A Certified Family Child Care Home is a private residence where a resident or residents of the home cares for children. Care cannot exceed six unrelated children or four related children in addition to six unrelated children for a maximum of 10 children at any time. Children are considered related who have the following relationships with the caregiver: child, grandchild, niece, nephew, sibling, step-child or child in legal custody of the provider.
Getting Started
The Family Child Care Network (FCCN) has specialists across the state to help individuals in all aspects of opening and maintaining their homes for regulated child care. FCCN also provides technical assistance and training.
Email FCCN or call toll free (800) 621-5908 to reach the correct specialist in your area.
To help ensure all certification requirements are met, it is not required but highly recommended to meet with a family child care specialist.
To apply without technical assistance, mail your application directly to:
Office of Inspector General
Division of Regulated Child Care
275 E. Main Street, 5 E-F
Frankfort, KY 40621
Requirements
Kentucky wants to ensure children are safe and healthy at all times. Toward that goal, the following requirements have to be met before a professional can become certified:
- Applicants must have a high school diploma or a Commonwealth Child Care Credential.
- Applicants must be certified in infant and child CPR and first aid.
- Applicants must ensure any adult 18 or older living in the home completes a background check with no disqualifying offenses.
- Every adult 18 and older living in the home must be free and clear of tuberculosis with a record showing negative for tuberculosis.
- Applicants must not be employed somewhere else during the hours of operation.
Individuals interested in becoming certified must provide the following along with a completed OIG-DRCC-03 Initial Certification Application for Family Child-Care Home:
- Applicants must provide proof that they are at least 18 years of age by attaching a photocopy of photo identification or birth certificate.
- Applicants must obtain commercial liability insurance of at least $50,000 per occurrence within 90 days of initiation of the application process.
- Applicants must submit a nonrefundable certification fee of $10, as provided in KRS 199.8982(1)(b).
- Applicants must provide written documentation from the local authority showing the child-care home is compliant with local zoning requirements.
- All individuals 18 and older living in the home must complete background checks in accordance with 922 KAR 2:280, with no disqualifying offenses.
- Applicants must submit a physician's statement documenting the family child-care home provider and any other person providing care are in satisfactory health to operate a family child-care home.
- Applicants must submit documentation showing that the provider and all other adults 18 and older living in the home are free of active tuberculosis.
After all required aplication documents are received, the Office of Inspector General reviews and processes the application and conducts an unannounced inspection of the home. If the home meets all regulatory requirements, the applicant is granted certification.
Training
After submitting your application for certification, you must complete the following requirements within 90 days of the submission date:
- Complete six professional development hours of Kentucky Orientation for Child Care, which includes health, safety and sanitation; recognition of child abuse and neglect; and developmentally appropriate child care practice. To search for potential orientation courses visit the calendar of approved trainings on the Early Care and Education Training Records Information System (ECE-TRIS).
- Develop and implement a written plan for obtaining nine hours of annual Cabinet-approved training as required in the administrative regulation.
Once you receive your certificate from the Division of Child Care, you will be responsible for displaying the certificate in a prominent place for the public to see.
Ongoing Training Requirements
All required training completed by the provider must also be completed by every assistant and substitute provider. For a listing of potential orientation courses, approved training and professional development please visit the Early Care and Education Training Records Information System (ECE-TRIS) website.
- The certified professional and all assistants and substitutes will need to obtain Kentucky state orientation within 90 days of initial application or employment. Approved orientation courses can be found on the ECE-TRIS calendar of trainings.
- Complete nine hours of Cabinet-approved early care and education professional development annually. Approved trainings are available on the ECE-TRIS website.
- Complete one and one-half hours of Cabinet-approved pediatric abusive head trauma professional development every five years, which may be found on ECE-TRIS.
Providing Quality Child Care
The Family Child Care Network (FCCN) specialists can assist family child care homes in understanding the Kentucky All STARS Quality Improvement and Rating System and the incentives for providing quality care. FCCN specialists can observe and offer guidance on modeling the best practices to enhance the care environment and improve the learning atmosphere of every child in care.
Food Program
The Federal Child and Adult Food Program (CACFP) helps child and adult care programs and family or group day care homes provide nutritious food to promote wellness, healthy growth and development of young children and health and wellness of older, chronically impaired and disabled persons.
CACFP provides reimbursement for meals and snacks for children receiving nonresidential care in private homes licensed, registered or approved to provide family child care.
CACFP targets higher levels of reimbursement to low-income areas and providers and children most in need to help make the cost of child care more affordable for lower-income families. Health and safety standards, training and monitoring make CACFP an essential component of quality childcare, especially in family day care homes.