How to Apply to be a Provider

If you are searching for a rewarding career and are interested in having an impact on the life of a child and your community, becoming an Allen County Child Care provider may be for you! As a self-employed, Child Care provider, you can work in your own home, with flexible hours, and potentially earn over $30 an hour!

Through Allen County Department of Job and Family Services, you will receive one-on-one support and guidance throughout the entire process. By following the outlined step-by-step guide, you could potentially have your Child Care Business up and running in as little as 3 months!

About the Application & Process

Full walk-through video can be found HERE.

• Get one-on-one support throughout the process

• Application Fees:

$50 for Child Care Centers
$25 for In-Home Providers

• Must pass a background check and home inspection

For a downloadable checklist of the steps click here

OBTAIN INFORMATION REGARDING FAMILY CHILD CARE (FCC) AND LICENSING RULES

Allen County Job and Family Services wants to ensure all child care providers are compliant. Click here to review the rules, select “Family Child Care Rules” and then click on each section. As a licensed FCC home provider, you must be familiar with licensing requirements.

Additional Manuals to Review:

COMPLETE THE PRE-LICENSING ORIENTATION TRAINING

First, create an account in the Ohio Professional Registry (OPR) by visiting: registry.occrra.org

Training is required prior to submitting an application, and is available in the Ohio Professional Registry

If you are interested in opening a child care center, please click here and complete the pre-licensing orientation training for the type of Provider that you want to be.

Steps to become a licensed family child care provider (Type A or Type B):
1. Complete a professional registry for the family child care applicant here

2. Complete an application online here

GATHER THE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS

In preparation for submitting your application, be sure to complete the required documents.

Required Documents for Type A and Type B Homes

Verification of high school education
Medical statement
JFS 01250 “Plan of Operation for Child Care”
Written information. See OAC Rule 5101:2-13-07 Appendix C, for a list of the required information.
JFS 01174, “Adjudicated a Delinquent Child Statement”

Additional Type A Documents

Written zoning approval
Documentation of a building inspection by the local building department
Fire inspection approval by the state fire marshal or local fire safety inspector
Articles of incorporation, if applicable

CREATE AN OCLQS PORTAL ACCOUNT AND SUBMIT THE APPLICATION

Once you have successfully completed the pre-licensing orientation training, you can create an Ohio Child Care Licensing and Quality System (OCLQS) provider portal account. earlychildhoodohio.org/sutq/Web-Training.stm

Job Aids: earlychildhoodohio.org/sutq/Web-Training.stm

OBTAIN BACKGROUND CHECKS

You and all adults over the age of 18 who reside in your home and any staff you may hire must complete background checks.
Please call us at 419-999-0291 to schedule an appointment to have background checks completed
To schedule a background check, please contact us at 419-999-0291

PREPARE FOR THE PRE-LICENSE INSPECTION

A county JFS Licensing Specialist will conduct a pre-license inspection to verify that your home complies with FCC licensing rules.

Prior to the inspection, you will need to complete the required health trainings including:

First-Aid
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
Management of Communicable Diseases (six-hour course)
Child Abuse Recognition and Prevention (one-hour course)

Also prior to the inspection, you will complete the documents that FCC licensing rules require you to post in your home or share with families. Templates are available for your Disaster Plan and Written Information for Parents and Employees

After the inspection, the county JFS Licensing Specialist will review any non-compliances with you. Any non-compliances must be corrected within 30 days. Once it is verified that the non-compliances have been corrected, your application will be sent to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services for review and approval.

Training Information

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The day after you receive notification that your FCC Home license has been approved, you will receive an email with instructions for how to complete a Provider Agreement and obtain equipment for the Publicly Funded Child Care payment system.

Publicly Funded Child Care rules can be found at: childcare.acjfs.org

Also, the county JFS Licensing Specialist will conduct at least two inspections within the next 12 months.

Other Resources available include:

OCLQS Job Aids: earlychildhoodohio.org/sutq/Web-Training.stm
ODJFS Forms Central: odjfs.state.oh.us/forms
ODJFS Provider Resources: jfs.ohio.gov/cdc/providers.stm
Child Care Training: jfs.ohio.gov/cdc/Licensing_Training.stm
(and) ODJFS Help Desk which can be reached at: 1-877-302-2347

The child care provider will be required to record information through the Ohio TAP (Time & Attendance Payment), which will allow the child care center to be paid accordingly.