New York State Regulations and Requirements
Child care services in Brooklyn and all of New York are administrated by New York State Office of Children and Family Services (NY OCFS). The following are essential pages for child care providers from the NYS OCFS website.
Child Care Policies and Regulations for New York State.
Becoming a Provider: Starting a Child Care Program
Training for Child Care Providers:
Resources for OCFS Provider Trainings
Training Requirements
Child Care Grant Programs: Overview
Childcare Resource & Referral Agencies: CCRRs are key partners and provide services to parents and day care providers in every county of New York State. They provide information to new and prospective child care providers about many aspects of program start up and eligibility for funding to assist you in starting or expanding your child care program. Agency list by County.
To get more information about operating a day care center in New York City, contact the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygene, Bureau of Day Care. The bureau has a list of regulations and permits needed by operators for each type of child care, including School-age Child Care (After-school Programs), Family day care and group family day care and more.
Business Advice from Online Articles
"Your Step-by-Step Guide to Opening a Daycare," Rasmussen University
Starting a Child Care Business in New York, NOLO
Day Care Business Plans, Bplans
Start Up Assistance and Advice
Useful guidance on how to start and operate a child care business.
CUNY Early Childhood Professional Development Institute: Support for providers with emphasis on education and quality care: www.earlychildhoodny.org/
Valuable resources for informal providers; check out the newsletter and consider coaching through the Informal Family Child Care Project: https://earlychildhoodny.org/ifcc/
NYC Child Care Resource and Referral Consortium: A group of five child care organizations which offers information on starting and operating a home based business as well as information on Start-up and Health and Safety grants. Assistance also includes help with certification and licensing. Visit www.nyccrr.org/childcare-programs-providers or call 888-469-5999 for more information
Child Care Aware: The US Administration for Families and Children's Office of Child Care offers resources and links to information on every aspect of running a quality child care business: www.childcareaware.org/opening-a-child-care-program/;
Fact sheet with useful information and statistics on child care in New York State: www.childcareaware.org/our-issues/research/ccdc/state/ny/
Day Care Council of New York, Inc.: DCC provides labor relations and mediation services, child care referral services, trainings, and technical assistance to new providers. Their services include the James C. Hall Family Day Care Network that provides training to family child care providers in South East and South West Queens. www.dccnyinc.org
They also provide pricing guidelines: www.dccnyinc.org/families/what-to-look-for-in-a-program-provider/market-rates/