Certification

We share the concern of parents that child care centers, group child care homes, and family child care homes in Pennsylvania meet basic health and safety standards. Through the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), child care facilities must be registered and certified to make sure they meet these standards.

There are three types of child care programs regulated by DHS

Family Child Care Home

• One caregiver who serves between four and six children unrelated to the caregiver
• State certification required, based on health and safety
• Mandatory participation in Keystone STARS
• Other types of accreditation at discretion of the program
• Must follow regulations for family child care homes

Group Child Care Home

• Serves between seven and twelve children unrelated to the child care operator
• State certification required, based on health and safety
• Mandatory participation in Keystone STARS
• Other types of accreditation at discretion of the program
• Must follow regulations for group child care homes

Child Care Center

• Serves seven or more children unrelated to the child care operator
• State certification required, based on health and safety
• Mandatory participation in Keystone STARS
• Other types of accreditation at discretion of the program
• Must follow regulations for child care centers

Programs are required to post their certificate of compliance, if you don't see it, ask about it.

Need to report a complaint about a certified child care provider? Submit a Complaint or Incident 

Bureau of Certification/Child Care Licensing

Contact your Regional Office - Each office is responsible for child care facilities located in specific counties, grouped by geographic area. Concerns or complaints about child care providers can be directed to the Regional Child Development Office in your area.

Find out if a child care program has had any violations or complaints or to view the results of their inspections. 

• Search by address or program name, and age of your child. Once a listing of results appears, click on the name of the program get more information, including their certification (a document issued to a legal entity permitting it to operate) and any violations. 
• Call your local Early Learning Resource Center.