Each state and territory has child care licensing staff who must make regular onsite, in-person visits to monitor and inspect all licensed child care programs. These visits ensure programs continue to meet licensing requirements. Licensing staff document the results of these visits through monitoring and inspection reports.
Federal law requires states and territories to post the results of child care monitoring and inspection reports online. This requirement ensures that families have access to information on how well each program meets child care health and safety requirements. Families can then use that information to make the best child care choice for them.
Monitoring and inspection reports should be easy to understand. They should also share the following:
Date of the monitoring or inspection visit
Health and safety violations, if any
Actions taken by the program to correct such violations
Actions taken by the state to address the violations
Substantiated complaints (which are complaints that the state or territory has investigated and found to be valid) for a program’s failure to adhere to health and safety requirements designed to protect children’s health and safety
Find online child care inspection reports by selecting your state or territory on the “See Your State’s Resources" page and selecting the “Understanding and Finding Child Care” tab.