There are three categories of Child Development Homes (CDH) recognized under Iowa law, based on the number of children in care, the space available for child care and the provider’s education and experience:
Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) has a Child Development Home Orientation Guidebook to help providers navigate through the registration process. The handbook is a helpful guide for home providers that gives information on CCR&R, staff to child ratios, training, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), parent referrals, Child Care Assistance, Iowa Quality Rating System (QRS) and more. CCR&R provides training and consultation services that support the child care provider’s ability to achieve and maintain regulatory status in good standing and the effort to achieve and maintain performance at higher quality levels in Iowa’s Quality Rating System (QRS). Please contact your CCR&R Child Care Consultant with any questions you may have. Additionally, Child Care Aware of America has a Family Child Care Resource guide that may offer additional suggestions about the type of child care business for you!
A Child Development Home (CDH) provider:
Child Development Home (CDH) regulation guidelines from Department of Human Services (DHS) explain the minimum requirements for each category.
To help prepare providers for Department of Human Services (DHS) annual home inspections, please use the Self-Assessment CDH form or the Self-Assessment CDH with visuals form.
CCR&R strives to help providers create unique environments that allow children to develop and grow in their own way while focusing on the provider’s strengths, education and skills. Explore your registration options here. New provider registration packets are available through CCR&R here.
ID# 470-5384
ID# 470-0625
ID# 470-3384
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ID# 470-4755
ID# 470-3301
Spanish
ID# 470-5152 (required for all residents of the home age 13 and up)
ID# 470-5153
DHS Report of Suspected Child Abuse - ID# 470-0665
Providers will be responsible for having their fingerprints "rolled" before submitting their registration materials. The provider is responsible for the completion of all required criminal record check forms. To obtain these forms please contact the Department of Human Services (DHS) at 866-448-4605.
This is a universal tool for the provider and consultant which is applicable to continuous quality improvement actions: i.e. Department of Human Services (DHS) Referrals, Quality Rating System (QRS) Strategies, ChildNet Certifications or training key concepts.
Required & suggested forms booklet from CCR&R.
This policy guidebook offers suggestions of items to think about when creating policies for your family child care business.
Required information from DHS checklist, 110.9(4)A and B.
Packet of required information to be kept in the children’s file for each child enrolled.
Go to Form
Required information for DHS checklist, 110.9(4)K.
To be completed with a copy to the parent and child's health record.
Checklist of required information to be included in each child's file.
Required information for DHS checklist, 110.9(4)I and J
Parent consent and release form addressing child pick up, trips, transportation, swimming, photos and other.
Go to Form Spanish
Required information for DHS checklist, 110.14(3)C.
Child Development Homes (CDH) can use this document to learn about emergency exits.
Required information for DHS checklist, 110.9(4)B and C.
Packet of required information to be kept in the children's file for each child enrolled.
Required information for DHS checklist, 110.8(1)A.
Information should be readily accessible.
Required information for DHS checklist, 110.8(4)A.
Required information for DHS Checklist, 110.8(4)A.
Fire and tornado drills are practiced monthly and documentation kept on file for the current year and previous year.
This link will take you to the Emergency Preparedness page.
Iowa law requires child care providers to have a written emergency plan in place by October 1, 2016. There are templates and tools available for child care providers to help meet your program's needs. You are not required to use any of the templates and tools offered, although the tools and templates will help you meet requirements in Iowa law.
Required information for DHS Checklist, 110.8(1)G and H.
Information should be readily accessible for equipment checks of smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguisher and evacuation equipment.
Fire and tornado symbols may be used as visual aids to help children understand the required written emergency plans posted by the primary and secondary exits.
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Infant, Toddler, Preschool Age
Required information for DHS checklist, 110.9(4)D.
The provider should give this form to the parent/guardian of the attending child, to have the form completed by a physician. The provider should then keep a copy of this form in the child's personal file.
School Age Child, Parent Statement of Health
The provider should give to the parent/guardian of the attending child for completion. The provider should then keep a copy of this form in the child's personal file.
Examples of forms and other available information on this site include:
Breastfeeding support, child illness guide, diapering procedures, electrical outlet safety, exposure plan, first aid checklist, handwashing instructions, infant daily report, injury report, mandatory reporting site poster, sleep safe policy, etc.
Go to Website
When a Certificate of Immunization or Immunization Exempt Form are not available, a Provisional Certificate of Immunization can be used. Expiration date is usually 60 days. If the immunizations are further behind than can be caught up in 60 days, another provisional can be issued for an additional 60 days. As you can see on the record, a child must have received at least one dose of each of the required immunizations for this to be a valid option.
Medical or Religious
Form parents complete if they refuse to immunize their children because of religion or doctor recommendation.
Medical Form
Religious Form
Required information for DHS checklist, 110.8(3)C.
Form to be completed by the parent and provider when an enrolled child is given any medicine, topical cream, sunscreen, diaper ointment, breathing treatment, etc. Parent signature is required.
Form to document when provider has practiced monthly fire/tornado drills and changed batteries in smoke alarms.
Required information for DHS Checklist, 110.14(1)D.
Only two part-time children can be present at one time. Additional copies may be needed if there are more children attending as part-time.
Form to document training requirements prior to registration and tracking of required 24 hours of professional development each registration period.
Renovation can disturb paint and this includes sanding, cutting, and demolition. Learn how this can hurt adults and children.
