Congregations Caring for Children

Starting a Licensed Child Care Center

Starting a Licensed Child Care Center

Starting a Licensed Child Care Center

Starting a Licensed Child Care Center

Starting a Licensed Child Care Center

For congregations interested in starting or supporting a licensed child care center,

this chapter provides helpful information, including an overview of licensed

centers, a checklist for opening a center, planning tips, staffing and curriculum

background, quality measures, and information on licensing and funding re 

sources. The chapter closes with suggestions for how to build good relationships

between a congregation and its child care program.

Overview of licensed child care centers

Child care centers are required to be licensed in

California. Infants, toddlers,  preschool, or

school age children may all receive care at a child care center. Centers are usually

located in schools, religious facilities, public buildings, or private buildings. A

center may be a part of a large child care corporation or it may be locally owned.

Some are run as nonprofits, some as profit making businesses. Some centers

focus on a specific teaching method, such as High Scope, Montessori, or Waldorf.

Center programs tend to be organized around the care and education of a larger

group of children.

Separate licenses are required to care for infants, preschoolers, and school age

children, although a center may be licensed to care for all three age groups at one

site.  Depending on their age, children receive care in separate areas at the center

for safety and activity reasons.

Qualified teachers for centers that care for infants or preschoolers must have

completed at least twelve units of early childhood education. For teachers in

centers with a license for school age children, the units may be in multiple educa 

tion subjects or recreation related fields appropriate for the care of older children.

Additionally, employees of centers may be a part of several professional organi 

zations and/or may attend continuing professional education courses.

The staffing ratios for child care programs are established by the State of Califor 

nia to provide minimum standards for adult supervision at a child care center.

Ratios of caregivers to children vary depending on the age of the child and the

number of trained staff members present.

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