5.5 Monitoring and Enforcement of Licensing and Health and Safety Requirements

5.5.1 Inspections for licensed CCDF providers Licensing inspectors must perform at least one annual, unannounced inspection of each licensed CCDF provider for compliance with all child care licensing standards, including an inspection for compliance with health and safety and fire standards. Lead Agencies must conduct at least one pre-licensure inspection for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards of each child care provider and facility in the State/Territory. a. Licensed CCDF center-based providers i. Does your pre-licensure inspection for licensed center-based providers assess compliance with health standards, safety standards, and fire standards? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: ii. Identify the frequency of annual unannounced inspections for licensed center- based providers addressing compliance with health, safety, and fire standards: [ ] Annually. [x] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: More than Annually - A risk assessment differential monitoring model is followed for unannounced inspections for child care centers. All child care centers receive at least one unannounced licensing inspection each state fiscal year. Based on the compliance at that inspection, additional inspections may be conducted prior to the end of the state fiscal year. Additionally, complaint inspections conducted may be unannounced for all provider types. [ ] Other. If other, describe: iii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring licensed center-based providers? [x] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. A risk assessment differential monitoring model is followed for unannounced inspections for child care centers. All rules have a point value attached indicating one of three risk levels, which includes CCDBG required health, safety, and fire standards. Based on the non-compliances cited during their first annual inspection, it may dictate additional monitoring inspections throughout the state fiscal year. The center may demonstrate compliance during an inspection or by providing a satisfactory corrective action plan which describes the steps taken by the program to correct the noncompliance that was observed during the licensing inspection [ ] No. If no, describe: iv. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for licensed center-based providers. The Ohio Department of Children and Youth b. Licensed CCDF family child care providers i. Does your pre-licensure inspection for licensed family child care homes assess compliance with health standards, safety standards, and fire standards? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: ii. Identify the frequency of annual unannounced inspections for licensed family child care homes addressing compliance with health, safety, and fire standards: [ ] Annually. [x] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: All CCDF and non- CCDF family child care providers receive two compliance inspections each state fiscal year and at least one must be unannounced. County agencies conduct all family child care provider licensing inspections. Additionally, complaint inspections conducted by the county agency may b unannounced for all provider types [ ] Other. If other, describe: iii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring licensed family child care providers? [x] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. A risk assessment differential monitoring model is followed for unannounced inspections for child care centers. All rules have a point value attached indicating one of three risk levels, which includes CCDBG required health, safety, and fire standards. Based on the non-compliances cited during their first annual inspection, it may dictate additional monitoring inspections throughout the state fiscal year. The center may demonstrate compliance during an inspection or by providing a satisfactory corrective action plan which describes the steps taken by the program to correct the noncompliance that was observed during the licensing inspection. [ ] No. If no, describe: iv. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for licensed family child care providers. County Department of Job and Family Services conduct the inspections for family child care providers. c. Licensed in-home CCDF child care providers i. Does your Lead Agency license CCDF in-home child care (care in the child’s own home) providers? [x] No. [ ] Yes. If yes, does your pre-licensure inspection for licensed in-home providers assess compliance with health, safety, and fire standards? [ ] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: ii. Identify the frequency of annual unannounced inspections for licensed in-home child care providers for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards completed: [x] Annually. [ ] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: [ ] Other. If other, describe: iii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring licensed in-home child care providers? [ ] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. [x] No. iv. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for licensed in-home providers. County Job and Family Services Agencies 5.5.2 Inspections for license-exempt providers Licensing inspectors must perform at least one annual monitoring visit of each license-exempt CCDF provider for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards. Inspections for relative providers will be addressed in subsection 5.8. Describe the policies and practices for the annual monitoring of: a. License-exempt CCDF center-based child care providers i. Identify the frequency of inspections for compliance with health, safety, and fire standards for license-exempt center-based providers: [ ] Annually. [ ] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: [x] Other. If other, describe: NA ii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring license-exempt center-based providers? [ ] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. [x] No. iii. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for license-exempt center-based CCDF providers. NA b. License-exempt CCDF family child care providers i. Identify the frequency of the inspections of license-exempt family child care providers to determine compliance with health, safety, and fire standards: [ ] Annually. [ ] More than once a year. If more than once a year, describe: [x] Other. If other, describe: NA ii. Does the Lead Agency implement a differential monitoring approach when monitoring license-exempt family child care providers? [ ] Yes. If yes, describe how the differential monitoring approach is representative of the full complement of health and safety requirements. [x] No. iii. Identify which department or agency is responsible for completing the inspections for license-exempt family child care providers. NA 5.5.3 Inspections for CCDF license-exempt in-home child care providers Lead Agencies may develop alternate monitoring requirements for care provided in the child’s home that are appropriate to the setting. This flexibility cannot be used to bypass the monitoring requirement altogether. a. Describe the requirements for the annual monitoring of CCDF license-exempt in-home child care (care in the child’s own home) providers, including if monitoring is announced or unannounced, occurs more frequently than once per year, and if differential monitoring procedures are used. NA b. List the entity(ies) in your State/Territory responsible for conducting inspections of license-exempt CCDF in-home child