COVID-19 modification as of August 10, 2022. After reading the CFOC standard, see COVID-19 modification below (Also consult applicable state licensure and public health requirements). The small family child care home caregiver/teacher child:staff ratios should conform to the following table:
The small family child care home caregiver’s/teacher’s own children as well as any other children in the home temporarily requiring supervision should be included in the child:staff ratio. During nap time, at least one adult should be physically present in the same room as the children.
RATIONALELow child:staff ratios are most critical for infants and toddlers (birth to thirty-six months) (1). Infant and child development and caregiving quality improves when group size and child:staff ratios are smaller (2). Improved verbal interactions are correlated with lower child:staff ratios (3). Small ratios are very important for young children’s development (7). The recommended group size and child:staff ratio allow three- to five-year-old children to have continuing adult support and guidance while encouraging independent, self-initiated play and other activities (4).The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) requires in the NFPA 101: Life Safety Code that small family child care homes serve no more than two clients incapable of self-preservation (5). Direct, warm social interaction between adults and children is more common and more likely with lower child:staff ratios. Caregivers/teachers must be recognized as performing a job for groups of children that parents/guardians of twins, triplets, or quadruplets would rarely be left to handle alone. In child care, these children do not come from the same family and must learn a set of common rules that may differ from expectations in their own homes (6,8). COMMENTSIt is best practice for the caregiver/teacher to remain in the same room as the infants when they are sleeping to provide constant supervision. However in small family child care programs, this may be difficult in practice because the caregiver/teacher is typically alone, and all of the children most likely will not sleep at the same time. In order to provide constant supervision during sleep, caregivers/teachers could consider discontinuing the practice of placing infant(s) in a separate room for sleep, but instead placing the infant’s crib in the area used by the other children so the caregiver/teacher is able to supervise the sleeping infant(s) while caring for the other children. Care must be taken so that placement of cribs in an area used by other children does not encroach upon the minimum usable floor space requirements. Infants do not require a dark and quiet place for sleep. Once they become accustomed, infants are able to sleep without problems in environments with light and noise. By placing infants (as well as all children in care) on the main (ground) level of the home for sleep and remaining on the same level as the children, the caregiver/teacher is more likely able to evacuate the children in less time; thus, increasing the odds of a successful evacuation in the event of a fire or another emergency. Caregivers/teachers must also continually monitor other children in this area so they are not climbing on or into the cribs. If the caregiver/teacher cannot remain in the same room as the infant(s) when the infant is sleeping, it is recommended that the caregiver/teacher should do visual checks every ten to fifteen minutes to make sure the infant’s head is uncovered, and assess the infant’s breathing, color, etc. Supervision is recommended for toddlers and preschoolers to ensure safety and prevent behaviors such as inappropriate touching or hurting other sleeping children from taking place. These behaviors may go undetected if a caregiver/teacher is not present. If caregiver/teacher is not able to remain in the same room as the children, frequent visual checks are also recommended for toddlers and preschoolers when they are sleeping. Each state has its own set of regulations that specify child:staff ratios. To view a particular state’s regulations, go to the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education’s (NRC) Website: http://nrckids.org. Some states are setting limits on the number of school-age children that are allowed to be cared for in small family child care homes, e.g., two school-age children in addition to the maximum number allowed for infants/preschool children. No data are available to support using a different ratio where school-age children are in family child care homes. Since school-age children require focused caregiver/teacher time and attention for supervision and adult-child interaction, this standard applies the same ratio to all children three-years-old and over. The family child care caregiver/teacher must be able to have a positive relationship and provide guidance for each child in care. This standard is consistent with ratio requirements for toddlers in centers as described in Standard 1.1.1.2. Unscheduled inspections encourage compliance with this standard. TYPE OF FACILITYEarly Head Start, Head Start, Small Family Child Care HomeRELATED STANDARDS1.1.1.3 Ratios for Facilities Serving Children with Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities1.1.2.1 Minimum Age to Enter Child Care REFERENCES
NOTESCOVID-19 modification as of August 10, 2022.
