If you are planning to open a child care program in California, you almost certainly will need a license. (There are a few types of programs that do not require a license, but these are generally very short-term or have other very strict limitations.) The agency that issues child care licenses is the Community Care Licensing Division (“CCLD”) of the state’s Department of Social Services.

Broadly, there are two different types of licenses depending on where you will be providing care. If you will be caring for children in your own home, you will likely need a “Family Child Care Home” license. If you will be caring for children in a building that is not your home (ex: a commercial building, a suite in a commercial mall, a group of rooms in a church), then you need a “Child Care Center” license.

CCLD provides a surprisingly helpful booklet on how to apply for both kinds of licenses, and each booklet has a checklist of the documents you will need to submit with your application. Unfortunately, CCLD does not make the instruction booklets easy to find, so here are direct links to each booklet of instructions:

For Child Care Centers (DOWNLOAD HERE): https://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/Additional-Resources/Forms-and-Brochures/2020/I-L/LIC281A.pdf?ver=2024-03-01-090643-403

For Family Child Care Homes (DOWNLOAD HERE): https://www.cdss.ca.gov/Portals/9/Additional-Resources/Forms-and-Brochures/2020/I-L/LIC279A.pdf?ver=2024-06-21-160742-857

To apply for your child care license, complete and submit the documents listed in the instructions to your local CCLD Regional Office. Make sure to submit your application fee. If you do not, the office will not begin processing your application fee.

Get the Licensing Appeal Kit.
Researched & written by a lawyer and preschool owner, for childcare providers.

As a lawyer in private practice, clients used to pay $575 per hour for my time and effort. The guides, templates, research, and real-world appeals in my Licensing Appeal Kit represents over 300 hours of research and work on my part, which I’m making available to every childcare provider in California for the cost of a few children’s books. And for a limited number of providers, I’m offering the Licensing Appeal Kit and a 1-hour consultation with me to talk over any licensing issues whenever they need.

The Licensing Appeal Kit

$ 99

What you get:

• My 22-page step-by-step guide to appeal licensing citations
• Mi guía paso a paso de 22 páginas para apelar citaciones de licencia
• A 9-page guide to help childcare providers understand and handle lawsuits (being sued)
• Ready-to-use templates for first- and second-level appeals
• A bulletpoint appeal template that makes it possible to assemble an appeal in less than hour
• Checklists for children files and teacher files to help you avoid common record-keeping citations
• Seven real-life examples you’ll have permission to copy from (over 400 pages of material)
• Templates for licensing waiver requests
• A pre-written waiver request to commingle toddlers with other age components (new for 2024, based on PIN 24-01-CCP)
• Every future update (purchasers are the first to receive new materials)

or

$99.00 – Purchase Checkout Added to cart

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The Licensing Appeal Kit
+ 1-hour consultation

$ 199

What you get:

• Everything in the Licensing Appeal Kit
• Every future update (purchasers are the first to receive new materials)
• A one-hour phone consultation with me to discuss your licensing issue and analyze your appeal (never expires; save it for when you need it)
• Only 20 currently available

or

$199.00 – Purchase Checkout Added to cart

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