Department of human services child care certification pa

Created in 2007 by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), The Pennsylvania Key implements the work and supports the policies developed and managed by OCDEL. Learn More. >

• OCDEL on the PA Department of Human Service’s website
• OCDEL on the PA Department of Education website
• Regional OCDEL Offices
• Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRCs)
• Professional Development Organizations (PDOs)
• State Advisory Council (SAC)

• What’s New
• OCDEL Announcements
• eNews & Archives

• Head Start
  • Head Start Supplemental Assistance Program (HSSAP)
  • Early Head Start (EHS)
  • PA Head Start State Collaboration Office (HSSCO)
  • Directory: Preschool Program Specialists
  • School Age Child Care (SACC) Mental Health Consultation
  • Bright Start: Supporting Social-Emotional Development
  • IECMH Resources
  • Advisory Committee
  • Directory: IECMH Consultants
  • Keystone STARS CQI Award
  • Curriculum and Child Assessments
  • Resources
  • How To Apply
  • Infant Toddler Contracted Slots
  • Directory: Preschool Program Specialists
  • Certification
  • Child Care Works (CCW)
  • Coaching
  • Early Intervention
  • Home Visiting/Family Centers
  • Program Quality Assessment (PQA)
  • Project LAUNCH
  • School-Age
  • Current
    • 2024 OCDEL Conference
    • Certification Impact Project
    • Curriculum and Child Assessments Resources
    • Dual Language Learners (DLL)
    • Early Learning Standards
    • Equity in ECE Awards
    • Healthy Minds @Work Program
    • Keystone STARS Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Award
    • P-3 Approach
    • PELICAN
    • Preschool Development Grant (PDG)
    • Promoting Inclusion & Reducing Expulsion and Suspension
    • Research and Results
    • Transition To Kindergarten
    • Updated OCC Compliance Announcements
    • ARPA Stabilization Grants
    • Cultural Responsiveness
    • Integrating Services
    • Race To The Top
    • Workforce Support Grant 2.0
    • Overview
      • Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)
      • Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs)
      • Job Search
      • Professional Competencies
      • Health and Safety
      • Keystone STARS
      • Pediatric First Aid & Pediatric CPR
      • Program Quality Assessment (PQA)
      • The PD Registry
      • Child Development Associate (CDA)
      • Director Credential (DC)
      • Early Childhood Education Apprenticeship
      • School-Age Professional Credential (SAPC)
      • CDA Voucher
      • Foreign Degree Evaluation Reimbursement
      • Professional Development Organizations (PDOs)
      • Rising STARS Tuition Assistance (RSTA) Program
      • T.E.A.C.H.
      • Career Pathway
      • Pennsylvania Quality Assurance System (PQAS)
      • Tipsheets & Resources for Providers
      • Tipsheets & Resources for PQAS Instructors & PLOs

      Certification

      General Information
      About Certification

      Resources & Information
      for Current Certified Providers

      Program Information To Share with Parents, Guardians and Families

      Are you subscribed to the Certification Services eNews?

      The Bureau of Certification Services is responsible for the regulation of all child care centers, group day care homes and family day care homes in Pennsylvania.

      The Certification Bureau receives inquiries regarding a variety of topics, including:

      The requirements and process for opening a child care facility. The statutes and regulations for operating a child care facility. The status and compliance history of specific facilities. The complaints regarding child care facilities.

      Latest Updates

      Available Now: Certification Newsletter, Announcement C-24-01

      OCDEL Releases Announcement C-24-01: Guidance to Identifying Toxic Plants in the Child Care Setting

      Available Now: Certification Newsletter, Summer 2023

      Child care providers operating a program for four or more unrelated children must be certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services.

      The Department regulates three types of child care facilities:

      Child Care Center: A child care facility in which seven or more children who are not related to the operator receive child care. A child care center must have a certificate of compliance (“license”) from the Department of Human Services (DHS) in order to legally operate.

      Group Child Care Home: A child care facility in which seven through 12 children of various ages or in which seven through 15 children from 4th grade through 15 years of age who are not related to the operator receive child care. A group child care home must have a certificate of compliance (“license”) from DHS in order to legally operate.

      Family Child Care Home: A child care facility located in a home in which four, five, or six children who are not related to the caregiver receive child care. A family child care home must have a certificate of compliance (“license”) from DHS in order to legally operate.

      In 2014, the federal law that oversees and provides funding for child care assistance (Child Care Development Block Grant- CCDBG) was reauthorized for the first time since 1996. In an effort to support families with access to safe, reliable child care, the law required family child care homes and friend/neighbor caregivers receiving child care subsidy to become certified by November 2016.