Lead Hazard Notification Process
This applies to all persons who perform renovation, remodeling, or repainting for compensation in target housing or a child-occupied facility.
Required information for DHS checklist, 110.8(5)A through D.
Safe Sleep procedures for providers and parents.
This self-assessment will be used by the provider and Child Care Consultant to assure homes are a safe, nurturing place for children that promote developmentally appropriate practices. Use this form to prepare for your DHS annual inspection.
This pre-inspection self-assessment will be used by the provider and Child Care Consultant to help assure homes are ready for the DHS pre-inspection visit.
Required information for DHS checklist, 110.8(1)I.
A direct link to the Iowa Department of Health Smoke Free Air Act information including a link to print signs.
Required information for DHS checklist, 110.8(1)M.
This link will take you to the Iowa Child Restraint Law document.
Your Child Development Home (CDH) will benefit from having policies and plans to effectively communicate with parents and staff. The largest benefit of having policies and plans is to protect child care providers.
Iowa Professional Workforce Registry (i-PoWeR) is an online tool where child care professionals can locate and enroll for DHS-approved professional development. To access and enroll for DHS-approved professional development opportunities, please see their website.
Prior to the issuance of a registration certificate and every five years thereafter, the primary and substitute provider shall complete minimum health and safety trainings approved by Department of Human Services (DHS).
For the complete DHS registration guidelines on training requirements, please see Comm 143 above.
To view a complete listing of core trainings offered by CCR&R, click here.
The Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential™ is a nationally recognized credential earned by those working in the early care and education field. To learn more about the steps to achieve your CDA, click here.
Department of Human Services (DHS) requires 24 additional training hours during each 2-year registration period for Child Development Home (CDH) providers and substitutes. Minimum health and safety training may be required prior to the five year period if content has significant changes that warrant the training be renewed. CCR&R offers low- or no-cost training designed to help early childhood professionals meet registration requirements and become more successful in developing skills for working with children and families.
This series provides the foundational skills needed to operate a successful child care business. Upon series completion, providers will be eligible for ChildNet Certification and to obtain points in the Quality Rating System (QRS).
This Iowa Department of Education series training provides insight about how to integrate literacy skills into a child care program. Due to the varied developmental needs, a separate series is presented for providers who care for children birth to 3 and 3 to 5.
Resource page only - Iowa law requires child care providers to have a written emergency plan in place by October 1, 2016. Emergency plans must include procedures for 6 key areas. There are templates and tools available for child care providers to help meet your program's needs. You are not required to use any of the templates and tools offered, although the tools and templates will help you meet requirements in Iowa law.
This series offers providers important information on 10 key health and safety topics and was developed to meet Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) professional development requirements.
This series is a nationally recognized tool used to assess and improve the quality of center, school age, infant/toddler and family child care programs. Workshops offer step-by-step guidance for making helpful changes that can make a real difference in the work that is done with young children.
This basic orientation training will focus on behavior shaping through a trauma-informed lens. It will use the latest science from multiple fields to support the practice of staff engaged in helping children overcome challenges that are not of their own doing or choice. Changing the question of “what’s wrong with you” to “what happened to you?”
This series addresses developmental areas of young children, which are based on research and theory in early care and education. It is a guide in understanding how children learn, as well as the importance of play, routine and relationships in regards to their development.
This course is designed to address the principles and skills needed to administer medications to children.
Providers are required to attend this Iowa-specific training to learn how to identify the signs of child abuse and the steps needed to report incidents.
This Nutrition And Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAPSACC) is available to providers as a tool to set goals and implement healthy activities in their programs. Training and on-site consultation is provided.
The Physical Activity Learning Session (PALS) training is for early childhood providers to learn the best practices of physical activity for children birth to five.
This training is an effective, evidence-based approach for supporting social competence and addressing challenging behavior in young children.
This training approach equates good care with training infant/toddler providers who are preparing themselves and the environment so that infants can learn.
School age children have a specific set of developmental needs that are different from younger children. Attendees will learn the skills needed to effectively adapt their programs to accommodate this age group.
In this training, providers will learn what can be done to protect the children in their care from the spread of germs and disease. Additionally, they will gain an understanding of the importance of post-exposure policies and procedures.
Having accurate information on your child care program in the CCR&R database allows us to assist in marketing your child care program to parents looking for child care. To match your program to the needs of families we need to know important information like hours of operation, ages served, changes in phone numbers or email address. Update your program file here.
Benefits of registration as a Child Development Home (CDH) provider include:
Iowa's Quality Rating System (QRS) is a voluntary child care rating system for Child Development Homes (CDH). The Quality Rating System (QRS) was developed to raise the quality of child care in Iowa, raise the number of children in high-quality child care settings and to educate parents about quality in child care. To learn more about becoming a QRS-rated provider, click here.
For more information about accepting Child Care Assistance (CCA), click here.
Join facilitated discussions driven by YOU! CCR&R is committed to improving communication with child care providers across Iowa. It is through the sharing of information and experiences that participants can learn from each other and have an opportunity to develop themselves personally and professionally.
Communities of Practice, also known as “CoPs”, are groups of people who share a passion for something they do and want to learn how to do it better as they interact. CoPs allow attendees to learn and collaborate as content is driven by the participants.
View our statewide event calendar here!
For a list of resources that you might find helpful, click here.