Child Care FAQ

Before they Begin Work

• New hires must have a negative Tb Test completed before they may begin work.

New hires must be fingerprinted by your local fingerprinting agency within 24 hours of hire. This includes the facility notifying Child Care Licensing of the new hire by inputting into the Nevada Automated Backgrounds System (NABS), submission of the fully completed, and current Consent and Release form signed by fingerprinting agency, the Director, and parent/guardian if the employee is a minor under the age of 18.

Within the first 2 weeks

Within the first 2 weeks, the new hire must be provided with an oral and written orientation to the facility, your policies and procedures and Child Care Licensing requirements. This must be documented with signatures and dates and kept in the employee’s file.

Within 90 Days

Within the first 90 days, new hires must complete in person training in:
• CPR/ FA that addresses the ages of all the children in your facility and
• Signs of Illness/Bloodborne Pathogens.
• Additional training that may be in person or online include
o 3 hours of Child Development, Guidance or Discipline,
o Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse
o Sudden Infant Death Syndrome training if the new hire will be working with infants 1 year of age and under.
o Shaken Baby Syndrome training if the new hire will be working with infants 1 year of age and under.
o Administration of Medication
o Building and Physical Premises Safety
o Emergency Preparedness
o Transportation training if the new hire will be working in a facility that provides transportation according to their license.
o 2 hours of Prevention of Childhood Obesity/Nutrition

 

All trainings must be Nevada Registry approved and can be found here. A membership application must also be made to the Nevada Registry upon completion of all initial requirements. 

Because requirements vary by jurisdiction, you should contact the Surveyor for your area to get information on becoming licensed. Some areas have zoning restrictions, special use permits, business license requirements, fire or health restrictions, etc., which may have associated costs.

A license is required by the State of Nevada for the provision of child care services to more than 4 children who are not related to you and/or for whom you receive payment. Some jurisdictions have different requirements, so check with your town, city or county to see if you need a Special Use Permit as well. An accommodation facility, such as a gym, may provide care to children without a license if they do not receive any type of compensation, ie: “facility fee” for that service. There still may be fire code limits on how many children they may care for at one time. Also, be advised, unlicensed facilities may not have the same standards of care as are required for licensed facilities.

Child Care Licensing Laws and Regulations Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 432A or Nevada Administrative Code 432A.

All facility employees are required to complete 24 annual training hours depending on when the facility license expires. Annual training MUST include at least 2 hours of training in Health, Obesity and/ or Wellness. The Nevada Registry website at www.nevadaregistry.org provides listings of all approved training hours for the state. You may also complete Early Childhood College Courses which translate to 15 training hours per credit taken.

It depends. If you're moving to a new facility and have an unexpired Clearance Memo from Child Care Licensing, you must complete a current Consent and Release and the facility must input a new application into the Nevada Automated Backgrounds System (NABS) in order to be issued an updated Clearance Memo for your current facility.

Any staff or volunteers who have a completed background check and have taken First Aid and Signs of Illness can be counted as caregivers for ratios, as can caregivers under the age of 18. Each volunteer and caregiver under the age of 18 must be supervised by a fully qualified caregiver over the age of 18 at all times.

The document below outlines the allowable ratios of children to caregivers in Nevada child care facilities.

• What is the ratio of children to caregivers in Nevada child care facilities? 

Yes. The parent or guardian must provide you with a Medical or Religious Exemption which must be kept in the child’s file. Additionally, you may wish to have a policy wherein children who are not immunized against certain diseases may be excluded from your program in the event of an outbreak.

As a Family or Group Care provider you are required to live in the home where services are provided.

You will need to check with your local health department to find out. Preparing fresh cooked meals from raw food typically requires a Kitchen Permit. Assembling simple sandwiches and snacks or reheating foods generally does not require a permit.

Southern Nevada Child Care Licensing Office: (702) 486-3822

Northern Nevada Child Care Licensing Office: (775) 684-8781

Depending on where you are located, your facility may need to be inspected by the Health Department. Contact your surveyor for more information on whether this is required. Additionally, all facilities must have an annual Fire/Life Safety inspection. Your surveyor can provide you with more information.

Child Care Licensing recognizes our professional partners. If your local Health Department has indicated that you may use an alternative to the two step procedure outlined in Child Care Regulations, we will accept that alternative, however, disinfecting wipes of any kind are NOT a substitute for sanitizing compounds.

A facility must have 35 square feet of space per child indoors, not including hallways, bathrooms or kitchens and 37.5 square feet of space per child outdoors. In addition, there must be 5 square feet of shaded area per child outdoors during the months of April to September. Your Child Care Surveyor can assist you with measuring.

In your web browser, type www.findchildcare.nv.gov go be directed to our online database where you can search for licensed child care throughout Nevada. You can also view each facility's inspection information.

You can file a complaint against a child care facility through the online form.

ACC - Accommodation

FC - Family Care

FFN - Friends Family & Neighbors

OST - Out of School Time Program

OSR - Out of School Recreation Program

GC - Group Care

CCC - Child Care Center

INS - Institution

CCL - Child Care Licensing

CCDP - Child Care & Development Program

DPBH - Department of Public and Behavioral Health

DSS - Department of Social Services

INIT - Initial

PER - Permit

C&R - Consent and Release

REN - Renewal