Arizona Child Care State Contacts

Arizona Child Care State Contacts

If you are interested in starting your own Arizona child care business, then you will want to be aware of the following information. The Arizona Department of Health Services, Division of Licensing Services Office of Child Care Services regulates and monitors both licensed child care facilities and certified child care group homes as well as public school child care programs, although you will likely not be concerned with the latter. For application information, you must contact one of 4 offices in Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, and Yuma.

In the state of Arizona, the Department of Health Services requires that licensed or certified child care providers be fingerprinted as well as have an extensive background check. Centers must have fire, sanitation, and safety inspections in addition to regular inspections by the Office of Child Care Licensing. Group homes must meet zoning requirements in order to operate legally.

If a person cares for 5 or more children with compensation, then certification is required to operate legally. However, a person may operate without certification if care is provided for 4 or fewer unrelated children.
The ratios of staff to children vary somewhat between Arizona child care centers and Arizona child care group homes. The ratios for centers are as follows:

Infants- 1:5 or 2:11
One Year Old Children- 1:6 or 2:13
Two Year Old Children- 1:8
Three Year Old Children- 1:13
Four Year Old Children- 1:15
Five Year Old Children- 1:20
School-Age Children- 1:20

The number of staff to children for child care group homes, regardless of age is 1:5 or 2:6-10.

Once you have sent in your application, you will be required to attend a training/orientation session. You will need to contact the DPS at (602) 223-2279 to obtain the Fingerprint Application Packets. The local police department can either do the fingerprinting for you or refer you to a location to have it done. After you have taken these steps, you will be on the road to starting your Arizona child care business.

Additional information has been listed for Arizona child care and daycare providers looking to find out about CPR courses, child care associations, continuing education courses, and where to report child abuse. More resources will be continuously added, so check back often for updates. If you know of a valuable resource that you would like to shared, please contact me and I will be sure to add it to our master list.

Arizona Division of Licensing Services
Phoenix Office:
150 N. 18th Ave., 4th FloorPhoenix, AZ 85007
Local Phone: (602) 364-2539
Toll Free: (800) 615-8555

Tucson Office:
400 W. Congress, Suite 100
Tucson, AZ 85701
Local Phone: (520) 628-6540

Flagstaff Office:
1500 E. Cedar Ave., Suite 22
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
Local Phone: (928) 774-2707

Yuma Office:
Local Phone: (520) 628-6541

Website: http://www.azdht.gov/als/childcare/

Arizona Child Care Association
2100 N. Central Ave. Suite 225
Phoenix, Arizona 85004
Local Phone: (602) 252-3845
Website: http://www.azcca.org/

Heart Savers, Inc.- CPR/First Aid Training
1530 N COUNTRY CLUB DRIVE #13
MESA, AZ 85201
Local Phone: (480) 998-5193
Website: http://www.heartsaversinc.com

Personal Safety CPR
Serving the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area
Local Phone: (480) 786-4595
Website: www.learncpraz.com

City of Peoria Fire Dept.- CPR/First Aid Training
8351 W. Cinnabar
Peoria, AZ 85345
Local Phone: (623) 773-7279
Website: http://peoriaaz.com/Fire/fire_communityRelations_cpr.asp

Arizona Child Abuse Hotline
To report child abuse: 1-888-SOS-CHILD (1-888-767-2445)
Website: https://www.azdes.gov/dcyf/cmdps/cps/default.asp

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