Ohio Moves to Strengthen Child Care Safety as State Tightens Oversight of Licensed Programs
There are a variety of regulated child care and early learning programs available to Ohio families to help children while parents, guardians or custodians are at work or in school.
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) licenses early learning and development programmes throughout the state and offers support to eligible families to help pay for child care.
According to Ohio law, child care is defined as care for infants, toddlers, preschool age children and school-age children outside of school hours. The care is typically given by a person other than the child’s caregiver, is not provided for 24 hours or more, and is not provided in the child’s home.
Depending on the type of service provided, some child care arrangements are required to be licensed and others may not require a licence.
Child care centres and Type A and B family day-care homes are all licensed by the DCY. DCY performs checks prior to the opening of a licensed programme to ensure that it complies with relevant state and federal requirements.
The department also carries out post-licensing monitoring of programmes. This involves investigating complaints against child care providers and ensuring that programmes are still meeting the necessary standards.
Ohio offers information for families who need help, including eligibility, available early care and education services, and how to apply for help. Parents and guardians can also find child care programmes and find out about the state’s Step Up To Quality system.
The information emphasises the need for the right type of child care where children’s safety, development and wellbeing are at the heart of the care they receive.
