Washington DC Child Care State Contact InformationThe Washington DC child care licensing contact information page will provide you valuable information if you are thinking of starting your own Washington DC child care business. Before applying for a license, each Child Development Facility shall secure a Certificate of Occupancy or Home Occupation Permit for the premises, or equivalent proof that the premises comply with all applicable federal and District of Columbia fire, safety, building, and zoning regulations and codes. The Certificate, Permit, or other proof shall include certification that the premises are fit and suitable for the operation of a Child Development Facility. Once this is done, you may apply for a license to the District of Columbia Department of Health, Health Care Regulation and Licensing Office, Child and Residential Care Facilities Division, Child Care Licensing Branch. The application must be submitted at least 90 days prior to the proposed start date of operations. The applicant must attend an orientation program that will be provided by the Director which is a representative of the child care licensing branch. The initial license fee, annual renewal license fee, and license replacement fee for each Washington DC Child Care Development Facility shall be as follows: (a) Child Development Homes $ 75.00 (b) Child Development Centers, 1 - 50 Children $200.00 (c) Child Development Centers, 51 - 100 Children $300.00 (d) Child Development Centers, 101 - 175 Children $400.00 (e) Child Development Centers, Over 175 Children $500.00 (f) Replacement of License (all facilities) $ 25.00 However, facilities operated by the District of Columbia Government are not required to pay a fee. Once an application has been received, a Director will conduct an on-site inspection to determine compliance with the rules and regulations as designated by the minimum standards. If you are a Washington DC child care center, these are the adult/child ratios if you will be serving infants, toddlers, and preschoolers: AGE OF CHILDREN ADULT/CHILD RATIO MAXIMUM SIZE OF GROUP 0 - 12 months 1:3 9 0 - 12 months 1:4 8 12 - 24 months 1:3 9 12 - 24 months 1:4 8 24 - 30 months 1:4 12 30 months-3 years 1:8 16 4 - 5 years 1:10 20 If you are a Washington DC child care center, these are the adult/child ratios if you will be out-of-school-time care to children of legal school age: AGE OF CHILDREN ADULT/CHILD RATIO MAXIMUM SIZE OF GROUP Under 6 years 1:12 24 6 years and older 1:15 30 If you want to operate a Washington DC child care business in your home, you may be licensed to provide care for up to six (6) children, with no more than two (2) children being non-ambulatory or under two (2) years of age. To be a child development home caregiver, you must be at least 18 years of age, have a high school diploma or GED, attend an annual compliance review seminar given by the Department of Health, attend at least three (3) child development-related training courses, approved by the District of Columbia government, per year, for a total of no less than nine (9) hours of training per year, successfully complete training, as approved by the District of Columbia government, on precautions against Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, undergo a physical examination by a licensed health care practitioner at least annually, and obtain written and signed documentation, from the examining practitioner, that the caregiver, at the time of the examination, is free of tuberculosis and other diseases in communicable form, and is physically capable of caring for children, and undergo training and obtain certification in First Aid and CPR for children, and maintain documentation of current certification in both. Another type of Washington DC child care business that can be operated from the home is the Expanded Child Development Home. In this situation, a caregiver may be licensed to provide care for more than six (6) children, up to a maximum of twelve (12) children. An Expanded Child Development Home shall comply with all of the requirements pertaining to Child Development Homes. In addition, each Expanded Child Development Home must have at least 2 caregivers and a minimum of thirty-five square feet (35 ft) of program space per child. The primary Caregiver in an Expanded Child Development Home must be at least 21 years old and must have obtained one of the following: (1) An associate's degree or higher from an accredited college or university in early childhood education or early childhood development; (2) At least forty-eight (48) credit hours from an accredited college or university, including at least fifteen (15) credit hours from an accredited college or university in early childhood education or early childhood development; (3) A current and valid Child Development Associate credential; (4) A current and valid accreditation credential from the National Association for Family Child Care; or (5) Subject to the approval of the Director, a current and valid family child care credential from another jurisdiction, obtained by successfully completing a state-approved course of training of at least ninety (90) hours in length. In addition, a primary Caregiver must have successfully completed one of the following: (1) At least one (1) year of operation as the Caregiver in a licensed Child Development Home, or its equivalent in another jurisdiction; or (2) At least one (1) year of employment in a licensed Child Development Center, or its equivalent in another jurisdiction, as a Center Director, Teacher or Assistant Teacher. Each Associate Caregiver in an Expanded Child Development Home shall: (a) Be at least eighteen (18) years of age; (b) Have a high school diploma or a General Education Development certificate, with the exception that all Caregivers licensed on the effective date of these rules shall have four (4) years from that date within which to obtain the diploma or certificate; and (c) Have successfully completed one of the following:(1) At least one (1) year of operation as the Caregiver in a licensed Child Development Home, or its equivalent in another jurisdiction; or (2) At least one (1) year of employment in a licensed Child Development Center, or its equivalent in another jurisdiction, as a Center Director, Teacher or Assistant Teacher. The enrolled children shall be supervised at all times by one or both of the Caregivers, or by a substitute Caregiver who is certified in First Aid and CPR for children and has been previously approved by the Director. An Expanded Washington DC Child Care Development Home may provide care for more than two (2) children who are non-ambulatory or under two (2) years of age, provided that the number of such children does not exceed the following: (a) Four (4) children if there are two (2) Caregivers present; or(b) Six (6) children if there are three (3) or more Caregivers present. Additional information has been listed for Washington DC 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 share, please contact me and I will be sure to add it to the master list. Source: Washington, DC Department of Health Washington DC Child Care Licensing and Standards Contact District of Columbia Department of Health Health Care Regulation and Licensing Office Child and Residential Care Facilities Division Child Care Licensing Branch 825 N. Capitol Street, N.E., 2nd Floor Washington D.C. 20002 Phone: (202) 442-5888 or (202) 442-5929 Fax: (202) 442-9430 Website: Washington, DC Licensing and Standards National Child Care Association (NCCA) 2025 M Street, NW, Suite 800 Washington, DC 20036-3309 Phone: 202-367-1133 Fax: 202-367-2133 Toll Free: 800-543-7161 E-mail: info@nccanet.org Website: National Child Care Association CPR and First Aid Course Information The DC Fire/EMS Department offers Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) training to members of the community on the first and fourth Thursday of every month. The class provides students with certification in CPR for Adult, Child and Infant. Upon successful completion of the four-hour training course, participants will receive CPR certification cards good for two years. Class size is limited, and pre registration is required. The fee is $20 for DC residents and $40 for non-residents. CPR Training Information Day: 1st and 4th Thursday of every month Time: 9 am - 1 pm Location: DC Fire/EMS Training Academy 4600 Shepherd Parkway, SW Washington, DC 20032 Cost: $20/$40 per student Contact: EMS SGT Michael Forrest Phone: (202) 673-3245 or (202) 673-6703 Website: CPR and First Aid Course Information Montgomery Child Care Association's Training Institute Established in 1985, Montgomery Child Care Association's Training Institute is the premier source of training for child care professionals in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. The MCCA Training Institute is approved by the State of Maryland (#CKO-30828 and #PS-101100) and the District of Columbia (#002-01-03) to provide continuing education to child care professionals. Website: MCCA Training Washington, DC Child Abuse Hotline Report Child Abuse and Neglect (202) 671-7233 Return to Home Page from Washington DC Child Care
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