Interested in learning more about becoming a child care provider in North Dakota? Please read through EACH STEP before applying for your child care license or self-declaration. A team of Licensing Specialists is available to support you every step of the way, helping you to ensure your new child care business complies with all health, safety and local requirements.
Step 1: Meet the Early Childhood Section
The Early Childhood Section is comprised of 5 units ready to support early childhood providers.
Step 2: Provider Types
The location of your business and the number of children you want to care for determines the type of child care license you will need.
Step 3: Child Care Regulations
Providers must follow law, rule and policy and receive monitoring visits to ensure compliance.
Step 4: Criminal Background Checks
Background checks are required for all providers including owners, staff, household members and in some cases, volunteers.
Step 5: Training Requirements
Providers and staff are required to complete preservice and annual training hours.
Step 6: Required Paperwork
Child care providers are required to submit specific paperwork as part of the application and renewal process.
Step 7: Business Essentials
In addition to caring for children, child care providers need to manage budgets, marketing, staffing and other aspects of operating a small business.
Step 8: Provider Supports
Learn more about a variety programs available to support child care providers.
Step 9: Online Licensing System Training Videos
The online Child Care Licensing (CCL) System moves licensing applications, renewals and other business-related activities to a transparent, easy-to-use web-based system.
Step 10: Ready to Apply?
The CCL webpage is your one-stop shop for training, FAQ's and system troubleshooting information. Be sure to watch each training video and read all information carefully BEFORE APPLYING.
Additional Resources
North Dakota child care rules and regulations authorize Licensing Specialists to require non-compliant licensed and self-declared child care programs to correct identified issues. The goal of this process is to help programs access consultation and support services to make improvements.
Compliance plans are based on program corrective actions issued by child care licensing.
The services required fall on a continuum of strategies, some necessitating minimal communication and others requiring a more coordinated approach to correct the non-compliances.
Correction Orders may be issued to licensed or self-declared providers for violations of law or rules. Corrections must be made within the time frame listed on the Correction Order. The child care program owner or director may submit a refutation request regarding a Correction Order via the online Child Care Licensing system.
Child Care and Development Fund regulations require information about substantiated parental complaints be made available to the public. The public can view Correction Orders for the past 3 years, including those issued as a result of a monitoring visit due to a substantiated complaint, within the child care licensing report in each program’s profile using North Dakota’s online search tool.
Do I need a food establishment license?
You do not need a food establishment license if your child care program is located in an occupied private residence.
You may need a food establishment license if your child care program is located in a facility which is not occupied as a private residence.
- To determine food licensing requirements, it is important to contact the food licensing authority for your location as soon as possible and prior to any construction, remodel, conversion, or renovation.
As a mandated reporter, child care providers are required to report immediately suspected child abuse or neglect as required by North Dakota Century Code section 50-25.1-03.
To report suspected child abuse and neglect, call the statewide toll-free Child Abuse & Neglect Reporting Line 1-833-958-3500, between 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Central Time, Monday-Friday (7 a.m.– 4 p.m. Mountain Time).
- A dedicated team of specialized child protection intake professionals will answer and gather all needed facts so local CPS workers in the human service zones can act more quickly to protect children.
- Please know that calls to local human service zone offices to report suspected child abuse and neglect are rerouted to the centralized Child Abuse & Neglect Reporting Line.
IMPORTANT: If it's an EMERGENCY and a child is in immediate DANGER, CALL 9-1-1 NOW.
To ensure health and safety standards are being met by child care providers, Licensing Specialists will conduct, at a minimum, one announced and one unannounced monitoring visit annually.
Child Care and Development Fund regulations require 3 years of monitoring visit results be made available to the public. The public can view the monitoring results within the child care licensing report in each program’s profile using North Dakota’s online search tool.
Questions? Contact Us
Early Childhood
600 E. Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 325
Bismarck, ND 58505-0250
Phone: (701) 328-2115, 711 (TTY)
Toll-Free: (800) 997-8516
Email: dhsec@nd.gov