Child Care Choices

A Child Care Center may be your preferred choice, but the operational hours may not meet with your schedule. Choosing child care should be based on what best suits you and your child's needs. Making hasty decisions now may result in child care problems later. The following will help you make an informed decision.
LICENSE-EXEMPT CHILD CARE
WHAT IS IT?
	You hire someone to work in your home to take care of your child.
	You set the hours, responsibilities and compensation for the job.
TRAINING/EDUCATION
	Determined by individual agencies; no statewide standard.
ACCESS
	Providers can be found through personal networking, advertisements, employment agencies or nanny schools.
REGULATIONS
	There are no specific regulations governing In-Home Care. However, for the protection of your child, you should have your child care provider fingerprinted through Trustline. You may call the Trustline registry at 1-800-822-8490 for information on how to have your caregiver fingerprinted.
RELATIVE CARE
WHAT IS IT?
	You hire someone to work in your home to take care of your child.
	You set the hours, responsibilities and compensation for the job.
TRAINING/EDUCATION
	Determined by individual agencies; no statewide standard.
ACCESS
	Providers can be found through personal networking, advertisements, employment agencies or nanny schools.
REGULATIONS
	There are no specific regulations governing In-Home Care. However, for the protection of your child, you should have your child care provider fingerprinted through Trustline. You may call the Trustline registry at 1-800-822-8490 for information on how to have your caregiver fingerprinted.
FAMILY CHILD CARE HOMES
WHAT IS IT?
	An arrangement in which your child is cared for in someone else's home.
TRAINING/EDUCATION
	No experience is necessary.
	License is required. In order to have a license, the provider and all adults living in the home will have been criminally cleared; completed a 15 hour Pediatric CPR, first aid, and health and safety course. The provider and all adults living in the home will have been TB tested, and will have been inspected by Community Care Licensing staff to ensure the facility meets state regulations.
REGULATIONS
	The California Department of Social Services (CSSS), Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD), has the responsibility for licensing Child Care facilities under the authority of the California Health and Safety Code (Sections 1596-1597, et. seq.) and enforcing the minimum standards contained in Title 22, California Code of Regulations.
CHILD CARE CENTERS
WHAT IS IT?
	An arrangement where care is provided in a setting similar to a school (includes school-age children, toddlers and infants).
	May be several classrooms.
	Children are usually grouped by age.
TRAINING/EDUCATION
	Education requirement for a teacher's aid or assistant is 6 units of early childhood education (ECE).
	A qualified teacher is required to have at least 12 semester units of early childhood education (ECE).
ACCESS
	Child care centers and preschools can be found through local Child Care Resource and Referral agencies, yellow pages, networking and newspaper ads.
REGULATIONS
	The Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD) of the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has the responsibility for licensing Child Care facilities under the California Health and Safety Code (Sections 1596-1597, et. seq.) and enforcing minimum standards contained in Title 22, California Code of Regulations.