Daycare license lookup: violations and inspection reports in every state
Look up any daycare’s license, violations and inspection reports in your state’s official search. Here is the search for every state and D.C., what each one shows, from citations to complaint findings, and how to read what you find.
Checked Oct 10, 2026. Links go to each state’s official search, or the site its licensing agency sends parents to.
Find your state
Texas, California or Pennsylvania? Daycare Record has every licensed center’s inspection record, with each citation explained.
Or choose your state for its official daycare license lookup and what it shows:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- D.C.
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
How to check a daycare’s license and violations
- Open your state’s official search (below) and look the provider up by name, address, city or ZIP code. Family child care homes are usually listed too.
- Check the license itself: that it’s active, the type (center or home), the ages and the number of children it’s licensed for, and that the address matches where your child would go.
- Open the inspection reports. Look at the most recent first, then for patterns: the same violation cited again and again, anything about supervision, discipline, background checks or safe sleep, and whether problems were corrected.
- Look for complaint findings, incident investigations and enforcement actions, such as probation, fines or a license with conditions. Many states show only complaints that were substantiated.
- Ask the director about anything you found, and call the state licensing office if something is unclear or missing. See how to choose a daycare for the questions to ask.
Violations, citations, complaints and incident reports: what you’ll find
- Inspection reports record each visit by a state licensing inspector: the date, the rules checked, any that weren’t met, and how and when the program fixed them. Licensed programs that can take federal child care funds must get at least one unannounced inspection a year (45 CFR §98.42(b)(2)(i)).
- Violations, citations and deficiencies are usually different states’ words for the same thing: a licensing rule the inspector found wasn’t met. Each one names the rule; many states also say what the inspector saw, and some label how serious it was (see the table below).
- Complaints are concerns that parents or anyone else report to the state, which investigates. Many states post a complaint only if they found a violation, after the investigation closes.
- Incident reports are what a daycare must send the state after something serious happens; federal rules require programs that can take federal child care funds to report serious injuries and deaths of children in their care (45 CFR §98.42(b)(4)). The state may follow up with an investigation or visit; in Texas, California and Pennsylvania, its records list that follow-up and any violations found.
Each state must also post yearly totals of deaths, serious injuries and substantiated child abuse in child care programs that can take federal funds (45 CFR §98.33(a)(5)).
What every state has to post
States that take federal child care funds must run a consumer website with a searchable list of licensed providers and the results of their monitoring and inspection reports, including reports from inspections prompted by major substantiated complaints. States must post the full reports in a timely way, in plain language or with a plain-language summary. The results have to show the date, what was and wasn’t in compliance, any corrective action, and any health and safety violations, including fatalities and serious injuries, displayed prominently, with at least 3 years of results where available. States also must have a way to correct inaccurate reports (45 CFR §98.33(a)(2) and (a)(4)). How much detail you actually get still varies a lot, as the table shows.
What each state’s search shows
| State | Inspection reports | Inspector’s notes | Complaint findings | How far back | Severity labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Not stated | — |
| Alaska | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not stated | — |
| Arizona | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 years | — |
| Arkansas | Violations list only | No | Yes | 3 years | Serious deficiencies flagged |
| California | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 years | Type A and Type B |
| Colorado | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | — |
| Connecticut | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 years | — |
| Delaware | Violations list only | Not confirmed | Yes | 5 years | — |
| District of Columbia | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Up to 3 years for complaints | — |
| Florida | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 years | Class I, II and III |
| Georgia | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 years | Core rules flagged |
| Hawaii | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | Not stated | — |
| Idaho | Yes | Yes | Yes | At least 3 years | — |
| Illinois | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | 3 years | — |
| Indiana | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Not stated | Critical violations flagged |
| Iowa | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Not stated | — |
| Kansas | Violations list only | Yes | Yes | 3 years | — |
| Kentucky | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | — |
| Louisiana | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not stated | — |
| Maine | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Back to 2014 | — |
| Maryland | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Not stated | — |
| Massachusetts | Yes | Yes | Yes | 5 years | — |
| Michigan | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 years | — |
| Minnesota | Violations list only | Yes | Yes | 4 years | — |
| Mississippi | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not stated | — |
| Missouri | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | — |
| Montana | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Not stated | — |
| Nebraska | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | After Oct. 2018 | — |
| Nevada | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not stated | — |
| New Hampshire | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | 3 years | “Greater risk” rules flagged |
