About Child Care

Types of Child Care

There are many types of child care options in New York State, including informal care provided by a relative, neighbor, or nanny, licensed center-based care, registered or licensed home-based care, and registered school-age programs.  Child Care Council refers to licensed Child Care Centers and Group Family Child Care programs, registered Family Child Care programs and School Age programs, exempt preschool programs, and summer camps regulated through the Department of Health.  Details about legal child care options can be found in our printable PDF.

Types of Child Care [pdf]

Evaluating Quality in Different Types of Child Care

It is critical that parents and caregivers visit a variety of child care programs and carefully evaluate the quality to determine if it will meet the needs of their families.  To help you in the process, here is information on Quality Indicators and Evaluating Child Care.  The PDF is easily printed to go with you on your visit or to use as a reference for general evaluation information.

Evaluating Child Care Programs [pdf]

Evaluando Proveedores de Cuidado Infantil (Spanish) [pdf]

Accreditation
Accreditation is a voluntary process whereby a home-based or child care center demonstrates that they have met high quality national standards for child care.  While many high-quality programs are not accredited, accreditation is another mark of quality for programs exceeding regulatory standards.

For information about accreditation and other voluntary endorsements, visit our Accreditation & Endorsements page.