Child care providers are businesses and non-profit organizations that operate child development facilities in DC and provide child care and early learning services to children ages birth to 5 and their families, and/or out-of-school time care for school-age children. In order for DC children to access high-quality early childhood programs and start school prepared to thrive, child care providers need resources to build, sustain and grow their businesses. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) supports child care providers by:
- Licensing child development facilities and monitoring licensed providers to ensure they meet health and safety standards and comply with licensing regulations;
- Administering the DC Child Care Subsidy Program, which pays participating child care providers on behalf of families receiving child care subsidies;
- Providing resources, supports and professional development to improve or maintain child care program quality;
- Offering financial supports to strengthen operations; and
- Supporting development and inclusion for children with disabilities and developmental delays.
Information on these supports is available below.
Licensing and Monitoring
OSSE operates the licensing and monitoring processes for child development facilities in DC. Nearly all child care programs in DC must be licensed. To get licensed, a child development facility must complete the licensing process and maintain compliance with OSSE’s child care licensing regulations. After a facility receives its license, it must renew the license every three years. Click the links below for more information about licensing and monitoring.
- How to get a license
- Background checks
- Monitoring and inspections
- Unusual Incident Reporting
- Licensing regulations
DC Child Care Subsidy Program
OSSE administers the DC Child Care Subsidy Program, which helps DC families with low and moderate incomes, as well as those with special circumstances that create a need for child care assistance, pay for the cost of child care. The program pays all or part of an eligible family’s child care cost directly to the child care provider. To serve families paying for child care with subsidies, a child care provider must be licensed, complete the subsidy agreement process and comply with Child Care Subsidy Program requirements. Click the links below for more information about the DC Child Care Subsidy Program.
- How to join the DC Child Care Subsidy Program
- DC Child Care Subsidy Program Policy Manual
- Reimbursement Rates for Subsidy Providers
Quality Improvement
OSSE provides child care providers professional development, technical assistance and other business supports to improve and maintain child care program quality. Click the links below for more information about program quality supports from OSSE.
- Capital Quality
- DC Shared Services Business Alliance (DC SSBA)
- Early Childhood Share DC
- Professional development courses
Grants and Funding
OSSE offers financial assistance and business and planning supports to child care programs to preserve and increase the supply and quality of child care to meet the needs of DC children and families and to recruit and retain a high-quality child care workforce. Click the links below for more information on funding opportunities from OSSE.
Inclusion for Children with Disabilities and Developmental Delays
OSSE offers free early intervention services and supports through Strong Start, DC’s early intervention program for eligible children younger than age 3 with developmental delays and disabilities and their families. Strong Start’s early interventionists deliver services in children’s natural learning environments, including homes, community settings and child development facilities. Using a coaching interaction style during daily family routines, early interventionists build on the capacity of families and caregivers to help their child learn and develop. Strong Start also offers workshops and training for child development provider staff in conducting developmental screenings, identifying children with disabilities, inclusionary best practices and understanding the Strong Start referral process and services. Child development providers with concerns about development for a child age 2 years and 8 months or older should submit a referral to Early Stages, operated by District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). Click the links below for more information about early intervention supports.
- Strong Start
- Early Stages