| New Jersey | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Not stated | — |
| New Mexico | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | 3 years | — |
| New York | Violations list only | No | Yes | 2 years of inspections | — |
| North Carolina | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | — |
| North Dakota | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | 3 years | — |
| Ohio | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 years | Serious and moderate risk flagged |
| Oklahoma | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 years | Numerous, repeated or serious noncompliance flagged |
| Oregon | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | 5 years for valid findings | — |
| Pennsylvania | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | — |
| Rhode Island | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not stated | — |
| South Carolina | Yes | No | Yes | 3 years | High, medium and low |
| South Dakota | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 years | — |
| Tennessee | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not stated | — |
| Texas | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | High, medium-high, medium, medium-low and low |
| Utah | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | 3 years | Extreme, high, moderate and low risk |
| Vermont | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | Not stated | — |
| Virginia | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | — |
| Washington | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | 3 years | — |
| West Virginia | Violations list only | No | No | Not stated | — |
| Wisconsin | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 years | — |
| Wyoming | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not stated | — |
Checked Oct 10, 2026 by reading each state’s search and help pages, with a sample search where the site allowed it. “Not confirmed” means we couldn’t confirm it, usually because the site blocks automated reading; it doesn’t mean the state doesn’t show it. “How far back” is what the state itself says; “Not stated” means it doesn’t say how long reports stay online. Found something out of date? Tell us.
Daycare license lookup by state
Alabama daycare license lookup
Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR), Child Care Services Division, Office of Child Care Licensing
Open the official Alabama search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and complaint findings. Each provider page lists substantiated complaint topics and links to its evaluation and deficiency reports.
Alaska daycare license lookup
Alaska Department of Health, Division of Public Assistance, Child Care Program Office (Anchorage facilities: Municipality of Anchorage Health Department, Child Care Licensing)
Open the official Alaska search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider. Inspections before Oct 1, 2024 are in an older state system linked from each provider page; Anchorage providers are in the same AKCCIS search.
Arizona daycare license lookup
Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Bureau of Child Care Licensing
Open the official Arizona search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. History online: 3 years. Click 'Get Details', then the Inspections and Enforcements tabs; the listings cover licensed centers and small group homes.
Arkansas daycare license lookup
Arkansas Department of Education, Office of Early Childhood (OEC), Child Care Licensing Unit
Open the official Arkansas search →
Shows a list of each provider’s violations (not the full reports) and complaint findings. The list shows the rules broken but not what the inspector saw. Severity labels: Serious deficiencies flagged. History online: 3 years. Open a provider and click 'View Facility Visits' to see the rules cited at each visit; there is no inspector narrative.
California daycare license lookup
California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Community Care Licensing Division
Open the official California search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Severity labels: Type A and Type B. History online: 5 years. Search by name, city, ZIP or facility number; small family child care homes come up only by exact license number.
Daycare Record has every licensed California center’s inspection record, with each citation explained: find a center or read our California daycare license lookup.
Colorado daycare license lookup
Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), Division of Early Learning Licensing and Administration (DELLA)
Open the official Colorado search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Click the blue 'View Details' button on a program to see its inspection and complaint reports.
Connecticut daycare license lookup
Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), Division of Licensing
Open the official Connecticut search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. History online: 5 years. Click 'View Inspection and Complaint History' on a program; inspection reports and corrective action plans open as PDFs.
Delaware daycare license lookup
Delaware Department of Education, Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL)
Open the official Delaware search →
Shows a list of each provider’s violations (not the full reports) and complaint findings. History online: 5 years. Facilities on probation or warning of probation are flagged in red; ask OCCL for a file review to see full history.
District of Columbia daycare license lookup
DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), Division of Early Learning, Licensing and Compliance
Open the official District of Columbia search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and complaint findings. History online: Up to 3 years for complaints. Open a facility's profile to see substantiated complaints and inspection reports, which open as PDFs.
Florida daycare license lookup
Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) child care licensing; Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Sarasota counties license locally
Open the official Florida search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Severity labels: Class I, II and III. History online: 3 years. Reports open as PDFs; since Sept 1, 2026 a red dot marks a report with a Class I, II or III violation.
