Pennsylvania child care, camp and ratio rules

Child care licensing

A DHS certificate of compliance is required for child care centers (7 or more children), group child care homes and family child care homes (4 to 6 children) caring for children 15 and younger for part of a 24-hour day, including before- and after-school care in public or private, for-profit or nonprofit facilities (55 Pa. Code §3270.3).

After-school and recreation programs: Under an OCDEL policy statement (55 Pa. Code §3270.3a), part-day school-age programs for children in kindergarten through age 15 don't need certification if they run fewer than 90 consecutive days a year (most summer camps), operate 2 hours or less a day on 3 or fewer days a week, have a single focus such as basketball or art, are drop-in programs where children come and go, or are PDE-licensed or approved tutoring programs. A certified center that adds school-age children in summer doesn't qualify, and care during instruction hours in nonpublic schools is also exempt. OCDEL restated these rules for school-age programs in school buildings in Announcement C-26-01 (June 2026).

Licensing agency: Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Bureau of Certification Services

Sources: 55 Pa. Code §3270.51 (ratios); 55 Pa. Code §3270.4 (definitions); 55 Pa. Code §3270.3a (school-age exemptions); OCDEL Announcement C-26-01 (June 10, 2026)

Staff-to-child ratios in licensed centers

Rule: 55 Pa. Code §3270.51. Pennsylvania uses grade, not age: 'preschool' runs from age 3 until the child enters kindergarten; 'young school-age' is kindergarten until entering 4th grade; 'older school-age' is 4th grade through age 15 (55 Pa. Code §3270.4). Mixed-age groups follow §3270.52.

Work out your staffing with the ratio calculator

Summer camps

Pennsylvania has no state program license for youth camps. An 'organized camp' (an outdoor group-living program run for 5 or more consecutive days) and campgrounds need a yearly sanitation permit covering water, sewage and toilets from the Department of Health or local health department (28 Pa. Code §§19.1, 19.11). School-age day camps (kindergarten and up) running fewer than 90 consecutive days are usually exempt from child care certification, but that exemption doesn't cover preschool-age children; camp employees and volunteers still need child abuse clearances.

Sources: 28 Pa. Code §19.11 (organized camp permit); 28 Pa. Code §19.1 (definitions); 55 Pa. Code §3270.3a

Background checks

Under the Child Protective Services Law, employees of child care and of any program, activity or service where they are responsible for children need three clearances: PA child abuse history, PA State Police criminal record, and an FBI fingerprint check, renewed every 60 months. Certified child care staff and volunteers also need a National Sex Offender Registry check and out-of-state checks if they lived outside PA in the past 5 years. Adult volunteers in youth programs need the child abuse and State Police clearances; the FBI check is needed only if they haven't lived in PA for the full past 10 years (otherwise a signed statement). Provisional hiring for up to 45 days is allowed under set conditions.

Sources: PA DHS: Child Abuse Clearances; PA DHS FAQ: Employees Having Contact with Children (10/01/2026); PA DHS FAQ: Certified Child Care Providers (10/01/2026); PA DHS FAQ: Volunteers

Giving medication

Centers must reasonably accommodate medication a child needs for a special need but are not required to give other medication. When they do: original container labeled with the medication and child's name, prescriber's written instructions for prescriptions (the label counts), written parent consent, locked or out-of-reach storage, and a medication log with dose, date, time and staff initials (55 Pa. Code §3270.133). Staff complete medication administration training within 90 days of hire (§3270.31(f)).

Free medication administration log

Sources: 55 Pa. Code §3270.133; 55 Pa. Code §3270.31

Reporting child abuse

Mandated reporters include school employees, child care employees with direct contact with children, and anyone, paid or unpaid, who as an integral part of a regularly scheduled program, activity or service is responsible for a child's welfare or has direct contact with children (23 Pa.C.S. §6311). They must report immediately to ChildLine by phone or online, then notify the person in charge of their organization.

Pennsylvania child abuse hotline: 1-800-932-0313 (ChildLine) (how to report). In an emergency, call 911.

Sources: PA DHS: Report as a Mandated Reporter; PA DHS Mandated Reporters FAQ; Child Welfare Information Gateway: Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect