Types of Care
This table shows you the basics about child care options in Oregon so you know what questions to ask to help you determine what type of care fits your child best.
This table shows you the basics about child care options in Oregon so you know what questions to ask to help you determine what type of care fits your child best.
Child Care Type | License Exempt | Licensed | |||
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Recorded Programs | Regulated Subsidy Provider | Registered Family Child Care | Certified Family Child Care | Certified Child Care Center | |
What are the care options? | Preschool programs that operate four hours or less per day and school-age programs that aren’t required to be licensed. | Providers eligible for state subsidy reimbursement, but are not required to be licensed. Includes family, friends and some program with limited hours. | Home-based child care program with up to 10 children. | Home-based child care program with up to 16 children. | Center-based child care program with number of children determined by floor space and number of staff. |
Is this type of care regulated? | ![]()
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Which are eligible to accept subsidy dollars? | No. Unless programs meet requirements for regulated subsidy. | ![]() |
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Which are licensed? | No. These programs are recorded with the State. | No. | ![]()
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Which are eligible for quality ratings? | No. | No. | ![]()
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The general characteristics of a Registered Family Child Care provider are:
To find available Registered Family providers in your area, contact 211Info via their website, by dialing 211 toll free, text your zip code to 898211, or email help@211info.org.
The general characteristics of a Certified Family Child Care provider are:
To find available Certified Family providers in your area, contact 211Info via their website, by dialing 211 toll free, text your zip code to 898211, or email help@211info.org.
The general characteristics of a Certified Child Care Center are:
To find available Certified Child Care Centers in your area, contact 211Info via their website, by dialing 211 toll free, text your zip code to 898211, or email help@211info.org.
Being recorded with the Early Learning Division Office of Child Care is different than being licensed, in that there are only two requirements: (1) Self-attest to completing a criminal background check on all staff and volunteers 18 years of age and older who will have contact with children in the program; and (2) Inform parents about their recorded status and post the program notice in a place where it can be seen. Unlike a licensed child care facility, the rules for recorded programs are not extensive. The Office of Child Care will not look at staff requirements, ratio of children to adults, equipment, activities or any other aspects of the program. In most cases, Office of Child Care staff will not visit the facility.
There are two types of recorded programs. Preschool Recorded Programs serve children 36 months to 5 years of age, are primarily educational and no child is in the facility more than four hours per day. And School-age Recorded Programs serve child from first grade to 13 years of age, provide youth development activities that are extracurricular in nature and do not take the place of parental care.
If you have more questions about Preschool or School-age Recorded Programs check out the FAQ or contact the Office of Child Care at 1-800-556-6616 or email childcare.emp@state.or.us.
A Regulated Subsidy Provider is a non-relative who cares for children whose families are eligible for child care assistance through the Department of Human Services (DHS), but who is not required to be licensed. A Regulated Subsidy Provider (sometimes referred to as a license exempt child care provider) is required to be listed with DHS and to follow new federal regulations for training and allow a visit by the Office of Child Care. Learn more about the changes and the new requirements for Regulated Subsidy Providers through the DHS website.
All child care staff and any individual who may have unsupervised access to child care children e.g. adults living in the home, volunteers, maintenance staff, the owner, office staff, and regular visitors must be enrolled in the Office of Child Care’s Central Background Registry. The background check process includes a criminal background check through the Oregon State Police, a record check through Department of Human Services Child Protective Services and the fingerprint based criminal background check through the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Self-attest a criminal background check is conducted on all staff and volunteers 18 years and older who have contact with children.
All licensed child care programs receive a combination of announced and unannounced visits. Certified Child Care Centers and Certified Family Child Care Homes have an announced licensing visit annually. Registered Family Child Care Homes have a licensing visit biennially. In addition the announced licensing visit, all programs receive no less than one unannounced monitoring visit annually. If compliance concerns exist, the program will receive additional unannounced monitoring. The Office of Child Care also responds to complaints alleging rule violations in a program and reports of injuries requiring medical attention. Complaint visits are conducted unannounced.