Georgia daycare license lookup
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL, Bright from the Start), Child Care Services
Open the official Georgia search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Severity labels: Core rules flagged. History online: 3 years. Provider pages show a Compliance-at-a-Glance status, downloadable visit reports, and enforcement actions such as fines.
Hawaii daycare license lookup
Hawaii Department of Human Services (DHS), Benefit, Employment and Support Services Division, Child Care Licensing
Open the official Hawaii search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and what the inspector found. Each provider has Inspections, Deficiencies and Complaints tabs; the state says it is still posting records, starting with 2024.
Idaho daycare license lookup
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW); IdahoSTARS processes license applications
Open the official Idaho search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. History online: At least 3 years. Each inspection is marked passed or failed. Homes caring for six or fewer children generally don't need a state license, so many won't appear.
Illinois daycare license lookup
Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC)
Open the official Illinois search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider. History online: 3 years. Licensed programs' monitoring reports from the past 3 years are on the state's Sunshine site; license-exempt reports moved to Illinois Cares for Kids.
Indiana daycare license lookup
Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA), Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning
Open the official Indiana search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and complaint findings. Severity labels: Critical violations flagged. Open a provider's details, then the Inspections, Complaints and Enforcements tabs; critical violations get a red flag.
Iowa daycare license lookup
Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Open the official Iowa search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and complaint findings. Search by name, city or county, then open each provider's Compliances, Complaints or CheckLists menu for PDF reports.
Kansas daycare license lookup
Kansas Office of Early Childhood (KOEC)
Open the official Kansas search →
Shows a list of each provider’s violations (not the full reports), what the inspector found and complaint findings. History online: 3 years. The search needs two criteria (for example city and ZIP); each facility page lists surveys, complaint surveys and administrative orders.
Kentucky daycare license lookup
Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), Office of Inspector General, Division of Regulated Child Care
Open the official Kentucky search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Search on kynect, choose 'View More Details', then open Inspections to see each inspection report and any corrective action plan.
Louisiana daycare license lookup
Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE), Division of Licensing
Open the official Louisiana search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider. On a center's page open the Inspections tab; older visits with no deficiencies may have no report.
Maine daycare license lookup
Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Licensing and Investigation Services
Open the official Maine search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider. History online: Back to 2014. Click 'Licensing Details/Reports' on a search result to open the state's licensing record and its inspection documents.
Maryland daycare license lookup
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Division of Early Childhood, Office of Child Care
Open the official Maryland search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and complaint findings. Search by facility name, county, city or ZIP; centers, family homes and large family homes are included.
Massachusetts daycare license lookup
Department of Early Education and Care (EEC)
Open the official Massachusetts search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. History online: 5 years. EEC keeps five years of visit and investigation results online, including each statement of non-compliance and the program's corrective action plan.
Michigan daycare license lookup
Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), Child Care Licensing Bureau
Open the official Michigan search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. History online: 3 years. State law requires 3 years of inspection results, substantiated complaint investigations and special investigations online (MCL 722.121b).
Minnesota daycare license lookup
Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF); counties license family child care for the state
Open the official Minnesota search →
Shows a list of each provider’s violations (not the full reports), what the inspector found and complaint findings. History online: 4 years. Click '+ See Violation(s)' next to a visit to see a one-line description of the problem and how it was corrected.
Mississippi daycare license lookup
Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), Child Care Licensure
Open the official Mississippi search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider. The search shows recent MSDH inspection results, violations and any monetary penalties; past complaints must be requested through MSDH's public records process.
Missouri daycare license lookup
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Office of Childhood
Open the official Missouri search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Only substantiated complaints are posted, as a summary; request full records from DESE's Office of Childhood.
Montana daycare license lookup
Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), Early Childhood and Family Support Division – Child Care Licensing Program
Open the official Montana search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and complaint findings. Open a provider's "Inspections/Monitoring Visit Reports" section and click View File to open each report.
Nebraska daycare license lookup
Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public Health – Children's Services Licensing
Open the official Nebraska search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider. History online: After Oct. 2018. Choose Business/Service Search, pick 'Early Education' and a license type, enter a ZIP code and complete the reCAPTCHA. Copies of compliance reviews can be requested from DHHS.
Nevada daycare license lookup
Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Social Services – Child Care Licensing
Open the official Nevada search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider. Choose 'Child Care Program' as the Business Unit and 'Agency' as the Entity Type, then search; each facility's detail page has its inspection reports.
