Transcript

Family Child Care Providers

How Many Children Can Attend a Family Child Care Home?

Produced by the Community Care Licensing Division of the California Department of Social Services

[music]

Provider: Please be careful.

[A family child care provider watches children climb and play outside. Off-screen, the series host speaks.]

Series Host:
The family child care license issued to you by Community Care Licensing indicates the largest or maximum number of children you can care for at any one time.

[Onscreen, Host]

In addition, licensing requires that a certain number of adults be present depending on how many children are in attendance in family child care homes. These adult-to-child ratios are based on the number of qualified adults that must be present, depending upon the age of each child in care.

To help you learn these ratios, we’re going to show you how many children in each age group you can care for at any one time. We’re also going to explain how to calculate the correct adult-to-child ratios for small and large family child care homes.

[Two licensing representatives speak.]

Community Care Licensing Representative 1:
Having too many children in care at the same time is one of the most common health and safety violations for family child care homes.

Community Care Licensing Representative 2:
Adult-to-child ratios and the total number of children allowed in care are more than sets of numbers. These licensing regulations exist so you can safely supervise and care for the children enrolled in your family child care home.

CCL Rep 1:
Typically, infants and toddlers require the most direct care from adults, but this can vary depending upon each child’s developmental level and specific needs.

CCL Rep 2:
As you enroll children in your facility, be aware that the ratios that define the number of children you can care for represent the capacity limit of your home. Within those ratios, you need to feel confident caring for children of various ages and abilities.

CCL Rep 1:
For this reason, you are encouraged to view the video on supervision for a more complete understanding of the requirements you need to know and follow in order to maintain the necessary adult-to-child ratios throughout the day.

[The host speaks, and the questions she asks are displayed on a white board.]

Let’s first address some background questions about the two types of family child care licenses, as well as the definition of age groups in family child care. We’ll then focus on the minimum adult-to-child ratios for each situation.

What is the difference between a small and a large family child care home?

[The host speaks as the corresponding content is displayed onscreen.]

Small family child care homes are licensed to care for six to eight children.
The total number of children allowed varies depending upon the ages of children in care each day.

We’ll review the specific ages and ratios in a moment. Also, licensees of small family child care homes are not required to have an assistant or other adult working with them.

Large family child care homes:

are licensed to care for a maximum of 12 to 14 children.
Again, the total number of children allowed varies depending upon the ages of children in care each day.
Licensees of large family child care homes are required to have at least one other qualified adult or assistant provider working with them.

An assistant provider is a person of at least 14 years of age who is primarily involved in caring for the children in the home.

How does Community Care Licensing define “infants”?
Because the number of infants in care at any one time directly affects the adult-to-child ratio, it’s critical to understand what “infant” means in terms of your license. Licensing defines an infant as any child under the age of 24 months. Within this age group, infants demonstrate many different skills and capabilities.

[In a montage of scenes from child care settings, younger and older infants play, move around, and eat.]

While some young infants might be content to play and rest in a fairly small area, other infants will crawl, walk, or even run, though almost all infants need some help with the daily routines of feeding and toileting.

Adult:
So, Alyssa, it looks like Amber’s wanting some oranges and I see that you have one in your bowl.

[Onscreen, series host.]

How does Community Care Licensing define school-age children?
[A boy draws and says to his teacher in Spanish, “There’s no space over here.”]

School-age children are children who are enrolled in kindergarten and above. The adult-to-child ratios for family child care specify the number of school-age children you can care for at any one time, particularly when you also serve infants.

How many children can be present in a small family child care home at the same time?

[On a green background, icons representing adults and children appear in different numbers and combinations to illustrate the ratios and situations described by the host.]

In a small family child care home, there can be present at the same time 4 infants or 6 children, no more than 3 of whom may be infants, or 7 to 8 children if all of the following conditions are met:

at least 1 of the children is at least 6 years of age,
and another child is enrolled in kindergarten or above,
and no more than 2 infants are cared for during any time when more than 6 children are cared for, [Host onscreen.]
and you notify each parent that you are caring for 2 additional school-age children and that there may be up to 7 or 8 children in the home at one time.

Also, you must obtain written consent from the property owner when the family child care home is on property that is leased or rented.

How many children can be present in a large family child care home at the same time?

[Again, the icons of adults and children illustrate the ratios and situations described by the host.]

The maximum number of children who can be present in a large family child care home when there is an assistant working in the home shall be either 12 children, no more than 4 of whom can be infants, or 13 to 14 children if all of the following conditions are met:

at least 1 of the children is at least 6 years of age,
and another child is enrolled in kindergarten or above,
and no more than 3 infants are cared for during any time when more than 12 children are being cared for, [Host onscreen.]
and you notify parents that you are caring for 2 additional school-age children and that there may be up to 13 or 14 children in the home at one time.

Also, you must obtain written consent from the property owner when the family child care home is on property that is leased or rented.

The adult-to-child ratios for family child care homes include children under age 10 who live in the licensee’s home, as well as the assistant’s children under age 10 who are present in the licensee’s home. If there is not a qualified assistant working with the licensee on a particular day, the adult-to-child shall be the same as the ratio for small family child care homes.

Can I admit an extra child into my facility if doing so exceeds the number of children allowed?
No, you can not admit an extra child into the facility if it exceeds the number of children allowed. Community Care Licensing considers this an unacceptable risk to the children already present. If you have more children enrolled in your facility than you are licensed to have present at the same time, you’ll need to let families know you can’t admit additional children if you are already at full capacity when they arrive. You might also suggest that families always call first if they want to leave their child with you outside of their regular schedule and that they have a backup provider in case of emergencies. For you and the families you serve, it’s important to know that exceeding maximum capacity or violating the minimum adult-to-child ratios is a serious health and safety risk and requires immediate corrective action.

Key Points:
Let’s review some of the key points about adult-to-child ratios and maximum capacity in family child care. Your license specifies the maximum number of children you can care for at any one time. In addition, you must also comply with adult-to-child ratios set by Community Care Licensing. These ratios depend upon the ages of children in care at any one time, as well as the number of qualified adults that must be present. As a family child care provider who’s taken steps to make sure that you are prepared to welcome multiple children into your home for several hours a day and several days a week, you’ve accepted a serious responsibility and you’re providing families with an important service. That’s why your licensing program analyst puts a special emphasis on making sure you’re in compliance at all times and that you never exceed the number of children you’re licensed to care for.