LICENSING - WHAT TO LOOK FOR
Licensing early care and education facilities are required to post their licensing and any citations (negative consequences) they have received along with administrative actions taken. Records of complaints not resulting in citations are available only through the licensing office.
Before enrolling your child in any licensing early care and education facility or home, it is recommended that you review the provider’s licensing records. The provider information listed below is available for inspection by contacting your local licensing office. Some licensing offices will provide information by telephone; others require you to come to the office to inspect the records.
APPLICATION (annual) givers:
- Name of owner
- Name of operator
- Board of Directors, as applicable
- Location, capacity, ages served, services provided
EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION INSPECTION CHECKLIST (health and safety issues)
- Centers minimum 3 per year
- Family Early care and education Homes minimum 2 per year
FIRE INSPECTION (minimum 1 per year)
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH CHECKLIST
- Centers 2-4 per year
- Family Early Care and Education Homes, varies by county
- Includes food services
COMPLAINTS AND INVESTIGATION FINDINGS
- If any complaints are present be sure to note not only the number of complaints and finding (outcome of complaints investigation), but also the nature of the complaint(s) and whether or not the issue(s) are of importance to you.
BACKGROUND SCREENING:
- Background screening information will not be in the provider file. If a provider is licensed, it implies that they have met screening requirements.
_____________________________________
CITATIONS OR ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIONS
NOTE: If you are uncertain or concerned about any information found in a provider’s file, please ask the licensing office staff for assistance.
* Information provided by the Department of Children and Families, Licensing Office 7/96
BACKGROUND SCREENING REQUIREMENTS
FOR EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION PERSONNEL
- All early care and education personnel including owner/operators, employees, and volunteers must undergo security background screening investigations. Each person must also be of good moral character to work with children as determined through screening and background checks as outlined below. All early care and education personnel unemployed for more than 90 days must be re-screened.
OWNERS/OPERATORS
- Affidavit of Good Moral Character, signed and notarized, at time of initial application and every 5 years thereafter
- Employment history check for the past two years, at time of initial application only
- Florida Abuse Hotline checked during initial application and annually thereafter
- Fingerprinting
- Local and state (FDLE) criminal and juvenile records check during initial application and every five years thereafter
- Federal criminal records check (FBI) during initial
- Application only
EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION PERSONNEL
- Affidavit of Good Moral Character, signed and notarized, at time of initial application and every 5 years thereafter
- Employment history check for the past two years, at time of initial application
- Fingerprinting
- Local and state (FDLE) criminal and juvenile records check during initial application and every five years thereafter
- Federal criminal records check (FBI) during initial application only
VOLUNTEERS
- Volunteers who work 40 hours or more per month must be screened in the same manner as early care and education personnel, which include initial statewide criminal records check in place of fingerprinting.
- Volunteers who work less than 40 hours a month are exempt from screening provided they are under direct and constant supervision of screened early care and education personnel.
LARGE & SMALL FAMILY EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION HOMES
(Requirements for household residents and substitutes)
- Must meet owner/operators requirements stated above.
- All persons over the age 12 residing in a family early care and education home must also be screened.
- Persons 12-18 are not required to be fingerprinted, but must be screened for delinquency records.
- Screening is not required for persons under age 12.
- Persons providing substitute care must meet Operators requirements.
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State of Florida Mandated ‘Adult to Child’ Ratios
Early Care and Education Center:
- The following table outlines the minimum standards for the care of children in a licensed early care and education facility as established by rule of the department. When children two years of age, and older are in care, the staff-to-children ratio shall be based on the age group with the largest number of children within the group.
Adult to Child Ratio
|
State Statue 402.305 (4) |
1:4 |
For children from birth through 1 year of age, there must be one early care and education personnel for every four children. |
1:6 |
For children 1 year of age or older, but under 2 years of age, there must be one early care and education personnel for every six children |
1:11 |
For children 2 years of age or older, but under 3 years of age, there must be one early care and education personnel for every 11 children |
1:15 |
For children 3 years of age or older, but under 4 years of age, there must be one early care and education personnel for every 15 children |
1:20 |
For children 4 years of age or older, but under 5 years of age, there must be one early care and education personnel for every 20 children. |
1:25 |
For children 5 years of age or older, there must be one early care and education personnel for every 25 children
|
Family Child Care Home:
- The following table outlines the different combinations that ONE family child care provider may care for at one time. A provider can meet only one category (a, b, c or d) at a time. However, he/she is not limited to one category on the
- Registration/license and may change to a different category at various times throughout the day or week. Also, providers own children are included in the count (0-12yrs)
Infant
0-12 Months
|
Preschool
13mos-5yrs
|
School-Age
5yrs-12yrs
|
Total |
State Statute 402.302 (7) |
4 |
0 |
0 |
1:4 |
a) A maximum of four children from birth to 12 months of age |
3
|
3
|
0
|
1:6
|
b) A maximum of three children from birth to 12 months of age and other children for a maximum total of six children
c) A maximum of six preschool children If all are older than 12 months of age
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
1:10
|
C) A maximum of 10 children if no more than five are preschool age and, of those five, not more than two are under 12 months of age
|
3 |
1 |
2 |
|
|
3 |
0 |
3 |
|
|
2 |
4 |
0 |
|
|
1 |
5 |
0 |
|
|
0 |
6 |
0 |
|
|
2 |
3 |
5 |
1:10 |
|
2 |
2 |
6 |
|
|
2 |
1 |
7 |
|
|
2 |
0 |
8 |
|
|
1 |
4 |
5 |
|
|
1 |
3 |
6 |
|
|
1 |
2 |
7 |
|
|
1 |
1 |
8 |
|
|
1 |
0 |
9 |
|
|
0 |
5 |
5 |
|
|
0 |
4 |
6 |
|
|
0 |
3 |
7 |
|
|
0 |
2 |
8 |
|
|
0 |
1 |
9 |
|
|
0 |
0 |
10 |
|
|
Large Family Child Care Home:
- The following table outlines the different combinations that TWO family child care providers may care for at one time. This home can only meet one category (a. or b) at a time. However, he/she is not limited to one category on the
- Registration/license and may change to a different category at various times throughout the day or week. Both of the providers own children are included in the count (0-12yrs).
Infant Toddlers
0-24 months old |
24 months- 12 Years old |
Adult to Child Care Ratio |
State Statue 402.302 (8) |
8
7
6
5 |
0
1
2
3 |
2-8
2-8
2-8
2-8 |
A maxium of 8 children from birth to 24 months of age |
4
3
2
1
0
|
8
9
10
11
12
|
2-12
2-12
2-12
2-12
2-12
|
B)A maximum of 12 children, with no more than 4 children under 24 months of age |
|
|