COVID-19 modification as of August 10, 2022. After reading the CFOC standard, see COVID-19 modification below (Also consult applicable state licensure and public health requirements). Child:staff ratios in large family child care homes and centers should be maintained as follows during all hours of operation, including in vehicles during transport. Large Family Child Care Homes
During nap time for children birth through thirty months of age, the child:staff ratio must be maintained at all times regardless of how many infants are sleeping. They must also be maintained even during the adult’s break time so that ratios are not relaxed. Child Care Centers
During nap time for children ages thirty-one months and older, at least one adult should be physically present in the same room as the children and maximum group size must be maintained. Children over thirty-one months of age can usually be organized to nap on a schedule, but infants and toddlers as individuals are more likely to nap on different schedules. In the event even one child is not sleeping the child should be moved to another activity where appropriate supervision is provided. If there is an emergency during nap time other adults should be on the same floor and should immediately assist the staff supervising sleeping children. The caregiver/teacher who is in the same room with the children should be able to summon these adults without leaving the children. When there are mixed age groups in the same room, the child:staff ratio and group size should be consistent with the age of most of the children. When infants or toddlers are in the mixed age group, the child:staff ratio and group size for infants and toddlers should be maintained. In large family child care homes with two or more caregivers/teachers caring for no more than twelve children, no more than three children younger than two years of age should be in care. Children with special health care needs or who require more attention due to certain disabilities may require additional staff on-site, depending on their special needs and the extent of their disabilities (1). See Standard 1.1.1.3. At least one adult who has satisfactorily completed a course in pediatric first aid, including CPR skills within the past three years, should be part of the ratio at all times.
RATIONALEThese child:staff ratios are within the range of recommendations for each age group that the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) uses in its accreditation program (5). The NAEYC recommends a range that assumes the director and staff members are highly trained and, by virtue of the accreditation process, have formed a staffing pattern that enables effective staff functioning. The standard for child:staff ratios in this document uses a single desired ratio, rather than a range, for each age group. These ratios are more likely than less stringent ratios to support quality experiences for young children. Low child:staff ratios for non-ambulatory children are essential for fire safety. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), in its NFPA 101: Life Safety Code, recommends that no more than three children younger than two years of age be cared for in large family child care homes where two staff members are caring for up to twelve children (6). Children benefit from social interactions with peers. However, larger groups are generally associated with less positive interactions and developmental outcomes. Group size and ratio of children to adults are limited to allow for one to one interaction, intimate knowledge of individual children, and consistent caregiving (7). Studies have found that children (particularly infants and toddlers) in groups that comply with the recommended ratio receive more sensitive and appropriate caregiving and score higher on developmental assessments, particularly vocabulary (1,9). As is true in small family child care homes, Standard 1.1.1.1, child:staff ratios alone do not predict the quality of care. Direct, warm social interaction between adults and children is more common and more likely with lower child:staff ratios. Caregivers/teachers must be recognized as performing a job for groups of children that parents/guardians of twins, triplets, or quadruplets would rarely be left to handle alone. In child care, these children do not come from the same family and must learn a set of common rules that may differ from expectations in their own homes (10). Similarly, low child:staff ratios are most critical for infants and young toddlers (birth to twenty-four months) (1). Infant development and caregiving quality improves when group size and child:staff ratios are smaller (2). Improved verbal interactions are correlated with lower ratios (3). For three- and four-year-old children, the size of the group is even more important than ratios. The recommended group size and child:staff ratio allow three- to five-year-old children to