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Family Day Care (FDC) Provider

Picture of early childhood activity

A Family Day Care Provider:

  • Operates a home based business in his/her private residence
  • May care for infants, toddlers, pre-school, and school-aged children who need supervision after school.
  • Cares for 3 to 6 children, including his/her own who are not yet school aged

***If any child younger than 2 years of age is present, the Family Day Care Provider may not care more than 5 children at one time.

The Family Day Care Provider:

  • Has knowledge of child development, health, safety and nutrition
  • Uses good speaking and listening skills to communicate with children and their families
  • Plans routines and activities that contribute to each child's physical intellectual, emotional, and social well-being

The Family Day Care Provider’s skills include:

  • Critical thinking, problem solving and techniques of child management
  • An appreciation for all kinds of families and cultures
  • Respect for the family as the child's first teacher
  • Willingness to work as a partner with the family

The Family Day Care Provider must perform tasks including:

  • Cooking cleaning shopping for food and supplies
  • Keeping up with regulations meeting training requirements

Academic and Experience Requirements:

Family Day Care (FDC) Provider Academic and Experience Requirements

Be at least 18 years of age

2 years of experience caring for children less than 6 years of age

(Experience can mean raising your own child as well as paid and unpaid experience in caring for children.)
OR

Be at least 18 years of age

1 year of experience caring for children under 6 years of age

AND

6 hours of training/education in early childhood development

Training can mean educational workshops and courses in caring for preschool children.

Ongoing Training/ Professional Development:

  • A Family Day Care Provider must complete 30 hours of training within the first year of registration.
    • After the first year, 30 hours of training is required for every 2 years.
    • The 15 hours of Health and Safety training count toward the 30 hours of required training.
  • Training must address the following topics

Information on becoming a Family Day Care Provider
Click on the links below: