Pennsylvania child care center certificate of compliance: how to get one

What Pennsylvania licenses, and what it calls the license

Pennsylvania doesn’t issue a “child care license” by that name. The Department of Human Services (DHS) issues a certificate of compliance, which its own provider page puts in quotes as the “license.” Under 55 Pa. Code Chapter 3270, the certificate is issued to a legal entity for a specific location, for no more than 12 months at a time.⁠¹⁠⁵ DHS regulates three types of child care facility, and certification starts at four unrelated children.⁠⁵ A center is the largest of the three:

• Child care center (Chapter 3270). “The premises in which care is provided at any one time for seven or more children unrelated to the operator.”⁠¹
• Group child care home (Chapter 3280). More than 6 but fewer than 13 children, or more than 6 but fewer than 16 older school-age children (4th grade through age 15), unrelated to the operator. The definition covers a facility “located in a residence or other premises.”⁠³
• Family child care home (Chapter 3290). Four to six unrelated children, in a residence.⁠⁵

Chapter 3270 covers out-of-home care for part of a 24-hour day for children 15 or younger. That includes care at a parent’s work site when the parent isn’t in the child care space, public and private programs whether for-profit or nonprofit, and before- and after-school care in nonpublic schools and private nursery schools and kindergartens. It does not cover care by relatives, care in places of worship during services, care where the parent stays on site the whole time, or the instructional hours of nonpublic schools and private nursery schools and kindergartens.⁠¹ If your program also meets the definition of a private academic school, you need approval from both DHS and the Department of Education.⁠¹ A Head Start program that adds child care before or after its Head Start day needs a certificate for that extended portion.⁠¹

Seven to twelve children: center or group home?

The two definitions overlap. Seven to 12 children fits both the center definition and the group child care home definition, and a group home does not have to be in a house.⁠¹⁠³ The rules differ in ways that change your budget. A center can run a preschool group of 20 with two staff. In a group child care home, every age level’s group is capped at 12 (15 for older school-age children), and an infant or young toddler group of 12 needs three staff.⁠¹⁠³

The building code draws its own line. Under 34 Pa. Code § 403.23, a dwelling “used primarily as a private residence” that cares for 7 to 12 children counts as R-3 (residential) occupancy. It needs an interconnected smoke detector system and is licensed under Chapter 3280. Every other child day care facility is classified under Chapter 3 of the 2021 International Building Code.⁠⁴ So if you plan more than 12 children, or any space that is not primarily your residence, the building is classified under the 2021 IBC whichever DHS chapter you apply under.⁠⁴ For the home-based routes, see the Pennsylvania family and group child care home guide.

No state fee, but a certificate of occupancy comes first

Chapter 20, the DHS licensing procedure that applies to centers, has a fee schedule that lists adult day care centers, maternity homes, several mental health and intellectual disability facility types, and personal care homes. Child care centers are not listed, and § 20.42(b) states: “No fee is required for a facility or agency not listed in subsection (a).”⁠² The DHS orientation module is also free.⁠⁷ Your real up-front costs are local. OCDEL’s opening toolkit warns that cities, townships and boroughs set their own zoning, building, health and fire requirements, and that “there may be fees involved.”⁠⁹

The building approval is the step that sets your schedule. DHS will not grant a certificate of compliance until you provide a certificate of occupancy showing compliance with the Department of Labor and Industry’s child day care standards in 34 Pa. Code § 403.23.⁠¹ OCDEL advises having the certificate of occupancy before you apply or attend orientation.⁠⁹ Chapter 20 also requires written fire safety approval where applicable. Depending on location, that comes from Labor and Industry, the Department of Health, the Department of Public Safety in Scranton or Pittsburgh, or Licenses and Inspections in Philadelphia.⁠²

Philadelphia. A center in a commercial building in the City of Philadelphia submits a certificate of occupancy and a food prep license from the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections with its DHS application.⁠⁶

Water. Centers, unlike group and family homes, must prove they meet the Pennsylvania Safe Drinking Water Act. A water bill or a letter from the utility is enough on public water. A well or surface source serving 25 or more people a day needs an approval letter from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). An on-site source that isn’t a public water system needs a DEP letter saying so. Centers in Philadelphia County and school-age programs in school buildings are exempt from this item.⁠⁶ Hot water in areas children can reach is capped at 110°F.⁠¹

Orientation and pre-service training

Chapter 3270 requires the legal entity or its representative to attend a DHS orientation within the 12 months before the center opens.⁠¹ For centers and group homes, the orientation has two parts:⁠⁷

1. Online module

   “DHS Orientation: Opening a Child Care Center or Group Child Care Home,” hosted by Penn State Better Kid Care, with no fee.

