Child day care centers in Alabama legally operate in one of two ways: Licensed or
license exempt. All centers that require a license must be licensed by the Department of
Human Resources and renewed every two years. The Department of Human Resources prescribes
and enforces minimum standards for licensing approval. Consultation is provided to assist
providers and parents. Every licensed center must be in compliance with licensing regulations as prescribed by
the State Department of Human Resources.
The Child Care Services Division, Office of Child Care Licensing is responsible for the following functions:
Licensing day care/nighttime centers.
Visiting day care/nighttime centers to verify compliance with Minimum Standards for Day Care Centers and Nighttime Centers.
Maintaining information filed by churches choosing to be exempt from licensure.
Investigating licensing violation complaints and recommending adverse action for day care centers when non-compliance of standards warrant.
Offering consultation to prospective and existing day care/nighttime center providers.
Interpreting Minimum Standards for day care/nighttime centers and homes.
Licensing day care/nighttime homes in Jefferson County.
