Information for families (parent guide)

Child care licensing

The Utah Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Division of Licensing and Background Checks (DLBC) helps protect the health and safety of children by establishing basic health and safety standards and monitoring child care programs for compliance with these standards.

Why choose regulated care?

Most child care programs operating in Utah are required to obtain a license, certificate, or approval from DLBC. While there is always risk of an incident occurring in any child care environment, that risk is reduced in programs regulated by DLBC because programs must:

  • Meet basic health and safety standards: Programs must demonstrate ongoing compliance with minimum health and safety standards, including that staff complete regular training.
  • Be subject to regular inspections: DLBC makes sure that regulated programs comply with standards by conducting scheduled and unscheduled inspections.
  • Report serious injuries and incidents: Programs are required to report critical incidents to DLBC so those events can be thoroughly investigated.

What standards are regulated programs required to follow?

There are many standards regulated programs must follow. Below are a few general ones of note.

Inspections
Every regulated program must allow representatives from DLBC to conduct on-site inspections. Programs are inspected for compliance with other standards, and DLBC will issue providers corrective actions if standards are not being met.

Training
Well-trained individuals are better prepared to prevent, recognize, and correct health and safety concerns. Caregivers must complete training before and after starting work in child care. DLBC verifies that all required staff have completed their training each year.

Background checks
Each person working in a regulated child care program must complete a comprehensive background check. This is to make sure people working with children do not have a history of endangering others, or engaging in unlawful behavior. The drop-down below provides more information about the background check process and what offenses typically disqualify someone from employment in child care.

What are the different types of child care?

There are different child care licenses, certificates, and approvals. The standards established by DLBC are largely consistent for each type of program, though there are slight differences that may make one type a better fit for you and your child. The drop-down menus below provide a brief overview of each type.

Additional resources

Search for quality careFind a child care program near you
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Search licensing recordsLook up a program's compliance history
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Submit a concernReport a safety concern to DLBC
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Report child abuseSubmit a report to DCFS
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