Licensing a Child Care Center in Temple Terrace

Placing children in the care of others takes a great amount of trust, and Hillsborough County, Florida takes this trust very seriously. Child care centers must establish that trust and satisfy a series of requirements before they can be licensed in Hillsborough County. As a parent and potential customer of the child care centers in Temple Terrace, you can rest assured that every effort is made to ensure that your children entrusted to any of the childcare centers in Temple Terrace are safely secured in good hands.

Child care centers in Temple Terrace must provide established space minimums, which include 35 square feet of usable floor space for each child for which care is provided. This means that a facility that cares for 50 children must have at least 1750 square feet of usable, dedicated indoor space for child care. Child care centers are also required to provide minimum space standards for outdoor play areas. The absolute minimum of outdoor play space is 1000 square feet regardless of facility size, but is raised to 50 square feet per child enrolled. So for that same facility that cares for 50 children, there must be 2500 square feet of dedicated outdoor play space. In addition, the play space must be completely enclosed with an inspected and approved wall or fence of at least 4 feet in height.

Child care centers in Temple Terrace must provide much more than floor space, however. Each child care center must provide a minimum of 1 sink and 1 toilet for every 15 children enrolled. This means that for the same facility that cares for 50 children, a minimum of 4 sinks and toilets must be provided. Of course, all facilities are also subject to inspection by the city of Temple Terrace and inspections by several departments including zoning and building, plumbing, mechanical, and electrical must be completed before the facility can be licensed.

Of course there is much more to a child care facility than the facility itself. Child care centers have stringent staffing requirements that help assure all children left in their care are in good hands. All staff of child care centers in Temple Terrace must have multiple background checks completed, including local law enforcement, state legal and criminal records, and Federal checks through the FBI. One staff member per fifty children enrolled must have completed and been certified with Red Cross First Aid Child Care (or an equivalent), and one staff member per fifty children enrolled much have completed and been certified with Red Cross infant/child CPR (or an equivalent). These staff members must be present at the facility at any time there are children at the facility. Additionally, nutrition and food management courses must be completed by food staff, and all staff are required to complete several child care courses, including annual refresher training. Lastly, one staff per 20 children must have a CDA credential and must be on site at all times.

Child Care Centers in Temple Terrace