School age programs provide planned daily activities and are accountable for children for specific blocks of time during the week. School age programs have their own space apart from other groups during the time that they operate. All individuals who are potentially interested in starting a school age child care programs are invited to a training by their licensors to assist them in meeting the basic requirements for licensure. All new programs receive a provisional six month license. This allows time to make final decisions on policies and procedures needed to make the program run efficiently.
All programs complete a licensing study every two years.
In preparation for the renewal of their license, providers are invited to training meetings where regulation and policy are explained and reviewed. School age child care programs should be safe places with programming which meet the developmental needs of school age children. The Office conducts unannounced visits to investigate complaints of a regulatory nature at these programs. Currently, programs that are operated by public school systems through the Department of Education and do not meet the definition requirements of a school age child care facility are not licensed and monitored by the Office for Children. Licensing is a public mandate for rules that govern and protect children who are being cared for outside their own home by non- related care givers.