About Licensed Childcare

Safe and Secure in a

Home Environment

OUR MISSON

Our mission as Fort Collins Partners in Childcare (FCPIC) members is to provide children with the highest quality of early childcare and early childcare education. We are licensed childcare professionals. FCPIC members provide an affordable, high quality, home-like environment with skilled providers. We support families in the efforts to find quality early childhood care. As childcare professionals we serve as a support network and provide continuing education to our members.

Safety First

The Colorado Division Of Childcare regulates the licensing of Family Childcare Homes, ensuring that every licensed home daycare is safe and secure for your child. Every home is inspected annually to ensure proper safety standards, emergency procedures and record keeping, as well as the provision of proper playthings appropriate to the age of the children being cared for. Every licensed provider has their license placed near the front door, look for it during interviews.

Some Family Childcare Homes are also aided by the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), administered by the USDA. This program provides information and instruction about the inclusion of healthy snacks and meals throughout the day for your child.

Did You Know?

In the state of Colorado it is legal for an unlicensed individual to care for up to 4 children or the children of one family, with no more than 2 kids under the age of 2 years old including the caregivers own child. For an individual to care for 5 kids or more from different families they must be licensed with the Colorado Division of Childcare. We encourage parents and providers to report any illegal child care to the State.

Childhood safety is always number top priority for us at FCPIC. Here are some important phone numbers to help keep kids safe:

To report child abuse call the local law enforcement number 911 or Child Protection Services in Larimer County at (970) 498‐6990
For free Parenting Support call 1-800-CHILDREN
To report licensing violations call the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Child Care in Denver (303) 866-3755 or 1-800-799-5876

The Ratios

Home Child Care Providers can have different license types. Each successive license can revert back to the regular license type at will. Here's a look at how that works.

Regular License- 1 provider: 2 under the age of two years, 2 school age = 8 kids total
3 under 2 License- 1 provider: 3 under the age of two years (2 of which can be under twelve months), No school age kids = 6 kids total
Infant/Toddler License- 1 provider: 4 under two years old (2 of which can be under twelve months) = 4 kids total, 2 qualified providers allowed to equal 8 kids
Large License- 1 provider: 2 under the age of two years, assistant needed once 9th child arrives = 7 - 12 children total
Experienced License- total of 9 children with different age requirements, see following options

Child Care Centers have many requirements for directors and teaching staff. The basic ratios fall into these categories.