Starting a Home Day Care in Oklahoma

Many stay-at-home moms looking to earn a living and spend time with their children turn to home care as a way to make ends meet. Qualities such as patience, creativity and the ability to teach young children while maintaining order are must-have requirements for anyone looking to start her own home care business. Additionally, you must meet Oklahoma health and safety standards.

Starting your Home Child Care Business

Licensed child care centers are required to adhere to strict regulations and random inspections. Oklahoma child care providers are held to the highest standards and must demonstrate that they can meet the health, safety, developmental and emotional needs of the children in their care. The Planning Guide for Starting a Child Care Center in Oklahoma is a great place to start for any prospective provider to determine if you have what it takes.

Requirements

In the state of Oklahoma, you must obtain a license to start a family child care business. You must be at least 21 years old, have a high school diploma or equivalent, undergo a tuberculosis test, be CPR and First Aid certified, demonstrate good health, undergo a background check, provide proof of at least 12 hours of annual training and have your home inspected prior to receiving your license. Additionally, children living in the home must be immunized. Visit OKDHS.com to find a licensing staff member who serves your county. Once your home is ready, they will inspect your home.

Child Limits

As an Oklahoma family care provider, you may operate a family child care home or a large child care home. As a family care home provider, you may care for up to seven children, including your own children under the age of five. As a large child care home provider, you may care for up to 12 children, including your own.

The Care Home

Your home must have at least 35 square feet of space for each child to play indoors and 75 square feet of play space outdoors, provide adequate room for napping, be free of hazards such as medicines and have screened windows. Weapons must be locked and out of sight. Animals must be in good health. The indoor temperature must remain between 56 and 80 degrees and you must not smoke within your home. You must have an operable telephone, first aid kit and a written plan for reporting natural or man-made threats (such as inclement weather). Trampolines are prohibited. You must also provide age-appropriate toys such as art supplies, blocks, musical instruments and books.

Policies

Oklahoma care providers must have detailed, written policies on a number of scenarios including discipline, accidents, sudden illness, attendance, health records and child identification.

This is a brief overview of the detail involved in starting a home care center in Oklahoma. While it may seem overwhelming, much of the policies and safety measures are simple common sense. For more information, read the Licensing Requirements for Family Child Care Home and Large Child Care Homes.