Licensing regulations are the minimum health and safety standards set by each individual state. The Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is responsible for enforcing the regulations for child care programs in Connecticut. The OEC’s Division of Licensing oversees licensing programs for over 4,000 child care centers, group child care homes, family child care homes, and youth camps in Connecticut. The licensing division conducts inspections, investigates complaints, and provides training and support to help programs and providers understand and meet these regulations.
Connecticut defines which types of child care arrangements must be licensed and there are different regulations or health and safety requirements for each type. These health and safety standards include training, capacity limits, staff-to-child ratios, supervision and appropriate discipline requirements, physical environment, and background checks to name a few.
- Licensed child care centers and group child care homes: These programs are licensed by the OEC to provide regular care to more than twelve related or unrelated children outside of their homes. Group child care homes fall under one of the following definitions: provides regular care for not less than seven or more than twelve related or unrelated children, or meets the definition of a family child care home but operates in a facility other than a private home.
- Licensed family child care homes: These providers are licensed by the OEC and are private homes that meet the following criteria: provides care for up to six children, including the provider’s children, who are not in school full-time. During the school year, providers may take up to three additional children who are in school full-time. If the provider has more than three children in school full-time, all of them are permitted. Care is provided for no less than three and no more than twelve hours within a 24-hour period on a regular basis. More than twelve hours of care is allowed on an intermittent basis, but may not exceed 72 consecutive hours.
- Licensed youth camps: These youth camps are licensed by the OEC and are programs or organized activities that operate during school vacations or on weekends. Camps may accommodate five or more children who are between the ages of three and under age sixteen for three or more days per week.
Not all child care programs are required to be licensed. When a program is not state-licensed, they are not held to the same health and safety requirements required of licensed programs and do not have unannounced inspection visits by the Office of Early Childhood.
- License-exempt child care center or youth camps: These are center-based child care programs or youth camps that are operated and administered by public schools, private schools or municipalities. They are legally exempt from licensing, however, because they accept federal funding (Care 4 Kids), they must adhere to basic health and safety requirements that are monitored by the OEC.
Inspection and Monitoring Visits
211 Child Care helps families find child care to best meet their needs and maintains current listings of licensed and license-exempt child care programs. Once you find child care options on the 211 Child Care Search Tool, you can find details on each facility, which includes inspections conducted within the past five years as well as complaints and self-reported incidents received within the past five years that resulted in a substantiation of at least one regulatory violation, which may or may not have been related to the original report. In addition, releasable documents associated with these visits have been included, including inspection reports and corrective action plans.
Parents and others can view this information to help them find child care options in their area. It can also help them make informed decisions regarding their child care choices.
The OEC is required to unannounced inspections to all licensed programs at least once a year. These types of visits include routine full inspections, follow-up visits and partial inspections and complaint investigations. A program’s initial scheduled inspection is also posted and available. During each type of site visit, the inspector makes observations throughout the facility, reviews records, and speaks to staff. If violations are cited, the investigator discusses the violations with the provider and leaves a corrective action plan form for the provider to complete within a required time frame. You can see details such as:
- the date and status of the inspection,
- the type and reason of the visit,
- the number and description of any violations cited,
- the outcome or resolution of the visit, and
- any available documents associated with the inspection or investigation.
Once an inspection is conducted, the results will display within 24 hours, but will show that it is Pending and documents will not be available until the inspection or investigation is completed.
Complaint Investigations
The Licensing Division also receives complaints from parents or others relating to potential violations of the regulations, concerns about unsafe conditions, children’s safety or programs operating without a valid license and they investigate those claims. Division staff conduct visits to investigate every complaint to determine if the allegation is true or not. If an allegation is found to be untrue or if there is not enough evidence to substantiate the claim, the investigation is closed with no further action. These types of investigations are not posted on the 211 Child Care website. If there is found to be a regulatory violation, programs must respond in writing on a corrective action plan with details on how they are correcting the violation(s) and how they will ensure such violations don’t occur in the future. If an allegation is received regarding potential child abuse or neglect, the OEC and the Department of Children and Families will investigate together. The OEC works closely with the DCF to determine whether an allegation of abuse or neglect in a child care setting has occurred.
You can report a child care concern or make a complaint online or by calling the Licensing Division‘s Complaint Desk at 800-282-6063 or 860-500-4450.
Background checks
The OEC conducts background checks on staff of child care programs and family child care providers. For further information visit the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood website. People who need a background check at least every 5 years include:
- Child care staff members, including employees and volunteers age 16 and older who care for children or have unsupervised access to children
- Family child care home providers, assistants, and substitutes
- Everyone age 18 or older who lives in a licensed family child care home
- Certain employees of youth camps
Child care programs are responsible for submitting background checks if they are: - Licensed child care facilities and group child care homes
- Licensed family child care homes
- License-exempt child care facilities (like those run by schools or towns) that receive funding from Care 4 Kids
- Youth camps have special requirements
- All prospective employees, 18 years of age and older must submit one of the following options:
- Option 1
- A criminal history records check based on fingerprints or an internet search of the judicial department website based on name and date of birth, and
- A check of the CT child abuse registry, and
- A check of the national sex offender registry
- Option 2
- Verification of a current J-1 visa, H-1B visa or R-1 visa issued by the US Department of State
- Option 1
- All prospective employees, 18 years of age and older must submit one of the following options:
The Commissioner of Early Childhood may refuse to license child care centers, group child care homes or family child care homes based on a conviction of a felony or on a criminal record. For more details, see the List of Disqualifying Crimes.
Licensing status and complaint history
The licensing status and certain details of a complaint or enforcement history of providers is also accessible on-line through the State of Connecticut’s eLicense system. This system is the electronic database that the Office of Early Childhood and other state agencies use for individuals or businesses that receive a license. The system allows the public to conduct on-line searches for child care providers who are both active and inactive.
Click here to find the following information using the on-line look up tool on the State of Connecticut eLicensing Website
- License Number
- License Type
- License Status
- License Issue Date/Expiration Date (if applicable)
- Total Capacity- including ages served
- Inspection Visit Dates
- Substantiated Complaint/Incident History
- Type of violation
- Resolution action
Create a Roster/List of programs in Connecticut
Anyone can also use the state’s eLicense website to create rosters of open or recently closed programs in the state. Here’s how to do it:
- Visit the state’s eLicense website
- Choose either “Child Care Licensing Program” or “Youth Camp Licensing Program” from the alphabetical list. Child Care Licensing programs include child care centers and group child care homes, family child care homes and license exempt programs.
- Choose the type of information you want (open or closed) and tap continue.
- Download the roster in your preferred format (Excel, CSV, or text)
Child Care Licensing Regulatory Action Reports
The Regulatory Action Report is a compilation of disciplinary actions taken against licensed child care providers by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood. The report is posted on a quarterly basis.