2. In-person session

   A class led by a certification representative from a regional office. You must attend within one year of finishing the online module, at any regional office in the state. Both completion certificates must be less than a year old and go in with your application; without them the application is incomplete.

Before the certificate is issued, the same representative must also document training in the 10 federal health and safety topics. These are infectious disease and immunization, safe sleep and SIDS, medication administration, food and allergy emergencies, premises safety, shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma, emergency preparedness, hazardous materials and biocontaminants, transportation, and pediatric first aid and CPR.⁠¹ DHS has required this since September 30, 2016. Its online module covers 9 of the 10 topics; pediatric first aid and CPR has to be taken in person.⁠⁵ The application checklist requires the first aid and CPR course to be taught by a PQAS-certified trainer (PQAS is Pennsylvania’s professional development quality assurance system), and the same legal entity representative must complete both the health and safety topics and that course.⁠⁶

Separately, Act 31 of 2014 makes mandated reporter (child abuse recognition) training a prerequisite to applying. Without the completion certificate, the application is considered incomplete.⁠⁹

The application packet

You submit the Application for Certificate of Compliance (form CD 633) to the regional office for your county. Each facility needs its own application.⁠²⁠⁶ DHS’s checklist of what makes an application complete:⁠⁶

• CD 633, signed.
• Certificate of occupancy showing Uniform Construction Code compliance for use as a child care center.
• Clearances for the person who signs the application and for the responsible person: Pennsylvania child abuse history, Pennsylvania State Police criminal history, FBI fingerprint check, and National Sex Offender Registry verification. Each must be dated within the 60 months before you apply, and you need out-of-state clearances if you lived outside Pennsylvania in the past 5 years.
• Disclosure statement, signed, witnessed and dated.
• Mandated reporter training certificate. In a partnership both partners need one; a corporation can submit the director’s.
• Business papers filed with the Department of State (articles of incorporation, or LLC, LLP or LP registration showing members, or a certificate of authority for an out-of-state entity), any fictitious name approval, and IRS tax-exempt status if nonprofit.
• FEIN verification on IRS letterhead, with the name matching the entity papers.
• Civil Rights Compliance form (HS 2126) and supporting documents. OCDEL forwards these to DHS’s Bureau of Equal Opportunity, and an initial certificate “cannot be processed until the BEO notifies OCDEL of approval.”
• Orientation and pre-service training documentation, as described above.
• Safe Drinking Water Act verification.

Chapter 20 also requires you to name, in writing, the person responsible for daily operation.⁠² An incomplete application is returned in writing.⁠⁶

From application to opening day

1. Pick your regional office

   There are five regional offices, each assigned specific counties. The Southeast office is split into North and South, and Philadelphia is divided between them by ZIP code.⁠⁸ The toll-free numbers listed on the application checklist are Central 800-222-2117, Northeast 800-222-2108, Southeast 800-346-2929 and Western 800-222-2149.⁠⁶

2. Application review

   OCDEL’s toolkit says the regional supervisor has up to 45 days to review the application. A complete one goes to a certification representative, who schedules the initial inspection, and that can take several more weeks.⁠⁹

3. Announced pre-opening inspection

   DHS inspects before issuing the first certificate, and the director (or the staff person designated as responsible for compliance) must show valid photo ID.⁠¹ Waiver requests (allowed only for staff accreditation, physical site, equipment and program standards) must reach the regional office before the inspection.⁠¹

4. Provisional certificate

   With no children enrolled yet, DHS can’t confirm full compliance, so the first certificate is normally provisional, for up to 6 months.⁠⁹ Chapter 20 allows at most four consecutive provisional certificates for one facility.⁠² You may not operate before the effective date on the certificate.⁠⁹

5. Regular certificate

   A full inspection during the first six months leads to a regular certificate if violations are corrected, issued for up to 12 months.⁠¹⁠⁹

The toolkit puts the whole process at about 100 days from a complete application to a provisional certificate, when the inspection finds no violations or only minor ones.⁠⁹ The toolkit is undated, so treat that figure as a guide only.

