The purpose of Palm Beach County’s
child care licensing program is to
protect the health, safety, and
welfare of the children of Palm
Beach County and promote their
emotional and intellectual
development and care.
Administration: The Board of County
Commissioners of Palm Beach County,
Florida, acting as the Child Care
Facilities Board, is the local
licensing agency for child care
facilities in Palm Beach County. The
Board has appointed a 7-member Child
Care Advisory Council (CCAC) to act
on the Board's behalf for approving,
denying, or revoking licenses, and
for recommending revisions to local
child care rules and regulations.
The CCAC meets monthly, and the
meeting is open to the public.
The Palm Beach County Health Department
serves as staff to the CCAC, and is
responsible for administering the child care
licensing program. This includes conducting
inspections of child care centers and family
day care facilities to ensure that minimum
standards are met and maintained for issuing
and renewing licenses. The Department’s
child care inspectors also provide
information, consultations, and technical
assistance to licensed facilities and
prospective facility owners and operators.
Local Regulations: Licensing rules
constitute the most basic level of
protection for children. Chapter 59-1698,
Special
Act, Laws of Florida, as amended by
Chapter 77-620, Special Acts, Laws of
Florida, Palm Beach County’s Rules and
Regulations Governing Child Care Facilities,
and Palm Beach County’s Rules and
Regulations Governing Family Day Care
Facilities provide the legal framework for
child care licensing. The Special Act allows
Palm Beach County to create its own local
rules and regulations for child care
facilities and family day care homes. By
law, local child care standards must be at
least as stringent as the State
requirements.
The Department’s program of regulations,
inspections, consultations, education, and
enforcement fulfill the following broad
objectives:
Licensure Required: In Palm
Beach County, child care facilities
and family day care homes are
required to be licensed or approved
before providing child care
services. Currently, large family
child care homes are not permitted
in Palm Beach County.
Child Care Facility: means
any building or shelter in which
custodial care is rendered to six
(6) or more children,
and for which
compensation is received in the form
of a payment, fee, grant, goods or
services in kind for any of the
children receiving care, whether or
not operating for profit or which is
held out to the public to be an
establishment which regularly
provides child custodial care.
To
locate
a Child care Facility
within Palm Beach County.
Child Care Forms
Rules Governing Child Care
Facilities
Family Day Care Facilities:
means any building or shelter in
which custodial care is rendered to
one to five
children, inclusive, and
for which compensation is received
in the form of a payment, fee,
grant, goods or services in kind for
any of the children receiving care,
whether or not operating for profit,
or which is held out to the public
to be an establishment which
regularly provides child custodial
care.
