Official Site of The State of New Jersey

Child care centers provide care for six or more children below 13 years of age who attend less than 24 hours a day. Child care centers are required by State law to be licensed. To search for licensed child care centers in New Jersey, click HERE. To obtain a copy of the Manual of Requirements for Child Care centers, click HERE.

Family child care homes (also known as family day care homes) provide care for five or fewer children below 13 years of age in the provider's private residence. Family child care providers may choose to become voluntarily registered through Child Care Resource and Referral Centers under contract with the Department of Human Services. To obtain a copy of the Manual of Requirements for Family Child Care Registration, click HERE.

For information about youth summer camp programs, please contact the New Jersey Department of Health, Public Health, Sanitation and Safety Programs HERE.

Information for Parents

Search for Licensed Child Care Centers in New Jersey 

In New Jersey, child care centers serving six or more children under the age of 13 must be licensed by DCF. A center becomes licensed after meeting all applicable conditions in the Manual of Requirements for Child Care Centers. Centers are licensed for a three-year period. A copy of the centers’ license must be displayed in a prominent location at the center.

When parents register a child at a center, they must receive this Information to Parents document highlighting key information that must be made available, upon request, to parents about the center, including inspection and violation reports and a summary of any complaint made against the center. Centers are obligated to provide parents such information if requested. 

OOL conducts renewal inspections every three years, annual monitoring inspections and conducts investigations when allegations are made about possible noncompliance with licensing requirements. Inspection reports are available at the center for parents to review and online by clicking HERE.

Parents are encouraged to discuss with the center any questions or concerns they might have. Parents may also file or make a complaint with the OOL by calling 1-877-667-9845.  Complaints may be made anonymously.  If there is a licensing complaint investigation, parents may review the OOL Complaint Investigation Summary Report. The Complaint Investigation Summary Reports are available online by clicking HERE.

Call the Child Abuse Hotline at 1-877 NJ ABUSE (1-877-652-2873) to report possible child abuse or neglect.

Information for Child Care Providers

Read this important notice about Flu Vaccines. Click here for more information regarding new required immunizations for children, including flu clinic availability.

• Effective March 3, 2008, per Senate Bill 265, child care centers must periodically review the Department of Law and Public Safety, Division of Consumer Affairs list of unsafe children’s products. The list is available at www.nj.gov/lps/ca/recall/recalls.htm.

• Find out about the Hazardous Discharge Site Remediation Fund - Child Care Facility Grant Application HERE.

• Effective January 16, 2007, changes in licensing regulations regarding the physical plant of all child care centers were adopted. The rule adoption can be found HERE.

• Department of Environmental Protection, Site Remediation Program Child Care/Educational Facility Unit: www.nj.gov/dep/dccrequest/

• Department of Health and Senior Services, Indoor Environments Program, Child Care Assessments: www.nj.gov/health/iep/ccc_ieha.shtml

If you have any questions regarding these regulations or for any additional information or questions, please call the Office of Licensing at 1-877-667-9845.

FAQs for Parents

How can I find if a program is regulated, make a complaint about a regulated program or find out if a regulated program has had any problems?

• To obtain a list of licensed child care centers in New Jersey and to review inspection reports and compliant investigations, click HERE.
• To make a complaint about a licensed child care center call the Office of Licensing at 1-877-667-9845.

How Can I Find out Which Regulated Programs are the Best Ones?

• Choosing the best program for your needs is a decision only you can make. The purpose of licensing is to ensure compliance with minimum baseline standards, not to determine which programs are the best. The Office of Licensing cannot recommend any particular regulated program over another. However, we can provide information about what types of programs are available and what to look for when choosing a regulated program.

What should I look for when choosing a Child Care Center?

• Information about choosing child care programs can be found at the Division of Family Development or by contacting the Child Care Resource and Referral Center in the county where you live or work. 

How can I get help paying for child care services?

• For information about subsidies for child care programs, please contact the Division of Family Development.

Children's residential treatment centers provide 24-hour care for 13 or more children placed or financed by DCF.  Residential treatment centers under contract with the Department, both in New Jersey and in other states, must be approved by the Office of Licensing.

Click HERE  for a listing of DCF OOL licensed (Billy's Law) residential child care facilities, group homes and  treatment home programs located in other states.

Children's group homes provide 24-hour care for 12 or fewer children placed or financed by DCF.  Group homes include children's group homes, teaching family homes, supervised transitional living homes, treatment homes, alternative care homes and psychiatric community homes for children. Group homes under contract with DCF must be approved by the Office of Licensing.

Children's shelter facilities, juvenile-family-crisis shelters and shelter homes provide temporary 24-hour care for non-adjudicated children including children who are dependent, neglected, abandoned or runaways. Shelter facilities and shelter homes under contract with DCF must be approved by the Office of Licensing.

Adoption agencies place children for adoption or provide other adoption services in New Jersey.  Adoption agencies are required by State law to be licensed.

Click HERE for a listing of both in-state and out-of-state adoption agencies licensed by New Jersey.

Resource family homes are private residences in which board, lodging, care and temporary out-of-home placement services are provided by a resource family parent on a 24-hour basis to a child under the auspices of the Child Protection and Permanency, CP&P (formerly DYFS), including a home approved by CP&P for the placement of a child for the purpose of adoption.

• A resource family home may provide one or more of the following services:
  Regular foster care, in which care is provided for a child in need of temporary out-of-home placement for protective or other social services reasons;
• Emergency foster care, in which care is provided for a child in need of temporary out-of-home placement on an emergency basis for protective services reasons and/or a disruption of a previous placement;
• Fost/adopt care, in which the resource family parent has agreed to foster or adopt a child, in keeping with the child's case goal;
• Contract agency home care, which is directly supervised by a private agency under contract with the Department to provide services to children in need of out-of-home placement for protective or other social services reasons;
• Relative Care: This type of resource family care involves a caregiver who is not the child's parent but is related to the child by blood, marriage, or adoption.
• Family Friend Care: In this scenario, the resource family parent is not the child's parent and is not related by blood, marriage, or adoption. However, they have an established positive psychological or emotional relationship with the child and/or the child's parent.
• Adoptive care, in which care is provided for a child placed by CP&P for the purpose of adoption by the resource family parent until said adoption is finalized.

Office of the Chief
Telephone:  609-777-5942
Fax: 609-826-3972

Child Care Licensing – North
Telephone: 609-826-3980
Fax: 609-826-3972

Child Care Licensing – South
Telephone: 609-777-5945
Fax: 609-826-3972

Youth Residential & Adoption Agency Licensing
Telephone: 609-826-3999
Fax: 609-826-3973

Office of the Chief
Telephone:  609-777-5963
Fax:  609-826-3971

Resource Family Licensing – New Homes
Telephone: 609-826-3981
Fax: 609-826-3971

Resource Family Licensing – General Information
Telephone: 609-777-5950
Fax: 609-826-3977