Provider's Overview
In September 2000, the Division issued star rated licenses to all eligible child care centers and family child care homes. (Note: Religious-sponsored child care programs will continue to operate with a Notice of Compliance and do not receive a star rating unless they choose to apply.) Under the original star rated license, facilities were evaluated on three components:
- Program Standards
- Staff Education
- Compliance History with Child Care Regulations
In 2005, the Division changed the way facilities earned stars to more accurately reflect indicators of a program's quality. Currently, facilities are evaluated on two components:
- Staff education
- Program Standards
In addition, programs having a two component license can earn a “quality point” for meeting enhanced standards for staff education and program standards.
Promoting Healthy Social Behaviors Initiative
The Healthy Social Behaviors Initiative was established to address behavioral issues in young children by offering services designed to identify, prevent and modify challenging behaviors with a goal of reducing the expulsion rate and promoting social-emotional development of all children in NC licensed child care centers. The Project team consists of regional specialists, education specialists, and the project manager, ensuring that all 14 regions have access to the Healthy Social Behavior Initiative’s services. Child Care Resources Inc. (CCRI) provides overall project management for this initiative.
The Promoting Healthy Social Behaviors in Child Care Settings project is managed by Child Care Resources, Inc.
"Promoting Healthy Social Behaviors in Child Care Settings" CCR&R Council, Accessed August 2018, http://childcarerrnc.org/s.php?subpage=SpecialInitiatives
Compliance History
A facility's compliance history is a minimum standard for any licensed facility. For any new license or Notice of Compliance issued to a child care facility, the facility must maintain a compliance history of at least seventy-five percent (75%) for the past 18 months or during the length of time the facility has operated, whichever is less. The Division calculates the visit compliance score by taking the total possible points for items monitored at a visit and calculating the percentage of compliance based upon the actual points awarded. The compliance history of a facility is calculated by averaging each visit compliance score over eighteen (18) months.
Sample Compliance History Assessment 18 Months
Regulatory Visit Types
Center Documents:
Monitoring Requirements for Child Care Centers
Child Care Center Item Number Listing
Family Child Care Home Documents:
Monitoring Requirements for Family Child Care Homes
Family Child Care Home Item Number Listing
Why "Star Rated Licenses"?
North Carolina moved to this system in 2000 for many reasons. It allows your child care program to be recognized for the higher quality care that you are already providing. In the previous system your program's individual strengths were not highlighted. For Family Child Care Homes, there was not any way to indicate being recognized for providing higher quality care.
Be sure to explore other pertinent star rated license information in order to:
- Understand how points are calculated
- Learn how a star rating can be increased
- See a sample license
- Read the most frequently asked questions about star rated licenses