Providing Child Care FAQs

Providing Child Care FAQs 

I am a licensed Family Child Care Home operator, and I will be moving into another home in a couple of months. What must I do in order to continue offering child care?

You must notify your child care consultant no later than 30 calendar days prior to the relocation of your family child care home. You must apply for a license for the new physical location. You may not operate at the new location until you have received a license from the Division for the new location. If you have questions about certain aspects of the new location, ask your child care consultant prior to your move.

Are annual Tuberculin (TB) tests or screenings required of all providers in a Child Care Center or Family Child Care Home? 

In the last few years, there has been some changes in the rules regarding TB tests. All child care staff including the director and individuals who volunteer more than once per week are required to have a TB test or screening prior to the first day of work. Included in that change was the requirement that any substitute or volunteer, whether or not counted in staff/child ratios, must also have a TB test or screening. While the rules don't require the annual TB test/screening, the Division can request an additional test or screening be completed if there are specific concerns about a caregiver's health. Also, a child care program can always require annual TB tests/screenings as part of their annual health requirements for staff, even though the state does not.
 

Are vaccination(s) or proof of immunity required of all staff in a Child Care Center or Family Child Care Home?

There are no state laws that require staff to be vaccinated (immunized) or provide proof of immunity. However, individual facilities may require vaccination. Vaccination of all staff is considered best practice for child care facilities. Vaccinations are the best way to prevent the spread of certain communicable diseases. If a suspected case or outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease were to occur in a facility, then it is possible that any staff that cannot show proof of vaccination or immunity could be excluded from the facility to prevent additional exposures.

The NC Department of Health and Human Services recommends that all staff provide records documenting vaccination(s) or proof of immunity for measles, mumps, pertussis, and varicella and that they receive a flu vaccine each year. For more information on recommendations for vaccination of child care staff, click here.
 

I am planning on buying new playground equipment for my program. Do you have any recommendations about what to purchase?

Before you make any large purchases of equipment or materials, it is best to speak with your child care consultant. While they cannot provide a specific product recommendation, they will discuss with you the rule requirements for specific types of equipment. This includes age and developmental appropriateness of different pieces, placement of the equipment, and possible need for resilient surfacing and fall zones. If you do not talk with your child care consultant prior to buying and installing a large piece of equipment, you run the risk of having to make modifications once a visit is made and the consultant evaluates the piece. Good resources for information on playground safety are the Consumer Products Safety Commission web site and the web site for the National Program for Playground Safety. The Natural Learning Initiative offers resources promoting the importance of the natural environment in the daily experience of all children, through environmental design, action research, education, and dissemination of information.

I would like to open a Summer Day Camp. Do I have to be licensed? 

The law exempts recreational programs from being licensed as long as your program operates for less than four consecutive months in a year. However, if you want to receive payment through the Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program, then you will need to be licensed. Application packets are available on the DCDEE website.

Are all teachers at a child care program required to have a Criminal Background Check (CBC)?

All individuals employed at a child care program must complete a CBC prior to employment and a recheck every three years. In a family child care home, the provider as well as any household members over 15 years old who are employed and/or reside in the residence must complete a CBC prior to receiving a license to operate a child care program and every three years thereafter.