​Child Care Regulations

The regulation index for child care facilities at 55 Pa. Code §§ 3270, 3280, and 3290 has been updated and now reflects changes effective December 2020. To ensure accurate comprehension, providers should review the updated language and reference the complete child care regulations utilizing the links below.

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:

• 55 Pa. Code, Chapter 20, Licensure or Approval of Facilities and Agencies
  
  • View the regulation
    
  • 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.
    
  • View the regulation
    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.

  Certification 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.

  Download the CII and related worksheets and forms below: 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

  • Provider Survey/Facility Information Sheet
    This document helps Certification Representatives prepare for your visit. It is available on our website and will be sent out in advance of a Renewal Visit. Program administrators may email the sheet to their Certification Representative in advance of their visit or have it ready when the Certification Representative arrives.

  Disclosure Statement

  • Child Care Provider Facility Affirmation Statements Renewal
    This document replaces the former set of individual disclosure statements related to swimming, firearms, and consumer product safety.

  Child Care Center Forms

  Forms

  • Child Center Certification Inspection Instrument
    
  • Appendix H-1: Center Initial Inspection — No Children In Care
    
  • Appendix H-2: Center School Age Program Not Operating in a School Building No Children In Care

  Worksheets

  • Child Care Staff Data Center Renewal Worksheet
  • Child Records Center Renewal Worksheet
    
  • Child Health Report Center Renewal Worksheet
    Worksheet 1, 2, and 3 help you monitor your own compliance related to critical staff and child records. Certification Representatives use these worksheets to document your compliance related to child and staff records.

  Group Child Care Home Forms

  Forms

  • Group Child Care Certification Inspection Instrument
  • Appendix H-3: Group Initial Inspection No Children In Care
    
  • Appendix H-4: Group School Age (NOT IN A SCHOOL BUILDING) Initial Inspection No Children In Care