Contact: Fred Lewis, [email protected]; (202) 412-2167
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) has updated regulations governing the licensure of child development facilities throughout the District of Columbia to ensure that care provided in the District’s licensed child development facilities is not only safe, but also supports children’s healthy development, future academic achievement, and success.
On Dec. 2, 2016, OSSE published a Notice of Final Rulemaking in the DC Register (63 DCR 50) updating the regulations that govern the licensure of child development facilities throughout the District of Columbia. The final rulemaking updates the District’s regulatory framework for child development facilities to reflect current research and best practices in child development to comply with the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 (CCDBG), approved Nov. 19, 2014, and incorporate relevant District laws and regulations that impact child development facilities.
The purpose of the final rulemaking is to establish the minimum requirements necessary to protect the health, safety, welfare, and positive development of children receiving care.
“Ensuring the District’s earliest learners develop in healthy and safe environments served as one of the motivating factors to update the regulations for licensing child development facilities, which were last revised in 2008,” said State Superintendent of Education Hanseul Kang. “Every child in the District deserves a quality education, and through the new regulations we are able to ensure that happens.”
The updates to the final rulemaking align the District’s regulatory framework for child development facilities with the CCDBG Act and its regulations, as well as with Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs, which strongly influenced the development of the CCDBG Act.
“I applaud OSSE for using the Caring for Our Children standards to inform the development of these regulations,” said Dr. Lee Beers, medical director for Municipal and Regional Affairs at Children’s National Health System. “Using evidence to inform and improve the quality of health and safety practices in DC will support better outcomes for children, families, and staff.”
As with the reauthorized CCDBG Act, this final rulemaking is intended to be an integral part of supporting families, promoting both the healthy development of children in the District of Columbia, and improving the overall quality of child care in the District.
The primary changes in the regulations consist of required comprehensive criminal background checks for all facility employees and volunteers; a requirement for subsidized child development programs to participate in the District’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS); the development and implementation of a disaster preparedness plan for the continuity of care during a disaster; increased professional development requirements; and new staff qualifications.
OSSE’s Division of Early Learning will host the following community meetings to share important information and provide attendees the opportunity to ask questions to increase their understanding of the new licensing regulations:
| Date of Meeting | Time of Meeting | Location |
| Dec. 15, 2016 | 2-4 pm | Shaw (Watha T. Daniel) Neighborhood Library 1630 Seventh St. NW Washington, DC 20001 |
| Dec. 16, 2016 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Office of the State Superintendent of Education 810 First St. NE Washington, DC 20002 |
| Dec. 20, 2016 | 2-4 p.m. | Bellevue (William O. Lockridge) Neighborhood Library 115 Atlantic St. SW Washington, DC 20032 |
| Jan. 24, 2017 | 6:30-8:30 p.m. | Mary’s Center 2333 Ontario Road NW Washington, DC 20009 |
For more information on the new regulations for the licensing of child development facilities, please visit: http://dcregs.dc.gov/Gateway/NoticeHome.aspx?NoticeID=6299779.