New Hampshire daycare license lookup
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) – Child Care Licensing Unit
Open the official New Hampshire search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and complaint findings. Severity labels: “Greater risk” rules flagged. History online: 3 years. Open a program's Licensing History section; visits from the older system appear as attached Visit Documents.
New Jersey daycare license lookup
New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) – Office of Licensing
Open the official New Jersey search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and complaint findings. Licensed centers' inspection and complaint summary reports are in DCF's Child Care Explorer; registered family homes are monitored by county CCR&R agencies.
New Mexico daycare license lookup
New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) – Child Care Services Bureau
Open the official New Mexico search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider. History online: 3 years. Inspection surveys are searched on ECECD's survey page, separate from the Child Care Finder; older surveys need a public records request.
New York daycare license lookup
New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) – Division of Child Care Services
Open the official New York search →
Shows a list of each provider’s violations (not the full reports) and complaint findings. The list shows the rules broken but not what the inspector saw. History online: 2 years of inspections. NYC child care centers are in a separate NYC Health database, and state profiles list the rule broken but not what the inspector saw.
North Carolina daycare license lookup
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services – Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE)
Open the official North Carolina search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Click a visit date on the DCDEE Visits tab to read the visit summary; violations from a maltreatment investigation are posted only after the investigation ends. Administrative actions from the last 3 years are listed.
North Dakota daycare license lookup
North Dakota Health and Human Services – Early Childhood Licensing
Open the official North Dakota search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider. History online: 3 years. Click "Childcare Licensing Report" on a search result to see monitoring visits and correction orders from the past 3 years.
Ohio daycare license lookup
Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY)
Open the official Ohio search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Severity labels: Serious and moderate risk flagged. History online: 3 years. Open a program's inspections and the full report PDF; findings are grouped by risk level.
Oklahoma daycare license lookup
Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) – Child Care Services
Open the official Oklahoma search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Severity labels: Numerous, repeated or serious noncompliance flagged. History online: 3 years. Only substantiated complaints appear online; each visit lists the requirement area, what was observed and the plan to correct.
Oregon daycare license lookup
Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC) – Child Care Licensing Division
Open the official Oregon search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and complaint findings. History online: 5 years for valid findings. Valid findings stay on the Child Care Safety Portal for five years, but "unable to substantiate" findings only two.
Pennsylvania daycare license lookup
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services – Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Bureau of Certification Services
Open the official Pennsylvania search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Click "View History" next to Certification, then "View Inspection Details" to read each violation and the provider's correction plan.
Daycare Record has every licensed Pennsylvania center’s inspection record, with each citation explained: find a center or read our Pennsylvania daycare license lookup.
Rhode Island daycare license lookup
Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Child Care - Child Care Licensing Unit
Open the official Rhode Island search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider. DHS says each licensed provider's annual monitoring report is posted here, listing rules checked and required corrections.
South Carolina daycare license lookup
South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS), Division of Early Care and Education - Child Care Licensing
Open the official South Carolina search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and complaint findings. Reports list the rules broken but not what the inspector saw. Severity labels: High, medium and low. History online: 3 years. Deficiencies show a High/Medium/Low severity and a broad category; full reports open as scanned PDF checklists.
South Dakota daycare license lookup
South Dakota Department of Social Services, Office of Licensing and Accreditation
Open the official South Dakota search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. History online: 3 years. Open a provider's profile to download inspection forms and compliance plans as PDFs.
Tennessee daycare license lookup
Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS), Child Care Services (Licensing); school-run programs are licensed by the Tennessee Department of Education
Open the official Tennessee search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider. Select a provider, then click a date under the 'Visits' header to see visit and compliance details.
Texas daycare license lookup
Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), Child Care Regulation
Open the official Texas search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Severity labels: High, medium-high, medium, medium-low and low. Search by name, city, ZIP or operation number; each citation shows the rule, its risk level and the inspector’s narrative.
Daycare Record has every licensed Texas center’s inspection record, with each citation explained: find a center or read how to look up daycare violations in Texas.
Utah daycare license lookup
Utah Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Licensing and Background Checks (DLBC), Office of Licensing
Open the official Utah search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and complaint findings. Severity labels: Extreme, high, moderate and low risk. History online: 3 years. Only substantiated complaint allegations and citations are shown; warnings are not.
