Some Child Care Resource and Referral (CCRR) agencies have information about child care available in your county. They can also give you information on how to choose a quality child care program. Contact a Division of Child Development Customer Service Representative for the telephone number of the CCRR in your county.  You can also review information about child care centers and family child care homes in your area by using the Division's Facility Search Site. Neighbors, co-workers and other family members can also provide valuable information about child care in the community.

The type of program that you select should be the one that fits you and your child's individual needs. You know your child's personality best. If he or she is most comfortable in a small setting, then a family child care home may work best for him or her. What is most important is that after visiting and observing in the program, it feels like a good fit for your family.

Parents can use the Division's Facility Search Site to find information about the standards a child care facility meets. Licensed child care facilities have ratings of one through five stars. One star means the facility meets minimum licensing requirements. A two - five star rating means the facility has voluntarily met higher program standards and higher staff education levels. Parents can see exactly how the facility scored in each of these areas. The site also provides information about visits made to the centers and homes as well as any administrative actions the Division of Child Development has taken against the facility. Parents can also request additional information via email provided on the Division's Facility Search Site.

An accredited child care program has met standards of quality set forth by an accrediting agency. There are several national accrediting organizations for child care programs. Getting accredited is voluntary and usually involves an intensive self assessment as well as an outside observation. The accreditation process does not impact a program’s star rated license. The web sites for the four national accrediting organizations lists programs that are currently accredited. They can be accessed at:

• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) -- for child care centers
• National Care Child Association (NCCA)-- for child care centers
• National After School Association (NAA) -- for school age programs. The NAA has given the responsibility of accreditation to the Council on Accreditation. However, the list of accredited programs is still maintained on the NAA website.
• National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) -- for family child care homes