here are minimum standards and day care requirements which have been set by government regulatory agencies for child care services providers. The areas covered include health and safety, child protection, special needs, number of adult carers per child, type of care, staff qualifications, food standards, learning and play. Day care or child care providers usually have to meet these requirements before they can be licensed or registered.

If you're starting or plan to start a day care center, you should first find out what the day care requirements are for your state. Day care requirements are there to ensure that daycare programs are meeting the minimum standards for child care. Many care providers aim to voluntarily exceed the required minimum standards. To find out more information about day care requirements in your state call 1-800-598-5437. This is the number for the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education. They have information about individual states' Child Care Licensure regulations and requirements.

The government through its agencies monitors day care providers to ensure that the requirements are being met. They use inspectors and consultants who visit day care centers and inspect their programs and facilities for compliance with regulations to ensure that they meet the minimum day care requirements and standards. Most of the visits are unannounced. The information gathered during these visits is documented and is available for the public to see. So if your day care service gets good reports demand for places at your center may be very high.

Remember every state has their own day care requirements so if you’re interested in opening a child care center the first step is to find out from your state what the requirements and regulations are. You may find it helpful to consult some of the many books available about starting a daycare business. This will give you step-by-step instructions on what to do.

Copyright © 2007 Greg Miles. Click here for a helpful resource on day care requirements and on starting your own profitable home-based day care business. http://www.businesstartupsguide.com/daycare or visit The Business Start-up Guide online.

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