Vermont daycare license lookup
Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF), Child Development Division (CDD)
Open the official Vermont search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and what the inspector found. Search by town or name, open Details, then click a site visit date to see each violation and what the licensor observed.
Virginia daycare license lookup
Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), Division of Early Childhood Care and Education
Open the official Virginia search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Click an inspection date to read each violation, the inspector's description and the provider's plan of correction.
Washington daycare license lookup
Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF)
Open the official Washington search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider and complaint findings. History online: 3 years. Child Care Check shows licensing inspections and valid complaint findings from the last three years.
West Virginia daycare license lookup
West Virginia Department of Human Services, Bureau for Family Assistance - Early Care and Education
Open the official West Virginia search →
Shows a list of each provider’s violations (not the full reports). The list shows the rules broken but not what the inspector saw. Only corrective action plans are online; ask the licensing specialist or Resource and Referral for a full non-compliance history.
Wisconsin daycare license lookup
Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), Division of Early Care and Education
Open the official Wisconsin search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. History online: 3 years. Each provider page lists the previous 3 years of visits and violations, each with a short summary and the noncompliance statement; licensed centers also show enforcement actions.
Wyoming daycare license lookup
Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS), Child Care Licensing
Open the official Wyoming search →
Shows inspection reports for each provider, what the inspector found and complaint findings. Enter a ZIP and child's age, then use each listing's Violations, Visits and External inspections buttons.
If you can’t find the daycare
- Try other names and the address. Programs are often listed under the owner’s or church’s name, and some searches match only exact spellings or license numbers.
- It may be legally exempt. Every state exempts some care from licensing, such as small home daycares under a set number of children, part-day programs, school-run pre-K or care while parents are on site. Exempt programs aren’t inspected the same way, so ask what rules they follow.
- It may need a license and not have one. Call the state licensing office. To report care you think should be licensed, see how to report a daycare.
Common questions
How do I find out if a daycare is licensed?
Search the provider’s name or address in your state’s official child care search, listed on this page for every state. It shows whether the license is active, its type and capacity, and usually the inspection history.
Can I see a daycare’s violations online?
In nearly every state, yes. Federal rules require states that take child care funds to post inspection results online. We found inspection reports or a list of violations in all 51 searches, and full reports in 45. Some states list only the rules broken; others include what the inspector saw and the provider’s plan to fix it. A few are still adding older records.
What’s the difference between a violation and a citation?
Usually nothing. States use violation, citation, deficiency or non-compliance for the same thing: a licensing rule the inspector found wasn’t met. Some states also rate how serious each one was; the table on this page shows which.
How long do states keep inspection reports online?
Federal rules ask for at least 3 years where available, and many states post exactly 3. Some keep more: California, Connecticut, Delaware and Massachusetts post 5 years, Minnesota 4, and Maine has records back to 2014. New York’s search shows inspections from only the last 2 years.
Are complaints about a daycare public?
In many states, only complaints where the state found a violation, and only after the investigation is closed. A few, such as Colorado and New York, also show complaints that weren’t substantiated. Many state searches show these findings with the inspection history.
Are daycare incident reports public?
It depends on the state. Daycares must tell the state about serious injuries and other serious incidents, and the state may follow up. In Texas, California and Pennsylvania, that follow-up investigation or visit and any violations it found appear in the inspection history; your state’s search, listed on this page, shows what it posts. Every state must also post yearly totals of deaths, serious injuries and substantiated child abuse in child care programs that can take federal funds.
What if a daycare isn’t in the state search?
Check other names and the address. It may be exempt from licensing, such as a small home daycare or a school-run program, or it may be operating without a required license; the state licensing office can tell you.
Do home daycares need a license?
It depends on the state and the number of children. Most states license or register family child care homes above a small number of unrelated children, and they usually appear in the state search, though some states limit how homes can be found.
Can I look up a daycare by license number?
Often. Many state searches accept a license or facility number, which is the most reliable way to find a specific program; others search only by name, city, county or ZIP code.
More guides
Sources: Childcare.gov, state and territory resources; 45 CFR §98.33 (consumer education website); 45 CFR §98.42 (inspections and incident reporting); each state’s official child care search and its help pages, linked above.