Can anyone do child care?

• When child care is taking place on a regular basis for 3 and more hours per day for children not related to the provider within the 3rd degree of consanguinity (great-grandparent up to first cousin to child) then NYS Social Service Law mandates that care is provided for no more than 2 children. This is the same for private pay as well as subsidized care. If care is for 3 and more children who are unrelated to the provider or more distantly related than first cousin to the child, 3 and more hours on a regular basis in the provider’s home, then the provider must be licensed or registered with NYS. If you have questions or if you are interested in becoming licensed or registered., contact our Registrars at  716-661-9430 ext. 2289 or ext. 2290.
• In NYS, to provide legally exempt or licensed/registered care, the provider must be 18 years of age or older.

I filled out a lot of paperwork and received a letter saying I am enrolled. That means I am registered to do child care, right?

• Licensing and registration are different from legally exempt enrollment. If you do not receive a state issued, signed certificate with a registration or license number, then you are not a registered or licensed child care provider. When you have received a notice of enrollment letter, it means you are enrolled to provide legally exempt care for one or more families, named in the letter, for one year. At the end of one year, you will be required to renew your enrollment.

How do I know if a provider is licensed  or registered?

• All licensed and registered child care providers in NYS are required to post their license or registration in a place where parents can easily see it. On it will be the provider’s name, their license/registration number, beginning and expiration dates, number of children they may provide care for, ages of children they may provide care for, type of care approved for, whether there is a pool in use, any restrictions they are under, whether they are approved to administer medications, and contact information for the Office of Children and Family Services.

Why hasn’t my child care provider been paid by DHHS yet?

• Your child care provider will not be paid by DHHS until enrollment or re-enrollment process is complete, AND you (the parent) has been approved or re-approved for the child care subsidy through the county DHHS child care unit.
• The provider will not receive payment if their enrollment is in expired or closed status.
• Timesheets must be accurate and submitted to DHHS to receive payment.
• Make sure ALL necessary documentation has been submitted along with the application. Be sure to read letters that come to the provider and parent for information about what may be needed and the contact information for case managers. Just because you may receive other services from DHHS does not mean that documentation you have submitted for other programs can be used for the subsidy application process.
• Make sure the parent is mailing all subsidy paperwork to DHHS Child Care Unit in Mayville. The provider mails all enrollment paperwork to Chautauqua Child Care Council at Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc. in Jamestown or Connections North in Dunkirk.

Can I have more than one child care provider?

• Yes, your child care decisions are up to you. If you receive the child care subsidy, be sure to make DHHS aware of all providers you will be hiring and when you change providers.
• Any time the site of care changes, a new license, registration, or legally exempt application must be submitted. If legally exempt care is in the provider’s home, and the provider moves, or if the care is legally exempt in-home care, meaning that the care takes place in the child’s home (which typically is also the parent/guardian home), and the child moves, then a new legally exempt application must be filled out and submitted. For licensed and registered programs whose address changes, licensed or registered care cannot resume until the new address is approved by NYS.

Do I have to complete a background check to be a provider?

• If you are applying to be a licensed or registered provider-

You, household members 18 and over, assistants, employees, substitutes, and volunteers (if they are going to have substantial contact with the children in care) will have to complete a comprehensive background check.

• If you are applying to be a legally exempt provider–

If you are not related to all the children in care as a great-grandparent (or legal spouse of), grandparent (or legal spouse of), aunt/uncle (or legal spouse of), or sibling who is living in a separate residence from the children in care, you do have to complete a comprehensive background check. Household members over 18 in Family Child Care (care in the provider’s home) programs who are related in any way to the children in care are exempt from the comprehensive background checks. Household members at In-home programs are exempt from background checks. Non-relative employees and volunteers in non-related programs have to complete the background checks. 

If you are related to all of the children in care as a great-grandparent (or legal spouse of), grandparent (or legal spouse of), aunt/uncle (or legal spouse of), or sibling living in a separate residence, you, household members over 18, employees, and volunteers do not have to complete a comprehensive background check..

What if I can’t remember my previous addresses for the Statewide Central Registry (SCR) check?

• You do have to list addresses starting with your current address, back 28 years. If you can’t remember:

Ask family and friends

Check old paperwork such as pay stubs or bills

Look on Google maps or some other map app. If you can remember a street name or landmark you lived near that should help you get the house number

Check with any medical professionals you have seen. They may have records of previous addresses

• You must provide a house number AND street. You must provide a month AND year for when you moved in to when you moved out. There should be no gaps.