have continuing adult support and guidance while encouraging independent, self-initiated play and other activities (4). In addition, the children’s physical safety and sanitation routines require a staff that is not fragmented by excessive demands. Child:staff ratios in child care settings should be sufficiently low to keep staff stress below levels that might result in anger with children. Caring for too many young children, in particular, increases the possibility of stress to the caregiver/teacher, and may result in loss of the caregiver’s/teacher’s self-control (11). Although observation of sleeping children does not require the physical presence of more than one caregiver/teacher for sleeping children thirty-one months and older, the staff needed for an emergency response or evacuation of the children must remain available on site for this purpose. Ratios are required to be maintained for children thirty months and younger during nap time due to the need for closer observation and the frequent need to interact with younger children during periods while they are resting. Close proximity of staff to these younger groups enables more rapid response to situations where young children require more assistance than older children, e.g., for evacuation. The requirement that a caregiver/teacher should remain in the sleeping area of children thirty-one months and older is not only to ensure safety, but also to prevent inappropriate behavior from taking place that may go undetected if a caregiver/teacher is not present. While nap time may be the best option for regular staff conferences, staff lunch breaks, and staff training, one staff person should stay in the nap room, and the above staff activities should take place in an area next to the nap room so other staff can assist if emergency evacuation becomes necessary. If a child with a potentially life-threatening special health care need is present, a staff member trained in CPR and pediatric first aid and one trained in administration of any potentially required medication should be available at all times. COMMENTSThe child:staff ratio indicates the maximum number of children permitted per caregiver/teacher (8). These ratios assume that caregivers/teachers do not have time-consuming bookkeeping and housekeeping duties, so they are free to provide direct care for children. The ratios do not include other personnel (such as bus drivers) necessary for specialized functions (such as driving a vehicle). Group size is the number of children assigned to a caregiver/teacher or team of caregivers/teachers occupying an individual classroom or well-defined space within a larger room (8). The “group” in child care represents the “home room” for school-age children. It is the psychological base with which the school-aged child identifies and from which the child gains continual guidance and support in various activities. This standard does not prohibit larger numbers of school-aged children from joining in occasional collective activities as long as child:staff ratios and the concept of “home room” are maintained. Unscheduled inspections encourage compliance with this standard. These standards are based on what children need for quality nurturing care. Those who question whether these ratios are affordable must consider that efforts to limit costs can result in overlooking the basic needs of children and creating a highly stressful work environment for caregivers/teachers. Community resources, in addition to parent/guardian fees and a greater public investment in child care, can make critical contributions to the achievement of the child:staff ratios and group sizes specified in this standard. Each state has its own set of regulations that specify child:staff ratios. To view a particular state’s regulations, go to the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education’s (NRC) Website: http://nrckids.org. TYPE OF FACILITYCenter, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care HomeRELATED STANDARDS1.1.1.3 Ratios for Facilities Serving Children with Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities1.1.1.4 Ratios and Supervision During Transportation 1.1.1.5 Ratios and Supervision for Swimming, Wading, and Water Play 1.4.3.1 First Aid and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training for Staff 1.4.3.2 Topics Covered in Pediatric First Aid Training 1.4.3.3 Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training for Swimming and Water Play REFERENCES
NOTESCOVID-19 modification as of August 10, 2022.
COVID-19 modification as of August 10, 2022. After reading the CFOC standard, see COVID-19 modification below (Also consult applicable state licensure and public health requirements). Facilities enrolling children with special health care needs and disabilities should determine, by an individual assessment of each child’s needs, whether the facility requires a lower child:staff ratio.
