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Overview
If you want to care for children who are unrelated to you in your home, you will need to get a Family Child Care Home license.
Eligibility
- No one in your household has pleaded guilty, nolo contendere, or was found guilty of disqualifying offenses
- Everyone in the household 13 and older must pass a background check
- 18 and older includes a Clearinghouse screening and a Child Abuse record search
- 13 - 17 includes a juvenile delinquency records check
- You must complete the following
- a first aid class or an infant/CPR class
- 30-hour Family Child Care course
- Fire Extinguisher training
- Your home must have the following
- a fenced outside area with a minimum of 500 square feet and a minimum of 4 foot high fence
- sufficient toys and equipment for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and after-schoolers
- clean, safe, and sanitary conditions that are in good repair
- a satisfactory fire inspection
- If your home has a pool, spa, or water hazards, they must be fenced, enclosed, and/or locked with a 4 foot or taller barrier, and additional training and equipment are required
- If you have well water, you will need a Family Child Care Home well water permit from the Health Department
- Call (813) 307-8059
- Cost of an initial well water permit is $125, with $65 annual renewal fee, plus the cost of quarterly well water testing
Fees
- Nonrefundable license pre-application fee: $40
- Fees for background checks, first-aid, CPR and Family Child Care courses vary
How To
- Fill out and complete the pre-application
- Send it with the $40 non-refundable check to:
Child Care Licensing Office
3152 Clay Mangum Lane
Tampa, FL 33618
What's Next
- We will contact you by mail to register you for the for the next available consultation class
- At this class, you will receive all the information you need to get a family child care home license
- Classes are usually held one Tuesday of each month from 8:30 AM to 1 PM
- Spanish consultation classes are available every other month, also on a Tuesday
- Once the background screening is complete, you can schedule an initial inspection
- Potential licensees can contact the Senior Family Child Care Home Licensing Inspector at (813) 264-3925, ext. 53563 to schedule an appointment
- We will issue the license after the successful completion of the entire process
- You should receive it within seven to 10 working days
Get Help
- Training and Credentialing Requirements (Florida Dept. of Children and Families)