Types of Child Care

The San Mateo Child Care Coordinating Council is the County’s Resource and Referral Agency. All information on these pages is taken from their page: San Mateo 4Cs. If you have additional questions not addressed on this page, please contact 4Cs for support: info@sanmateo4cs.org or 650-517-1460 (English) / 650-517-1461 (Spanish). 

Some types of care are licensed by the State of California’s Community Care Licensing Division. Licensed care assures a minimal standard of health and safety protection and is regulated by Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations. It does not ensure quality. 

Only a parent can judge whether a child care setting or preschool program is right for his or her child. The 4Cs provides more information about choosing high-quality child care programs on its pages:

Program Philosophy | Quality Care by Age | Evaluating Child Care Settings.

MyChildCarePlan.org also offers resources for selecting high quality child care.  

Licensed Child Care Centers and Preschools 

Child care centers are almost always licensed. They provide group care outside of a home. Generally, licensed centers require one adult for every four infants, one adult for every 12 preschoolers, or one adult for every 14 school-age children. Teachers and directors in child care centers are required to meet specific educational requirements set by the state. 

There are other terms you’ll hear, such as Title 5 Programs or Head Start Programs. Title 5 regulations are more stringent than Title 22 regulations, which govern basic child care licensing. Head Start is a nationwide, federally funded early childhood program for low-income preschool children ages 3-5. The program places particular emphasis on parental involvement. For information about specific eligibility requirements, you can contact the Institute for Human and Social Development (IHSD) at (650) 578-3440.  

See a map of Licensed Child Care Centers and Preschools in Redwood City here: Child Care Center Locator.  

Family Child Care Homes 

Family child care homes are operated by individuals who are licensed, by Community Care Licensing, to provide care in their residence (owned or rented). Family child care is licensed as either: 

• Small Family Child Care Home--for up to 6 children (with an additional 2 school-age, under certain conditions),
  
  or 

• Large Family Child Care Home—for up to 12 children (with additional 2 school-age), with an assistant present. 

The home is inspected for health and safety standards, and all adults living in the home must obtain background and TB clearances. Family child care providers must complete 15 hours of health training, including Pediatric First Aid & CPR. No college education is required, but many family child care providers enroll in Early Childhood Education/Child Development classes and some have college degrees. 

The San Mateo County Family Child Care Organization is an excellent resource for learning more about family child care in the County. You can contact them at fccasmc@yahoo.com or 650-766-0869.  

To investigate Family Child Care programs, visit MyChildCarePlan.org and/or call 4Cs at 650-517-1460 (English) or 650-517-1461 (Spanish).  

License-Exempt Child Care 

Some programs, such as parent co-ops and after-school programs, may be exempt from licensing. Locally, TIFFAN supports nannies as well as family, friend and neighbor (“FFN”) providers both with training on child development and care.  

In-Home Care 

You may hire someone (babysitter, nanny, au pair) to care for your child in your home. You set the hours, responsibilities, rules and pay. In-home providers can be located through nanny/employment agencies, newspaper ads, local parent magazines, etc. There is no training or licensing of such caregivers, though ‘nanny schools’ exist in some areas.  

Caregivers should at least receive training in Infant/Child First Aid and CPR, available through many hospitals, Red Cross, etc. It is recommended that, for the safety of your child, you obtain a TrustLine fingerprint clearance for the person, which is a background check through State and FBI criminal records and State Child Abuse Index. Contact the TrustLine Registry for information: 1-800-822-8490 or www.trustline.org. Information on employers’ responsibilities regarding in-home care providers (taxes, etc.) is available from the Child Care Coordinating Council: 650-517-1460. 

Relatives and Other Caregivers 

You may hire a relative or other person to provide child care either in their home or yours. These arrangements can be of equal or lower cost, or free. (Note that caregivers providing care to non-relative children from more than one family, other than their own, are required to be licensed.) There are no State requirements for training. The recommendations above regarding TrustLine clearance and First Aid/CPR training apply here. License-exempt caregivers who are paid through public subsidy funds are often required to obtain a TrustLine background clearance.