Start Your Child Care Provider Journey
Have a passion for caring for children and running your own business?
Become a Child Care Provider
The first step to becoming a DES Certified Child Care provider is to complete the pre-application.
Understanding the Role of a Child Care Provider
Defining the Professional Role of Child Care Providers
What Being A Child Care Provider Is | What Being A Child Care Provider Is Not |
|---|---|
A commitment to creating a structured, nurturing and safe environment for children. |
Babysitting or an informal arrangement to watch children. |
Running a business that requires adherence to schedules, standards, and regulations. |
Lacking structure or failing to follow a daily schedule. |
Engaging in activities that promote children's development and well-being. |
Ignoring the importance of educational and developmental activities. |
An opportunity to care for your children as well as others |
Operating without proper licensing, certification or adherence to state regulations. |
Types of Providers
High-quality early childhood care and education matters. There are different DES provider types - learn more to find the one that works best for you.
Certified Family Child Care Providers
DES certifies family child care providers to care for up to four children at once in their home for compensation. Certified Family Child Care Providers can provide care for families that receive DES child care assistance and private pay families.
DES Non-Certified Relative Providers
Non-Certified Relative Providers (NCRP) provide child care services within the State of Arizona for families approved for DES child care, who are related by blood, marriage or by court decree. If you think you qualify as an NCRP, your relative must have their Child Care Assistance eligibility worker refer you as the child care provider.
Contracted Child Care Centers and Child Care Group Homes
Arizona Licensed Child Care Centers and Child Care Group Homes can enter into a contract with DES and receive financial reimbursement for providing child care to children and their families eligible for DES child care assistance.
Caring for AZ’s Children Starts With You
See if becoming a DES Certified Family Child Care Provider is right for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
The DES Division of Child Care provides child care financial assistance to eligible families of children Birth through age 12 and delivers services through a network of child care providers and community partners throughout Arizona, including specialized child care services for children and families experiencing significant stress in areas such as shelter and safety, child maltreatment, and for children with special physical, behavioral, or developmental needs. Through state and community collaborations, the Division of Child Care offers working parents the best choices for their child's early learning, paving the way for their future success.
What happens in early childhood lays the foundation for how children's brains develop, how well they do at school, and how they interact with the world throughout their lives. Over two-thirds of children from birth through age 12 have all available parents in the workforce. A strong child care system includes high-quality child care, school, and out-of-school time options that support the ability of parents to go to work with the peace of mind that their children are in safe, healthy, nurturing learning environments.
Family child care is a critical component of Arizona's early childhood care and education network. Offering working parents a mix of high-quality choices for their child's early learning paves the way for their future learning success. Every day, thousands of children are cared for in a home-based child care setting. Families choose child care homes for location, flexible hours, language, or because they prefer for their children to be in a familiar environment with a smaller number of children, or siblings.
Through DES, Certified Family Child Care providers have access to additional financial resources and program support to ensure a safe, high-quality child care environment.
Some of the requirements for becoming a Certified Family Child Care Provider include:
- Must be 18 years of age.
- Background check for provider and all household members aged 18 years and older.
- Fingerprint clearance card for provider and all household members aged 18 years and older
- Current immunization records for provider and all family members aged 13 years and younger
- Current proof of freedom from tuberculosis for provider and all household members
- Child care liability insurance
- Three references, professional or personal, whom you have known for at least one year
- A safe, healthy and child-friendly home environment.
CCR&R also offers information sessions about the requirements to become a provider in Arizona once a month. To sign up, please call us at 1.800.308.9000, Option 4, and a Specialist will assist you.
Providers that contract with DES receive financial reimbursement for providing child care to children and their families eligible for DES child care assistance. Some of these benefits include:
- Receive a monthly payment for the child’s attendance.
- Five paid absences can be claimed if eligibility is met.
- Enhanced Quality Rates for 3, 4, or 5 Quality First Star Rated and/or being Nationally Accredited.
- Stability, consistency, and continuity of care for low-income working families and children in the care of the Department of Child Safety.
- Advertise that your program offers care to eligible children, which may increase enrollment.
- FREE Quality Professional Development Training that meets both DHS and DES annual training requirements.
- Professional Career Pathway Project Scholarships for ECE college certification and degrees.
The DES Division of Child Care offers child care assistance for families at or below 165% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) with children 12 years of age or younger who meet certain requirements, including:
- Low-income working families
- Teen parents enrolled in high school, GED, ESOL, or remedial education programs.
- Residents of or participants in a homeless or domestic violence shelter program.
- Individuals who are unable to care for their children due to a physical, mental, or emotional condition
- Individuals who are unavailable to care for their children due to participation in court-ordered community service or
- participation in a drug treatment program
- Individuals currently receiving full-time DES child care assistance who enroll or are already enrolled in a full-time education or employment training program.
- Child care assistance is also available without regard to income for:
- DES Cash Assistance recipients participating in a Grant Diversion program for job search; or TANF recipients who are employed
- Referrals from a DES Jobs Program
- Referrals from the Arizona Department of Child Safety or Tribal Child Welfare program
Have Questions?
For questions or support regarding types of providers, the application process, an outstanding application or other provider information, we are here to help.