Space and fixtures: how capacity is set

Chapter 3270 measures capacity room by room:⁠¹

Indoor space is measured within permanent walls or partitions. It includes the floor under cupboards, shelves and furniture and excludes halls, bathrooms, offices, kitchens and locker rooms. The same space can’t count as both child care space and play space at the same time.⁠¹ A room’s capacity may be exceeded only in three cases:⁠¹

• Naptime. For up to 2½ consecutive hours, no more than twice a day, with capacity set by the rest-equipment spacing rule (2 feet of clear space on three sides of each cot or crib).
• Activity periods. Up to two half-hour blocks a day for older toddlers and older children, at no more than twice the room’s measured capacity, with no infants or young toddlers in the room.
• Meals. Up to 1 hour a day, at no more than twice capacity.

Play space can be indoors or outdoors, but children must go outside daily, weather permitting.⁠¹ The children of the operator and staff count toward space capacity and ratios.⁠¹ Infant equipment rules include no stacked cribs, slats no more than 2⅜ inches apart, and no toys, bumper pads or pillows in a crib while an infant sleeps.⁠¹

Ratios and group sizes

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

In a mixed-age group, the youngest child sets both the ratio and the group size.⁠¹ During naptime the ratios relax to 1:10 for young toddlers, 1:12 for older toddlers and 1:20 for preschoolers, and staff who are on duty but not caring for children must stay in the child care part of the building.⁠¹ Infant ratios do not relax. Whenever two or more children are present, at least two facility persons must be on site, and at least one of them must be a staff person. The same applies on excursions.⁠¹

Director and staff qualifications

Pennsylvania sets four staff levels, and degrees count heavily. Qualifying fields are early childhood education, child development, special education, elementary education or human services.⁠¹

A CDA or Certified Childcare Professional credential counts as 9 credit hours plus 1 year of experience.⁠¹ Structural rules to plan your org chart around:⁠¹

• The director must be employed by the center and on site at least 30 hours a week. The director also runs finances, staffing and program planning, writes a staff evaluation at least every 12 months, and designates someone to be responsible for compliance when absent.
• With 45 or fewer children enrolled, the director may also serve as group supervisor. Above 45, you need a separate group supervisor for each 45 enrolled children or part of 45, each on site 30 hours a week.
• At least 50% of staff must be qualified and working as directors, group supervisors or assistant group supervisors. Aides must always be supervised by someone qualified at least as an assistant group supervisor.
• Staff must be 18 or older and volunteers 16 or older. A 16-year-old enrolled in an approved 600-hour curriculum (400 classroom hours and 200 supervised hours) can count as staff.

School-age-only programs follow a shorter list of sections, with director presence scaled to operating hours: at least 20% of hours for programs open 30 or fewer hours a week, and 35% for 31 to 45 hours.⁠¹

Clearances, health and training for every staff person

• Clearances. Every staff person needs the same four clearances (Pennsylvania child abuse, State Police, FBI and NSOR), plus out-of-state checks where applicable. OCDEL’s toolkit says clearances must be renewed at least every 60 months from the date of the oldest one.⁠⁹ The operator may not let anyone into the facility whom it knows has been convicted of, or is awaiting trial on, child abuse, neglect, violence or “moral corruptness” charges.⁠¹
• Health assessment. Staff who work directly with children or with food need a health assessment within 12 months before starting and every 24 months after that, signed by a physician, PA or CRNP. It includes Mantoux TB screening at hire.⁠¹
• Training. Each new hire must complete the 10 health and safety topics within 90 days. Everyone completes 12 clock hours of training a year, takes annual fire safety training from a fire protection professional, and keeps pediatric first aid and CPR current. Someone certified in pediatric first aid and CPR must be on site whenever children are present.⁠¹