RATIONALEThe child:staff ratio must allow the needs of the children enrolled to be met. The facility should have sufficient direct care professional staff to provide the required programs and services. Integrated facilities with fewer resources may be able to serve children who need fewer services, and the staffing levels may vary accordingly. Adjustment of the ratio allows for the flexibility needed to meet each child’s type and degree of special need and encourage each child to participate comfortably in program activities. Adjustment of the ratio produces flexibility without resulting in a need for care that is greater than the staff can provide without compromising the health and safety of other children. The facility should seek consultation with parents/guardians, a child care health consultant (CCHC), and other professionals, regarding the appropriate child:staff ratio. The facility may wish to increase the number of staff members if the child requires significant special assistance (1).COMMENTSThese ratios do not include personnel who have other duties that might preclude their involvement in needed supervision while they are performing those duties, such as therapists, cooks, maintenance workers, or bus drivers. TYPE OF FACILITYCenter, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care HomeRELATED STANDARDS1.1.1.1 Ratios for Small Family Child Care Homes1.1.1.2 Ratios for Large Family Child Care Homes and Centers REFERENCES
NOTESCOVID-19 modification as of August 10, 2022. Child:staff ratios established for out-of-home child care should be maintained on all transportation the facility provides or arranges. Drivers should not be included in the ratio. No child of any age should be left unattended in or around a vehicle, when children are in a car, or when they are in a car seat. A face-to-name count of children should be conducted prior to leaving for a destination, when the destination is reached, before departing for return to the facility and upon return. Caregivers/teachers should also remember to take into account in this head count if any children were picked up or dropped off while being transported away from the facility. RATIONALEChildren must receive direct supervision when they are being transported, in loading zones, and when they get in and out of vehicles. Drivers must be able to focus entirely on driving tasks, leaving the supervision of children to other adults. This is especially important with young children who will be sitting in close proximity to one another in the vehicle and may need care during the trip. In any vehicle making multiple stops to pick up or drop off children, this also permits one adult to get one child out and take that child to a home, while the other adult supervises the children remaining in the vehicle, who would otherwise be unattended for that time (1). Children require supervision at all times, even when buckled in seat restraints. A head count is essential to ensure that no child is inadvertently left behind in or out of the vehicle. Child deaths in child care have occurred when children were mistakenly left in vehicles, thinking the vehicle was empty. TYPE OF FACILITYCenter, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care HomeREFERENCES
The following child:staff ratios should apply while children are swimming, wading, or engaged in water play:
Constant and active supervision should be maintained when any child is in or around water (4). During any swimming/wading/water play activities where either an infant or a toddler is present, the ratio should always be one adult to one infant/toddler. The required ratio of adults to older children should be met without including the adults who are required for supervision of infants and/or toddlers. An adult should remain in direct physical contact with an infant at all times during swimming or water play (4). Whenever children thirteen months and up to five years of age are in or around water, the supervising adult should be within an arm’s length providing “touch supervision” (6). The attention of an adult who is supervising children of any age should be focused on the child, and the adult should never be engaged in other distracting activities (4), such as talking on the telephone, socializing, or tending to chores. A lifeguard should not be counted in the child:staff ratio. RATIONALEThe circumstances surrounding drownings and water-related injuries of young children suggest that staffing requirements and environmental modifications may reduce the risk of this type of injury. Essential elements are close continuous supervision (1,4), four-sided fencing and self-locking gates around all swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas, and special safety covers on pools when they are not in use (2,7). Five-gallon buckets should not be used for water play (4). Water play using small (one quart) plastic pitchers and plastic containers for pouring water and plastic dish pans or bowls allow children to practice pouring skills. Between 2003 and 2005, a study of drowning deaths of children younger than five years of age attributed the highest percentage of drowning reports to an adult losing contact or knowledge of the whereabouts of the child (5). During the time of lost contact, the child managed to gain access to the pool (3).COMMENTSWater play includes wading. Touch supervision means keeping swimming children within arm’s reach and in sight at all times. Drowning is a “silent killer” and children may slip into the water silently without any splashing or screaming.TYPE OF FACILITYCenter, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care HomeREFERENCES
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1.3.1.2: Mixed Director/Teacher RoleCenters enrolling thirty or more children should employ a non-teaching director. Centers with fewer than thirty children may employ a director who teaches as well. RATIONALEThe duties of a director of a facility with more than thirty children do not allow the director to be involved in the classroom in a meaningful way.COMMENTSThis standard does not prohibit the director from occasional substitute teaching, as long as the substitute teaching is not a regular and significant duty. Occasional substitute teaching may keep the director in touch with the caregivers’/teachers’ issues.TYPE OF FACILITYCenter, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home |
The ratios required by licensing may vary
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