonrefundable. Click on this link for licensing fee information. If you are ready to sign up for an orientation, please contact your local licensing office: Regional Offices. Click here to view the Orientation Schedules.
   • Prior to attending an orientation, you must download and print the Child Care Center Regulation Highlights and all of the forms contained in the License Application And Instructions for Child Care Centers (LIC 281A). To access these documents, please click on the preceding blue links. The LIC 281A contains blue links to all of the forms that are required in order to complete your application. To view, download and print the required forms, click on the blue links for each form.
   • You must bring all of these forms to the orientation.