Registration is voluntary for family child care homes. A group child care home may provide care for 7 to 11 children and is required to be registered. The Iowa Department of Human Services is responsible for registering family homes and group child care. With registration the provider completes a self-evaluation and agrees that all the minimum requirements are met. Annually about 20 percent of registered homes are checked to see if they meet the minimum requirements.
Registration is different from licensing.
Child care centers are licensed and the center is inspected before the license is issued. This is repeated annually. A registered home must have a current certificate of registration displayed in a place where parents can see it. You, the child's parent, must decide whether the home meets your child's particular needs. And, as you visit the home, you may wish to check to see whether the basic registration requirements continue to be met.