Regulations
The Department of Human Services' (DHS) regulations for operating a child care facility are available on the internet. Listed below are each of the regulations that pertain to the operation of a child care facility, a brief description of the regulation, and the hyperlink to the regulation:
- Capítulo 20. Autorización o Aprobación de Instalaciones y Agencias
- This regulation provides the rules regarding applying for a certificate of compliance (license), frequency and content of DHS inspections, preparing and issuing a certificate of compliance, conditions under which a certificate of compliance may be denied, not renewed, or revoked and the DHS licensure or approval decisions that may be appealed. Chapter 20 applies to child care centers and group day care homes.
- Capítulo 3280. Cuidado Infantil Subvencionado
- The purpose of this chapter is to help families of low income more easily obtain affordable, accessible and quality child care. The Department intends to create a fairer and more equitable child care system that supports families in their efforts to achieve and maintain financial self-sufficiency. The final-form rulemaking provides families increased and easier access to this Commonwealth's subsidized child care system and allows working families of low income who might not have qualified previously to become eligible for subsidized child care benefits.
- Capítulo 3270, Centros de Cuidado Infantil
- This regulation provides the rules regarding the operation of a child care center. A child care center is a facility in which seven or more children unrelated to the operator receive child care services. A child day care center must have a certificate of compliance (license) from DHS in order to operate.
- Capítulo 3280. Hogares de Cuidado Infantil Grupal
- This regulation provides the rules regarding the operation of a group child care home. A group care home is a facility in which seven to 12 children unrelated to the operator receive child care services. A group child care home must have a certificate of compliance (license) from DHS in order to operate.
- Capítulo 3290. HOGARES DE CUIDADO INFANTIL FAMILIAR
- This regulation provides the rules regarding the operation of a family care home. A family child care home is a facility in which four, five or six children unrelated to the operator receive child care services. A family care home must be located in a home and must have a certificate of compliance (license) from DHS in order to operate.
Family Child Care: What to Expect in an Inspection
All family child care homes in Pennsylvania are required to earn a Certificate of Compliance as a certified, also called licensed, child care provider. The process to get certified/licensed includes annual unannounced inspections of family child care homes.
Conducted by certification representatives from the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), under the Department of Human Services (DHS), the annual unannounced inspections will help family child care homes meet regulatory standards for providing safe and healthy environments for children.
OCDEL worked with the Pennsylvania Key, Better Kid Care, and several experienced family child care programs to produce this introductory video on what providers can expect during an inspection.
Cerfication of Compliance Self Assessment
These user-friendly tools were designed to assist child care center, family, and group child care home providers in performing periodic reviews of their facility operations to achieve compliance with OCDEL certification regulations. When utilized regularly, these checklists can help to identify program strengths and gaps in the understanding of and compliance with OCDEL regulations.
Certification Inspection Instrument (CII)
The creation and implementation of the Certification Inspection Instrument (CII) represent DHS and OCDEL's commitment to consistent monitoring of all existing regulations and transparency of the certification and inspection process. The CII standardizes how certification regulations are applied, measured, and enforced consistently across Pennsylvania and support consistent documentation of inspection results and compliance.
The CII accessed via the links below and presented in the webinar is for use in conducting a renewal inspection at a Child Care Center, Group Child Care Home, Family Child Care Home, and School Age Child Care facility.
CII Worksheets and Related Forms
The CII supports the consistent monitoring of Certification Regulations. Use this to support your own review of requirements related to: posted notices, required paperwork, transportation, ratio and supervision, and physical site.
Universal Documents and Child Center Forms | |
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Disclosure Statement
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Child Care Center Forms | |
Forms | Worksheets
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Group Child Care Home Forms | |
Forms | Worksheets |
Family Child Care Home Forms | |
Certification Inspection Instrument | Worksheets |
School-Aged Child Care Forms | |
Certification Inspection Instrument
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Webinar: Launch of New Certification Tool: Certification Inspection Instrument (CII)
Learn more about the Certification Inspection Instrument and Worksheets by watching this webinar. We recommend downloading and printing the Certification Inspection Instrument (CII) tool before watching the video.