Starting a Family Child Care (FCC) program or caring for family, friends or neighbor's child/ren (FFN)?
Are you interested in starting your own family child care business? RSRCCR&R staff can assist you to develop and promote a developmentally appropriate program (DAP) to meet and exceed minimum requirements.
Our regional team will assist you from start to finish as you register your new program, and will help you meet the state’s mandatory criminal background checks and health/safety requirements. Our Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, or Salem Family Child Care Intake personnel will assist you to ensure you are correctly filling out the application forms, schedule a mandated new FCC/FFN Orientation in Zoom, and provide you the most current training calendar.
Please use the following New Jersey Department of Human Service/Division of Family Development (DHS/DFD) requirements for your personal check-off list: "Starting your own FCC Program":
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.
Take these steps to provide child care in your home:
GET A HEAD START...
While waiting for your Child Abuse Record Information (CARI) and Criminal History Record Investigation (CHRI) to clear, BEFORE new providers can start their program, each provider, substitute, assistant and/or alternate is required to attend 10 hours of pre-service training given free of charge by the RSRCCR&R, which will cover:
The last step is to have a home inspection by the RSRCCR&R’s Provider Management Coordinator (PMC), which includes an examination of the entire home, the numbers and ages of the children in care, health, safety, program activities, nutrition, supervision, discipline, record-keeping and communication with families.
Additional professional FCC resources and organizations:
CDC Child Development Checklist (2 mo-5 yrs): Eng/Spanish
National Association for Family Child Care
NJ Family Child Care Providers' Association
Manual of Requirements for Family Child Care
Are you interested in starting your own family child care business? RSRCCR&R staff can assist you to develop and promote a developmentally appropriate program (DAP) to meet and exceed minimum requirements.
Our regional team will assist you from start to finish as you register your new program, and will help you meet the state’s mandatory criminal background checks and health/safety requirements. Our Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, or Salem Family Child Care Intake personnel will assist you to ensure you are correctly filling out the application forms, schedule a mandated new FCC/FFN Orientation in Zoom, and provide you the most current training calendar.
Please use the following New Jersey Department of Human Service/Division of Family Development (DHS/DFD) requirements for your personal check-off list: "Starting your own FCC Program":
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.
Take these steps to provide child care in your home:
- First, you must complete and submit an online membership application to the NJ Workforce Registry at http://www.njccis.com; save this information since you will always need the Registry number to register for your pre-service and ongoing training requirements. Need help? Let your county Provider Management Coordinator (PMC) help you (see below)
- you will use NJCCIS to register for the required pre-service training for either FCC or FFN (except CPR/FA, call the CCR&R office to register for the classes); see below:
- Atlantic 609-365-5027
- Cape May 609-898-5500
- Cumberland/Gloucester/Salem 856-462-6800
Kathy Grant
Yvonne Jimenez
- If you are a New Jersey resident, you may choose to become a registered family child care provider and care for up to five children in your home. To become a registered family child care provider, you must attend a 2-hour orientation via Zoom. Contact the PMC responsible for your county so they can register you for the next orientation session. Make sure you upload the Zoom application onto your phone, computer or tablet before the session. make sure your camera is working.
- In your orientation training you will receive, and then must complete and submit, the following:
- two character references not related to you;
- results of a medical examination and tuberculin Mantoux test for everyone living or working in your home who is at least 14 years old;
- disclosures of any criminal convictions for you and everyone living or working in your home who is at least 14 years old;
- Electronic access to submit for Child Abuse Record Information (CARI) and Criminal History Record Investigation (CHRI) background checks for everyone living or working in your home who is at least 14 years old; and
- you are required to have a substitute 18 years or older who must also take all the pre-service and CPR/FA training requirements.
GET A HEAD START...
While waiting for your Child Abuse Record Information (CARI) and Criminal History Record Investigation (CHRI) to clear, BEFORE new providers can start their program, each provider, substitute, assistant and/or alternate is required to attend 10 hours of pre-service training given free of charge by the RSRCCR&R, which will cover:
- child development (infants to age 5) (2 hours)
- Mandated Reporting-NJ Prevent Child Abuse (2 hours)
- Health and Safety (6 hours) that include:
- emergency procedures
- safe transportation practices
- procedures reducing infectious diseases;
- procedures to dealing with hazardous materials
- food and allergic reactions
- reducing the risk of Shaken Baby Syndrome/Abusive Head Trauma
- Safe sleep to prevent Sudden Unexpected Infant Death Syndrome (SUIDS)
- guidelines and procedures for administering medication to children
- safe spaces (indoor and outdoor)
- You must be certified in First Aid/Pediatric CPR. Schedule a pediatric CPR/First Aid training with your county's PMC. **There is no charge for FFN and FCC in-home providers and their substitute/alternate if they are currently caring for children receiving subsidy.
The last step is to have a home inspection by the RSRCCR&R’s Provider Management Coordinator (PMC), which includes an examination of the entire home, the numbers and ages of the children in care, health, safety, program activities, nutrition, supervision, discipline, record-keeping and communication with families.
- Upon issuance of the Registration Certificate, the provider shall pay a $25 fee to RSRCCR&R.
Additional professional FCC resources and organizations:
CDC Child Development Checklist (2 mo-5 yrs): Eng/Spanish
National Association for Family Child Care
NJ Family Child Care Providers' Association
Manual of Requirements for Family Child Care