If you need child care, you want the very best setting for your child.  We strongly urge parents to screen, visit, interview, and choose a child care provider who can best meet their family needs.   The final decision on choosing care for your child(ren) is with you. 

Click on the Great Start Connect button above to do a search for child care. 

Click here to view the types of child care available.

Click here for information about child care in Michigan.

We can assist you if you find that you cannot meet your child care needs with the database search.  Call us at 1-800-257-9907.

Some things to look for when evaluating a child care provider:

1)  The number and ratio of children to child care provider:  For family and group homes, any time there are more than two infants or four toddlers or six total children present, at least one other adult must be present and interacting with the children.  For child care centers, the number of children allowed varies with the size and accommodations of the facility.  In all cases, the ratio of child care providers to children is the same:  1/4 for children under 2.5 years, 1/8 for children ages 2.5 to 3 years, 1/10 for children 3-4 years, 1/12 for children 4-5 years, 1/20 for children 6-12 years, and 1/30 for children 13-17 years. 

2)  Family involvement:  You should be able to visit the home or facility at any time.  Ask the provider how they keep parents involved and informed.

3)  Caregiver training:  Inquire whether the child care providers have training in child care and first aid and CPR.

4)  Health & Safety:  Look for things like clean, safe, and healthy indoor and outdoor spaces.  Check to see that there are gates on stairs, caps on electrical outlets, working smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, and locked cabinets for medicines, poisons, and cleaning products.  Also watch to see that children are not left alone.

To help you choose quality care, access the booklet Is This the Right Place for My Child?: 38 Research-Based Indicators of High-Quality Child Care. The booklet contains a 38 question checklist to help you evaluate child care providers and environments.  Click here for only the checklist.

You can obtain licensed provider complaint history information by contacting the Freedom of Information Act office at 1-866-856-0126, by email to bfsfoia@michigan.gov, or online by clicking here.  Type in the name of the name of the provider or partial name and click on "search."

To make a complaint regarding child care, click here or email hackettg@michigan.gov.

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