Arizona child care, camp and ratio rules

Child care licensing

Any facility that regularly cares for five or more unrelated children for pay, for less than 24 hours a day, is a child care facility and must be licensed by ADHS (A.R.S. §36-881, §36-882); 'child' generally means through age 14. Licensed centers follow 9 A.A.C. 5; smaller in-home child care group homes are certified under separate rules (9 A.A.C. 3).

After-school and recreation programs: A.R.S. §36-884 exempts programs that offer only recreational or instructional activities to school-age children who may come and go on their own (they must post a 'not licensed' notice), training only in specific subjects such as dance, drama, music, self-defense or religion, and public or private schools during the regular school day. Before- and after-school care run by a school is not exempt; public school child care must meet ADHS standards. Accredited day camps can also be exempt (see camps).

Licensing agency: Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Bureau of Child Care Licensing

Sources: Ariz. Admin. Code R9-5-404 Staff-to-children ratios; Ariz. Admin. Code R9-5-101 Definitions; A.R.S. §36-881 Definitions; A.R.S. §36-884 Exemptions; A.R.S. §36-883.04 Public school child care standards

Staff-to-child ratios in licensed centers

Rule: Ariz. Admin. Code R9-5-404(A). Arizona sets no maximum group size for centers. The ratio for a group is based on the youngest child in it. 'School-age' means a child who is 5 by January 1 of the school year and attends (or attended last school year) kindergarten or higher, including home school (R9-5-101). When six or more children are present, a director or designee plus one more staff member must be on site, and a lifeguard used at a pool can't count toward ratio.

Work out your staffing with the ratio calculator

Summer camps

Overnight 'children's camps' (food and lodging for minors, open five or more days a year) need an annual ADHS children's camp license, applied for by May 1, with inspections focused on water, sewage, food service and layout (A.R.S. §36-3901 to 36-3916). Day camps are not children's camps; they need a child care facility license unless they qualify for the day camp exemption in A.R.S. §36-884(9): accredited by an ADHS-approved national day camp accreditor, open fewer than 10 weeks a year, serving only children 5 and older, posting a 'not licensed' notice, and requiring fingerprint clearance cards for all staff.

Sources: A.R.S. §36-3901 Children's camp definition; A.R.S. §36-3902 Children's camp license; Ariz. Admin. Code R9-8-402 Children's camp licensing; A.R.S. §36-884(9) day camp exemption

Background checks

All child care staff and volunteers must have a valid DPS Level One fingerprint clearance card (state and FBI criminal history, with ongoing rap-back updates) before starting work, and sign a disclosure form on criminal history and child abuse findings (A.R.S. §36-883.02). Licensees must also submit staff for a Department of Child Safety central registry (child abuse and neglect) check and make good-faith efforts to contact previous employers. Exempt accredited day camps must still require fingerprint clearance cards; the overnight children's camp law has no background check rule of its own.

Sources: A.R.S. §36-883.02 Child care personnel; fingerprints; A.R.S. §41-1758.07 Level I fingerprint clearance cards; A.R.S. §8-804 DCS central registry checks; Ariz. Admin. Code R9-5-402 Staff records

Giving medication

A center that gives medicine must have a written medication policy, and only the director or one staff member designated in writing (one at a time) may give it, with signed parent or health care provider authorization listing the drug, dose, route, times and reason. Prescriptions must be in the pharmacy container and over-the-counter medicine in the original package labeled with the child's name; medicine is kept locked and out of reach, the center may not keep its own stock, and every dose is logged with the staff member's signature and kept for 12 months.

Free medication administration log

Sources: Ariz. Admin. Code R9-5-516 Medications

Reporting child abuse

Listed reporters include school personnel, health and behavioral health professionals, clergy, parents, and 'any other person who has responsibility for the care or treatment of the minor,' which covers child care, camp and youth program staff, plus their supervisors. Reports must be made immediately by phone or electronically to DCS or a peace officer (A.R.S. §13-3620).

Arizona child abuse hotline: 1-888-SOS-CHILD (1-888-767-2445), 24/7 (how to report). In an emergency, call 911.

Sources: A.R.S. §13-3620 Duty to report; Arizona DCS child abuse hotline; Child Welfare Information Gateway: Arizona mandatory reporting