Becoming a Child Care Provider

Being a child care provider can be a great career choice, if you really like children and enjoy helping them grow and develop into healthy, happy people. In some communities the demand for child care is greater than the supply. Becoming a child care provider may offer a way for you to make money and allow you to work with children.

You may be able to keep your own children, along with others, in your family home. Or you may want to create a larger child care facility, such as a child care center. You may want to serve children with special needs, focus on just one age group or offer care only in the evenings, overnight or on weekends

Start by finding a location that needs more child care providers. Contact the resource and referral agency that serves your county. Tell them you are thinking about starting a child care program. Ask them to let you know how many child care options already exist in your neighborhood. Is there a need for more care? What type of care is needed? What are the average fees charged by existing caregivers? The answers can help you decide whether to pursue becoming a child care provider.

For information to help you make the right choices, build a business plan and start a child care program, there are a number of recommended web sites for you to visit.

The first step is to see the different types of care and find out the state requirements for each type. A summary of this information is located here. A license is required if you provide child care on a regular basis.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care, issues licenses for all types of care in Oklahoma and carries out the Child Care Facilities Licensing Act. This Act defines the types of child care programs that must be licensed and sets minimum requirements for each type. These are just the basics to protect children's health, safety and well-being. For a complete list of requirements, please go to
http://nrc.uchsc.edu/STATES/OK/oklahoma.htm and click on the type of child care program that interests you. You will find links to each set of licensing requirements BELOW all the definitions.
For family child care homes, certain training is required prior to initial permit and 12 hours of yearly training. Requirements vary, from courses for directors of child care centers to classes for home-based caregivers. New teachers in Child Care Centers, must take the ELECT course within 3 months after starting work. You will also need to create a healthy, safe environment for your program.

To learn how to keep improving your program and make more money for your added quality, read about Oklahoma's unique system, called "Reaching for the Stars" program.

If you are thinking of starting a child care program, you will want to read Planning Guide for Starting a Child Care Center.  For license application forms to get you started, please contact a licensing specialist for your county.

OR

Contact the resource & referral agency in your region.