care (care in the child’s own home) providers: NA 5.5.4 Posting monitoring and inspection reports Lead Agencies must post monitoring and inspection reports on their consumer education website for each licensed and CCDF child care provider, except in cases where the provider is related to all the children in their care. These reports must include the results of required annual monitoring visits and visits due to major substantiated complaints about a provider’s failure to comply with health and safety requirements and child care policies. A full report covers everything in the monitoring visit, including areas of compliance and non-compliance. If the Lead Agency does not produce any reports that include areas of compliance, the website must include information about all areas covered by a monitoring visit. The reports must be in plain language or provide a plain language summary Lead Agency and be timely to ensure that the results of the reports are available and easily understood by parents when they are deciding on a child care provider. Lead Agencies must post at least 3 years of monitoring and inspection reports. a. Does the Lead Agency post: i. [x] Pre-licensing inspection reports for licensed programs. ii. [x] Full monitoring and inspection reports that include areas of compliance and non-compliance for all non-relative providers eligible to provide CCDF services. iii. [ ] Monitoring and inspection reports that include areas of non-compliance only, with information about all areas covered by a monitoring visit posted separately on the website (e.g., a blank checklist used by monitors) for all non-relative providers eligible to provide CCDF services. If checked, provide a direct URL/website link to the website where a blank checklist is posted: iv. [ ] Other. Describe: b. Check if the monitoring and inspection reports and any related plain language summaries include: i. [x] Date of inspection. ii. [x] Health and safety violations, including those violations that resulted in fatalities or serious injuries occurring at the provider. Describe how these health and safety violations are prominently displayed: Health and safety violations, including fatalities or serious injuries, that resulted due to negligence of the program, are documented as rule citations in inspection reports, which are written in reader friendly plain language and are posted on the Ohio Department of Children and Youth website. iii. [x] Corrective action plans taken by the Lead Agency and/or child care provider. Describe: The provider submits a corrective action plan for each non-compliance which is reviewed by the specialist who then logs a status in the system. Statuses are displayed on the website. The "Inspection Corrective Action Status" identifies the status of corrective action taken for the entire inspection. The "Compliance Status" is specific to each rule violation. iv. [x] A minimum of 3 years of results, where available. v. If any of the components above are not selected, please explain: c. Lead Agencies must post monitoring and inspection reports and/or any related summaries in a timely manner. i. Provide the direct URL/website link to where the reports are posted: https://childcaresearch.ohio.gov/ ii. Identify the Lead Agency’s established timeline for posting monitoring reports and describe how it is timely: Once a report is completed by the licensing staff an overnight batch is run and the report is available to view the next day on the consumer website. https://childcaresearch.ohio.gov/ Pre-licensing inspection reports were added to the consumer website by March 2025. Ohio also updated the Ohio Child Licensing and Quality System (OCLQS) to ensure that the correct inspection history is displayed for approved day camps. OCLQS was updated in December 2025. d. Does the Lead Agency certify that the monitoring and inspection reports or the summaries are in plain language that is understandable to parents and other consumers? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: e. Does the Lead Agency certify that there is a process for correcting inaccuracies in the monitoring and inspection reports? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: f. Does the Lead Agency maintain monitoring and inspection reports on the consumer education website? [x] Yes. [ ] No. If no, describe: 5.5.5 Qualifications and training of licensing inspectors Lead Agencies must ensure that individuals who are hired as licensing inspectors (or qualified monitors designated by the Lead Agency) are qualified to inspect child care providers and facilities and have received health and safety training appropriate to the provider setting and age of the children served. Describe how the Lead Agency ensures that licensing inspectors (or qualified monitors designated by the Lead Agency) are qualified and have received training on health and safety requirements that are appropriate to the age of the children in care and the type of provider setting. Child care licensing specialists hired by the Ohio Department of Children and Youth must meet all education, training, and experience requirements. Child care licensing inspectors hired by the county agencies must meet requirements outlined by the agency. All inspectors receive training on how to monitor the programs. Specialists with the lead agency at a minimum, must have the following: Completed an undergraduate core program in early childhood / human development, social, or behavioral sciences. Meet one of the Department’s trainer requirements cited in Administrative Code rules 5101:2-12-10 or 5101:2-13-10. Child care licensing specialist hired by the lead agency complete a six month training of the licensing rules, policies, and procedures which includes mentoring and observation prior to receiving a caseload. Inspectors hired by the county agencies must complete training provided by the lead agency and training requirements outlined by the agency. These trainings include a review of the child care rules for the specific program type which includes health and safety requirements. 5.5.6 Ratio of licensing inspectors Lead Agencies must ensure the ratio of licensing inspectors to child care providers and facilities in the State/Territory are maintained at a level sufficient to enable the Lead Agency to conduct effective inspections of child care providers and facilities on a timely basis in accordance with federal, State, and local laws. Provide the ratio of licensing inspectors to child care providers (i.e., number of inspectors per number of child care providers) and facilities in the State/Territory and include how the ratio is sufficient to conduct effective inspections on a timely basis. The Ohio Department of Children and Youth currently maintains a ratio of approximately 1:76 with teams located regionally throughout the state. The Ohio Department of Children and Youth (DCY) currently maintains a ratio of approximately 1:76 with teams located regionally throughout the state. DCY calculates staff have approximately 173 working days in the field each fiscal year, after subtracting days for state and national holidays and other required days in the office. Each program is required to receive at least one unannounced inspection each state fiscal year. The Division of Regulatory Compliance, within DCY, continues to conduct a workload analysis across the division and is working to develop integrated monitoring procedures across all setting types. Five new positions were recently added. Leadership continues to monitor staffing needs as agency procedures are developed and will advocate for additional staff as needed.