REGULATION OF CHILD CARE

Licensing:
Most child care centers and family child care homes are required to be licensed according to California State law. In limited cases, programs may be exempt from licensing (e.g., parents remain on the premises of the program, recreation programs, family child care caring for only one family's children). Licensing is intended to insure basic standards of health and safety; it does not guarantee the quality of a program. You, as a parent or guardian, are the best judge of whether or not a particular child care program is a good match for your child. For more information regarding licensing, go to http://ccld.ca.gov

Accreditation:
As stated earlier, NAEYC administers an independent accrediting system for child care and development centers. The accreditation process is voluntary, requiring an extensive self-study of the program, which also includes a parent survey. The results of the self-study are verified by a team of trained volunteer validators during a site visit to the program. The validated self-study is then reviewed by a three-member national commission of recognized experts in child care and early education. Those self-studies that are determined to be in substantial compliance with Criteria for High Quality Early Education Programs are granted accreditation for a three-year period. For more information on accredited centers and the accreditation process, click here.

The National Association for Family Child Care operates an accreditation system for family child care homes. Click here for information on the accreditation process and a listing of accredited homes in Los Angeles County.

Office of Child Care, within the Service Integration Branch
of the Chief Executive Office
222 S. Hill St., 5th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 974-4103 Phone – (213) 217-5106 Fax

Office of Child Care Home Page