Quality Caregivers
☐ Are friendly and eager to care for children.
☐ Accept family cultural and ethnic differences.
☐ Are warm, understanding, encouraging, and
responsive to each child’s individual needs.
☐ Use a pleasant tone of voice and freqently hold,
cuddle, and talk to the children.
☐ Help children manage their behavior in a positive,
constructive, and non-threatening manner.
☐ Allow children to play alone or in small groups.
☐ Are attentive to and interact with the children.
☐ Provide stimulating, interesting, and educational
activities.
☐ Demonstrate knowledge of social and emotional
needs and developmental tasks for all children.
☐ Communicate with parents.
Quality Environments
☐ Are clean, safe, inviting, comfortable, child-friendly.
☐ Provide easy access to age-appropriate toys.
☐ Display children’s activities and creations.
☐ Provide a safe and secure environment that fosters
the growing independence of all children.
Quality Child Care
Quality child care offers healthy, social, and
educational experiences under qualied supervision
in a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment.
Children in these settings participate in daily,
age-appropriate activities that help develop essential
skills, build independence and instill self-respect.
When evaluating the quality of a child care setting,
the following indicators should be considered:
Quality Activities
☐ Are children initiated and teacher facilitated.
☐ Include social interchanges with all children.
☐ Are expressive including play, painting, drawing,
story telling, music, dancing, and other varied
activities.
☐ Include exercise and coordination development.
☐ Include free play and organized activities.
☐ Include opportunities for all children to read, be
creative, explore, and problem-solve.
Every licensed child care facility must meet
the minimum state child care licensing standards
pursuant to s. 402.305, F.S., and ch.
65C-22, F.A.C., which include, but are not limited
to, the following:
☐ Valid license posted for parents to see.
☐ All staff appropriately screened.
☐ Maintain appropriate transportation vehicles
(if transportation is provided).
☐ Provide parents with written disciplinary practices
used by the facility.
☐ Provide access to the facility during normal hours
of operation.
☐ Maintain minimum staff-to-child ratios:
Physical Environment
☐ Maintain sufcient usable indoor oor space
for playing, working, and napping.
☐ Provide space that is clean and free of litter
and other hazards.
☐ Maintain sufcient lighting and inside
temperatures.
☐ Equipt with age and developmentally
appropriate toys.
☐ Provide appropriate bathroom facilities and
other furnishings.
☐ Provide isolation area for children who
become ill.
☐ Practice proper hand washing, toileting,
and diapering activities.
Health Related Requirements
☐ Emergency procedures that include:
• Posting Florida Abuse Hotline number
along with other emergency numbers.
• Staff trained in rst aid and Infant/Child
CPR on the premises at all times.
• Fully stocked rst aid kit.
• A working re extinguisher and
documented monthly re drills with
children and staff.
☐ Medication and hazardous materials are
inaccessible and out of children’s reach.
Training Requirements
☐ 40-hour introductory child care training.
☐ 10-hour in-service training annually.
☐ 0.5 continuing education unit of approved
training or 5 clock hours of training in
early literacy and language development.
☐ Director Credential for all facility directors.
General Requirements
Age of Child Child: Teacher Ratio
Infant
1 year old
2 year old
3 year old
4 year old
5 year old and up
4:1
6:1
11:1
15:1
20:1
25:1
Food and Nutrition
☐ Post a meal and snack menu that pro-
vides daily nutritional needs of the chil-
dren (if meals are provided).
Record Keeping
☐ Maintain accurate records that include:
• Children’s health exam/immunization
record.
• Medication records.
• Enrollment information.
• Personnel records.
• Daily attendance.
• Accidents and incidents.
• Parental permission for eld trips and
administration of medications.
