Child Day Care and Family Day Facilities

Child Day Care and Family Day Facilities

How this program helps people

Child day care centers are defined as programs offering care to two or more children under age 13 in a facility that is not the residence of the provider or of any of the children in care. The Division of Licensing Programs licenses or regulates centers to protect the safety, health, and well-being of children in day care centers.

Licensed short-term child day care centers are child day programs that operate for part of the year only, such as summer camps.

Family day homes are defined as child day programs offered in the residence of the provider, or the home of any of the children in care, for up to twelve children under age 13, excluding the provider’s children or children who reside in the home, when at least one child receives care for compensation. Family day homes must be licensed when they serve between 6 and 12 children, excluding the provider’s children or children who reside in the home.

Family day systems providers approve family day homes and refer children to their member (family day) homes. Unless licensed or voluntarily registered, family day homes may care for no more than four children under age 2, including the provider’s children or children who reside in the home.

Tracking early child care providers is now managed by the Virginia Department of Education. Beginning with SFY 2022, VDSS will no longer report new statistics on this program.

Data Notes

Data Sources

Division of Licensing Programs Help and Information Network (DOLPHIN)