- What classes do I need to open my own Family Day Care home?
Child care is regulated by the Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing. Currently, you are not required to take any classes in Child Development to operate a family day care home. However, we strongly advise you to take classes in child growth and development, curriculum design and implementation, and the basics of running a successful business. Our department offers a number of classes that can assist you in this endeavor.
- What is the difference between a credential, a permit, a license, and a certificate?
It is confusing and the terms are frequently and incorrectly interchanged, although they have distinct meanings.
- Credential
Credentials are issued by the Commission on Teacher Preparation for teaching grades K-12. Generally in California you need a B.A. degree, plus another year in a school of education to earn your credential. No credential is offered, nor is one needed to teach in a children’s center or preschool program in California.
- Child Development Permit
To teach in a program that receives subsidies from the Child Development Division of the State Department of Education, a Child Development Permit is required. Permits are sometimes referred to as Title V programs and they make up approximately 20 percent of the child development programs in California. Permits are issued by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, the same organization that issues credentials to K-12 teachers. The new permit matrix offers a variety of permits, each requiring a different level of education and giving the holder varying degrees of authority.
- Licenses
Licenses are given to programs (not people) by the Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing. You must have a license to operate a child-care center or family day care home. You may take care of the children from one other family (besides your own) without a license. For more information about obtaining a license, call the local CCL office at 576-2210.
- Certificates
The Child Development Department at SRJC offers two certificates. They parallel the Associate Teacher and the Teacher levels of the Child Development Permit. In conjunction with the Administration of Justice Department, we also offer a Children in the Justice System Certificate. Certificates are obtained by taking the required classes listed. We believe that if you can only take a few classes, these would be the most valuable. For more information, see the Child Development Associate Teacher Skills Certificate and the Child Development Teacher Certificate of Achievement.
- Will Child Development courses taken at another college count toward meeting licensing requirements?
The determination of what coursework meets the requirements of licensing is determined by the Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing office. Our department cannot make that determination. Call the local CCL office at 576-2210.
