In New York State programs that care for more than two children for more than three hours a day must be licensed or registered by the Office of Children and Family Services. Regulations cover basic health and safety issues, limit the number of children each adult cares for, define the required training hours and topics that providers must take and outline the procedure that must be followed for providers or programs that fail to follow the regulations.
It is important to understand that regulations are no guarantee of a quality program. As a parent, you will need to become familiar with what quality child care is and speak to your program or provider if you think there is more they could be offering.
Click here for a list of quality indicators.
Español - Es éste el lugar correcto para mi hijo.
NACCRRA (National Association of the Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies) has assessed state policies and regulations for family child care homes and child care centers. The findings are concerning. States averaged 83 points, a failing score, for child care centers. New York came in 7th overall, ranked 21st in scoring for standards and 5th in regulatory oversight. Family child care homes did not do well. Seventeen states scored a zero. Of the states that scored points, the average score was 63, which equates to 45 percent. New York scored 52 out of 140 points; only 37%. To see the full report and obtain more information on New York's results, go to:
Leaving Children to Chance: NACCRRA's Ranking of State Standards and Oversight of Small Family Child Care Homes: 2010 Update
We CAN Do Better: 2009 Update. NACCRRA’s Ranking of State Child Care Center Regulation and Oversight
New York State is in the beginning stages of developing Quality Stars NY. This will be a rating system based on graduated standards of quality in four major areas in early care and education programs. The areas are: Learning Environment for Children, Family Engagement, Qualifications and Experience of Teaching and Administrative Staff and Management and Leadership Policies and Practices. The Council is very excited about Quality Stars NY and has been involved in its design and promotion.
Some programs and providers have chosen to go beyond the requirements of state regulation and become nationally accredited, which the Council enthusiastically encourages them to do. Learn more about accreditation.
