Child Care and Development Fund

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) supports better childcare for families across North Dakota. Whether your child goes to a childcare center, a home-based provider or an afterschool program, this program works behind the scenes to make sure care is safe and high-quality.

CCDF supports:

• Keeping kids safe and healthy while in childcare.
• Families who need help paying for childcare.
• Programs that help your child learn and grow.
• Training for teachers and caregivers to better support your child’s learning.
• Higher safety, learning and quality standards for programs.
• Helpful tools and information for parents to choose the best care for their family

The CCDF fact sheet explains how the program helps make childcare more affordable for working families by supporting the Child Care Assistance Program, ensuring health and safety standards and connecting parents with resources to find quality care, while also offering support and training for childcare providers.

When your child is in care, their safety is our top priority. That’s why all licensed and self-declared childcare programs must follow health and safety standards set by the Child Care and Development Fund.

What health and safety standards are required for childcare programs?

Childcare providers must follow rules to keep children safe and healthy. These rules cover 11 important areas, including:

• Stopping the spread of illness, including standards for immunizations.
• Safe sleep practices.
• Giving medicine safely.
• Knowing what to do for emergencies caused by food and allergic reactions.
• Keeping buildings and playgrounds safe.
• Preventing child abuse and shaken baby syndrome.
• Having emergency plans.
• Storing harmful materials safely.
• Keeping kids safe during transportation.
• Getting trained in CPR and first aid for children.
• Learning how to spot and report child abuse or neglect.

Are background checks required?

To ensure a safe, trusted environment, all staff must pass a full background check before working with children.

How do we know programs are following health and safety rules?

Licensing Specialists visit childcare providers throughout the year to make sure they are following health and safety rules. Use the online childcare search tool to view a program's Childcare Licensing Report, including monitoring visit results and correction orders from the past 3 years.

How is the state plan developed?
Every three years, the Early Childhood and Economic Assistance sections write the triennial state plan in consultation with key partners. 

Can the public provide input?
Before the plan is submitted, a public meeting is held. This gives families, providers and community members a chance to share comments.

Who reviews and approves the plan?
Once the plan is submitted, it is reviewed by:

• The Regional Office.
• The Office of Child Care.

If they find any areas that don’t meet federal rules, we work with them to make the needed changes. This may involve updating laws, rules, policies or procedures to meet requirements.

Who can see the plan?
After approval, the plan is made public by the Administration for Children and Families. It is shared with:

• Members of Congress.
• State and local childcare leaders.
• Advocacy groups and researchers.
• The general public, including parents like you.

Current plan - Amendment 2 (April 2026) - archived

Amendment 1 (August 2025) - archived

Initial plan (October 2024) - archived

Appendix - archived

You need to know your children are safe while in childcare. To help you make informed decisions, we share important safety information about licensed and self-declaration childcare programs.

Where can I see a program's monitoring visit results and correction orders?

Use the online childcare search tool to view a program's Childcare Licensing Report, including monitoring visit results and correction orders from the past 3 years.

What other safety information is available?

We track and share the number of serious injuries, deaths and confirmed cases of abuse and neglect that happen each year in childcare programs. Visit our data and reporting page view information for the past 3 years.

Are any other reports available to the public?

Our annual Quality Progress Report and expenditure reports are also available on our data and reporting page.