Mildly Ill Child Care Centers
| Mildly ill child care centers provide child care to
children who may be recovering or have symptoms from a short term
illness or disability.
The Department of Children and Families is the lead
agency for licensing mildly ill child care centers. The DCF
statute, sections 402.26 through 402.319, contains the definition and
standards for child care. (402
FS info) If you want to know if a child care program meets the
definition of child care for mildly ill children, please read through
the statute definition. If you have questions regarding what
constitutes child care for mildly ill children, contact your local DCF
program office for assistance (Local
DCF Office Contact).
Department of Children and Families (DCF).
The following counties have a local licensing agency, through the local
county commissioners, that administers the
child care center licensing program for the Department of Children and Families:
Alachua, Brevard, Broward, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Palm Beach, and Pinellas.
Local Licensing Agencies.
If you need information on child care in any of the aforementioned
counties, contact the local licensing agencies directly for assistance.
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Child Care Center:
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Head Lice:
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Summer Camps:
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What does an Environmental Health physical plant/group care inspection cover?
If you have a complaint about the food or an
environmental condition at a DCF licensed mildly ill child care center,
you can contact your local county health department.
If your complaint is about treatment, conduct, accident
reporting, behavior, staff ratios or any non-food or non-environmental
issue, contact the local DCF office (Local
DCF Office Contact) or local licensing agency
Local
Licensing Agencies (166K PDF) to make a complaint. Please have the
details surrounding the complaint, date(s) of the incident or
observation, location/room within the facility it occurred or was
observed, address of the center, and any other pertinent information
related to the issue.
If you have a complaint about a religiously exempt
mildly ill child care center, not licensed by DCF or by a local
licensing agency, you will have to contact the religious exempting
agency for that specific center to file a complaint. There are no
environmental health inspections for the physical plant at religiously
exempt mildly ill child care centers performed by the DOH. However,
all food hygiene complaints at religious exempt mildly ill child care
centers can be referred to the local County Health Department.
Food service is regulated by DOH at these centers.
What to do, if you have a complaint about a child care center.
If you have a complaint about the food or an
environmental condition at a DCF licensed child care center, you can
contact your local county health department.
If your complaint is about treatment, conduct, accident
reporting, behavior, staff ratios or any non-food or environmental
issue, contact the local DCF office (Local
DCF Office Contact or local licensing agency
Local
Licensing Agencies (166K PDF) to make a complaint. Please have the
details surrounding the complaint, date(s) of the incident or
observation, location/room within the facility it occurred or was
observed, address of the center, and any other pertinent information
related to the issue.
If you have a complaint about a religiously exempt
child care center, not licensed by DCF or by a local licensing
agency, you will have to contact the religious exempting agency for
that specific center to file a complaint. There are no
environmental health inspections for the physical plant at religiously
exempt child care centers performed by the DOH. However, all food
hygiene complaints at religious exempt child care centers can be
referred to the local County Health Department. Food service is
regulated at these centers.
What does an Environmental Health physical plant/group care inspection cover?
In various group care facilities such as child
care centers, we ensure good sanitary health and safety
practices are in place related to construction,
operation, and maintenance among the children, employees,
and visitors to the child care center for mildly ill
children. Our purpose is to prevent or minimize the
risk of transmitting disease, injury, or bodily harm.
The list below includes some of the primary areas the
environmental health inspectors check during their
inspection visit. These focus areas are the same as in
regular child care centers.
- House Keeping
- Lighting
- Vermin/Animal Control
- Bed/Bedding
- Water Supply
- Liquid & Solid Waste
- Housing
- Sanitary Facilities and Diaper Changing
- Outdoor Area & Equipment
- Toys/indoor equipment
- Sanitizer
Areas Related To Disease Control Need Special Attention
- Approved sanitizers for diaper changing stations and food surfaces.
- What should be cleaned and sanitized daily.
- Torn/warn vinyl napping, sleeping and play mats.
- Hand-washing and personal hygiene procedures and supplies provided such as soap and
 disposable towels.
- Food hygiene and sanitation.
Repair and Upkeep: The inspector will look
throughout the facility to ensure it is being properly maintained. Here is a
picture of a hole where vermin were entering into the kitchen cupboards.
 The inspector will check the diaper changing area to
make sure it is clean and the changing mat intact with
no rips or tears for effective sanitizing. In addition,
the inspector will check the sanitizing chemical to make
sure it is at the correct strength to sanitize and it is
used properly by staff after changing each child. See
the picture of the inspector checking the sanitizer
concentration with their chemical test strip and spray
sanitizer bottle.
There are many things to look for both inside and out
side the facility and on the playground. Here are some
of the things that an environmental health inspection
might find that does not meet the code. These are
pictures of pinch hazards, injury hazards, and lack of
maintenance to prevent vector or vermin infestations
outside on the play ground or surrounding property the
facility is located on.
Also, wood structures and play equipment can deteriorate
over time and through exposure to Florida's elements.
Here is a picture of a leaning fence on a playground
that needs maintenance. In addition, climbing equipment
can become splintery and need sanding or replacement to
prevent injury during use.
Physical Plant Inspection Rule, Frequency, and DOH Inspection Forms?
Yes - DCF Rules - 65C-25 F.A.C. (65K PDF)
- Frequency:
- Twice per year
Good management practices for facility pest control and head lice information.
Information can be found at the University of Florida's web site
Integrated
Pest Management.
Food Inspections
When food is served or catered the following applies:
Snacks Only Food Permit:
Snacks are defined in
64E-11, F.A.C.(164K
PDF)as, a commercially pre-packaged non-potentially hazardous ready-to-eat-food
item that is wrapped for individual consumption.
- A state DOH food permit is required when a facility only serves
snacks, even if they are catered in by a third party provider.
64E-11, F.A.C.(164K
PDF)exempts centers serving snack food only from the state permit fee. However, local county fees may apply.
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- Prior to opening or operating, a set of plans drawn to scale and
a completed food hygiene permit (to serve snacks only) application
must be submitted to the local county health department for a food hygiene
plan review. There is a fee associated with the required plan
review. To apply for a food hygiene
permit for snack food service, please go to the
food hygiene website
or contact your local county health department's environmental health section.
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- DOH Rules:
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64E-11, F.A.C.(164K
PDF)
- Inspection Frequency:
- Twice per year.
Meals or Meals & Snacks
- If a child care center serves meals, has catered meals, or
serves meals and snacks, a permit, plan review, and inspections are
required. Prior to opening or operating, a set of plans drawn
to scale and a completed food hygiene permit application must be
submitted to the local county health department for a food
hygiene plan review. There is a fee associated with the
required plan review. To apply for a food hygiene permit,
please go to the
food hygiene website
or contact your local county health department's environmental health section.
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- DOH Rules:
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64E-11, F.A.C.(164K
PDF)
- Inspection Frequency:
- Once per quarter (four times per year)
Facilities:
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