Becoming a Child Care Provider
Starting a Child Care Business
- Interested in opening a child care center?
- Need information on how to become a registered family child care provider?
- Would you like to know what training opportunities are available in your community?
New Jersey local Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agencies have supported thousands of center-based and home-based child care providers to start a child care business and/or to improve the quality of their program through an array of training and technical assistance services.
Contact your local Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agency today to help start your child care business!
Opening A Child Care Center in NJ
Child care centers that care for 6 or more children must be licensed by the State of New Jersey. If you are interested in opening or expanding a child care center in New Jersey,
- Contact the Department of Children and Families Office of Licensing, toll-free at 1-877-667-9845 or click here to visit the Department of Children and Families (DCF) web site to receive additional information. The Child Care Center Manual of Requirements is effective through 2023.
- Check with the local government zoning and planning board to learn about zoning and planning requirements in the town you wish to locate the center.
- Call your local CCR&R for technical assistance in the areas of environment, curriculum, staff development and training. Your local CCR&R provides a wide variety of educational programs for individuals working in child care centers to meet state licensing requirements and best support high-quality child care.
Becoming a Registered Family Child Care Provider
Becoming a registered family child care home provider can be a rewarding career! Be your own boss, support the healthy development of children, and earn income for caring up to 5 children at a time.
- Contact your local Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) agency and ask how to become registered and start your business!
- Families whose child care for their children is paid through state child care subsidies are limited to licensed or registered providers. Therefore, only registered family child care providers are eligible to care for children whose care is paid for by the state.
- Check out our start-up resources here and our registration tips guide here.
- CCR&Rs offer a wide array of training sessions and support to help you operate your business and offer high-quality child care for children.
There are so many benefits to becoming a registered family child care provider. Contact your local CCR&R today and find out how we can help you become registered!
Services available by local CCR&Rs include:
- Technical assistance on how to become a family child care provider or open a child care center
- Information on New Jersey child care center licensing regulations
- Information on New Jersey family child care home regulations
- Professional development opportunities
- Support services for early childhood staff including coalitions, Pre-K Forums, Director’s Support Networks, and Teacher Support Networks, Registered Family Child care Home Networks, and a broad array of technical assistance support (including coaching and training) related to supporting high-quality child care programs
- Business technical assistance
- Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) support
- Support to becoming a child care subsidy vendor (accepting children whose care is paid for with a child care subsidy)
- Information on local and state child care conferences and trainings
- Employment opportunities
- Community resources
In addition, CCR&Rs work with local and state governments and the private sector to increase and leverage resources for expanding and maintaining the supply of quality child care.
Click here for a list of the county child care resource and referral agencies.