Plans, insurance and reporting the inspector will check

• Emergency plan. It must cover lockdown, shelter in place and off-site shelter, evacuation, parent contact and reunification, and accommodations for infants and children with disabilities. Drill it annually, review it yearly, post it, give each family a letter explaining it, and send a copy to your municipality and county emergency management agency.⁠¹
• Fire drills. At least every 60 days, at varying times, with the imagined fire location never the same on two consecutive drills. Evacuation must take everyone out in a single trip, and each drill is logged.⁠¹
• Liability insurance. Comprehensive general liability coverage for everyone on the premises, with a copy kept on file. Claims against the operator or staff must be reported to DHS.⁠¹
• Incident reports. Phone the regional office within 24 hours of a child’s emergency room visit or hospital admission, a child’s death, or a fire needing the fire department. Follow up with a written report within 72 hours.⁠¹
• Discipline. No physical punishment of any kind, and no restraints or confinement except adaptive equipment prescribed for a child with special needs.⁠¹
• Posting. Display the certificate where parents will see it. Post each inspection summary until DHS verifies every cited item is corrected.⁠¹

Inspections, renewal and changes

DHS makes at least one unannounced on-site inspection a year and may inspect at other times.⁠¹ To renew, submit a new application at least 60 days before the current certificate expires.⁠² Certificates can’t be transferred. A certificate becomes void without notice if ownership, name, location, or profit or nonprofit status changes. A stock transfer in a corporation is not treated as a change of ownership.⁠² Give DHS 30 days’ advance notice and a new application for any of those changes. Other changes, such as a new responsible person, must be reported within 30 days after they happen.⁠²

You can appeal a denial, a nonrenewal, a revocation, a provisional certificate or its length, or a capacity decision by filing within 30 days of notice.⁠¹

Getting paid: Child Care Works and Keystone STARS

Pennsylvania’s subsidy program is Child Care Works. DHS, working through regional Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRCs), pays part of an eligible family’s fees and the family pays a co-pay, with both going to the provider. To take subsidized children, you sign a provider agreement through your ELRC.⁠⁹ DHS sets subsidy ceilings (the Maximum Child Care Allowance) by county, provider type, full- or part-time care and the child’s age. If the subsidy doesn’t cover your full rate, you may ask the family to pay the difference.⁠⁹

According to OCDEL’s toolkit, every certified facility takes part in Keystone STARS, the state’s quality rating system. Centers at STAR 2 or higher earn a per-child add-on for children enrolled in Child Care Works, and centers at STAR 3 or 4 can apply for Pre-K Counts funding.⁠⁹ The DHS orientation also covers subsidy and Keystone STARS.⁠⁷

What changed recently

• Building code, January 1, 2026. Labor and Industry amended 34 Pa. Code § 403.23 (55 Pa.B. 7701). As amended, child day care facilities other than home-based R-3 day cares are classified under Chapter 3 of the 2021 International Building Code.⁠⁴
• Chapter 3270 itself was last substantially amended effective December 19, 2020 (50 Pa.B. 7133). Most of the application, training and inspection text quoted in this guide dates from that rulemaking. Staff already employed at the time got 180 days to complete the 10 health and safety topics.⁠¹ The online Pennsylvania Code, current through August 8, 2026, shows no later amendments to Chapter 3270.⁠¹

Sources

1. 1
   Pennsylvania Code, Department of Human Services, 55 Pa. Code Chapter 3270, Child Care Centers Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   Pennsylvania Code, Department of Human Services, 55 Pa. Code Chapter 20, Licensure or Approval of Facilities and Agencies Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   Pennsylvania Code, Department of Human Services, 55 Pa. Code Chapter 3280, Group Child Care Homes Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   Pennsylvania Code, Department of Labor and Industry, 34 Pa. Code § 403.23, Child day care facilities (Uniform Construction Code) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Early Learning Provider Requirements Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
6. 6
   Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, OCDEL, What Is a Complete Application? (Certificate of Compliance) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
7. 7
   Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Orientation Training for Child Care Providers Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
8. 8
   Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Regional Child Development Offices Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
9. 9
   Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning, Opening a Child Care Facility in Pennsylvania (CD 354 toolkit, undated) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑

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