Apply to be a Provider
Applications to become a new child care provider in the state of Ohio are submitted through the Ohio Child Licensing and Quality System (OCCQS). Complete applications are forwarded to the county of residence for processing and licensing recommendations. To apply to be a family child care provider, please contact the Child Care Policy Help Desk at 1-877-302-2347, option 4, or apply online at https://jfs.ohio.gov/child-care/information-for-providers/become-a-provider/overview
If you want to provide child care services to families that are eligible for the publicly-funded child care program, you must be licensed. If you want to care for children not participating in this program, there is no need to become licensed.
To view Family Child Care rules for Type A and Type B homes please click here.
Family Child Care home licensing checklist
For additional resources and information, please visit the ODJFS Child Care page here.
Type A and Type B Family Child Care Providers
Please review the following information to ensure you can meet the requirements before completing the application.
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- Type B Family Child Care Providers are licensed to accept up to six children (of which three may be under two years old)
- Type A Family Child Care Providers are licensed to accept up to twelve children (of which six may be under two years old)
- To become a Type A or B provider you must:
- $25 application fee
- Have a high school diploma or GED
- Pass a home inspection
- Pass local FBI and BCI background checks for the provider, any adult living in the home, any child care staff member, substitute, or employee
- Be certified in First Aid, CPR, and complete Communicable Disease (6 hour course), and Child Abuse/Neglect (6 hour course)
- Attend 6 hours of training annually to maintain licensure
- Be at least 18 years of age
- Not have been convicted of a violent crime
- Provide child care services only in your home
- Have a working telephone
- Complete a Pre-Licensing training for family child care providers (Type A or B home Providers)
- Provide a medical statement that meets the criteria listed here
For additional requirements and information, please click here.
- If you have an adult or child who has been convicted of a violent crime or any other disqualifying criminal offenses (a list is available here).
- Your home will be inspected at least twice a year. At least one of these inspections will be unannounced.
- You may have other employment as long as your employment schedule does not conflict or interfere with your child care hours.
- You must become Step Up To Quality (SUTQ) rated by the end of your first year of being a provider
- SUTQ is a five-star quality rating and improvement system administered by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) and ODJFS. SUTQ recognizes and promotes learning and development programs that meet quality program standards that exceed licensing health and safety regulations. The program standards are based on national research identifying standards that lead to improved outcomes for children.
- TAP is a system to record attendance for children receiving publicly funded child care.
- You can record attendance through a tablet or a smart phone.
- For more information visit the TAP website located here.
- Caretakers may contact the TAP Support Center at 1-833-866-1708 Option 9 for KinderSign tablet related questions, KinderSign PIN resets, and KinderConnect password resets.
- The payment for "settled" service weeks is currently visible in the provider portal. This payment is based on the provider's reported rates compared to the ODJFS maximum reimbursement rates and a child's time and attendance data from the Time, Attendance, and Payment (TAP) System. Payment is based on child care usage, not authorization category.
- If a program believes they have been paid incorrectly, the program must use the send alert feature on the Provider Payment screen in KinderConnect to question any part of their payment. The program needs to explain in the alert why the believe the payment is incorrect.
In-Home Aide
An In-Home Aide or IHA is a person that cares for a child in the child's home but does not live with the child. For additional information please click here
To view Child Care In-home Aide rules please click
here.