California Daycare Inspection Checklist
By Jayesh Parayali, Founder, CareCam · 15+ years building daycare camera systems · checked against state sources 2026-10-19
What the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, Child Care Licensing Program looks at when it inspects a licensed child care center, written as a walk-through you can do the day before. Licensed child care centers are subject to an unannounced inspection at least once every three years. Annual unannounced inspections are required for centers on probation or facing certain enforcement actions, and for a random sample of at least 30 percent of the remaining centers each year.
California at a glance
- Licensing agency
- California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, Child Care Licensing Program
- Inspections
- Licensed child care centers are subject to an unannounced inspection at least once every three years. Annual unannounced inspections are required for centers on probation or facing certain enforcement actions, and for a random sample of at least 30 percent of the remaining centers each year. Source
- Public inspection reports
- State lookup
Ratios the inspector counts against
| Age group | Staff : children | Max group |
|---|---|---|
| Infants (under two years of age) | 1:4 | none set |
| Toddler component (18 months to 36 months) | 1:6 | 12 |
| Preschool-age children (children in a child care center who are not enrolled in an infant care center or a school-age child care center) | 1:12 | none set |
| School-age children (children who have entered first grade or above, or who are in a program serving only children in kindergarten and above) | 1:14 | none set |
Need the staffing number for the children in the building right now? Use the calculator on the California daycare ratios page.
The walk-through
California · California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, Child Care Licensing Program 0 of 48 checked
Posted where parents and the licensor can see them
The first thing a licensor does is look at the walls by the entrance. Everything here should be visible without asking.
Children's files
The licensor pulls a sample of files. One missing immunization record is the most common citation in most states.
Staff files
Every adult who counts toward the ratio needs a complete file. Volunteers and substitutes too.
Health and sanitation
Walk every room the way the licensor does: sinks, changing tables, kitchen, then the medicine cabinet.
Building, fire and outdoor safety
Most building citations are small and fixable in an hour. Check them the week before and the morning of.
Supervision, ratios and the daily routine
Ratios are checked at the moment the licensor walks into each room, which is why the arrival and the last hour matter most.
The question that follows a complaint
An inspection checks the room at one moment. A complaint asks what the room looked like at a different one. CareCam runs on the cameras a center already has, keeps the recording on your own recorder, and gives parents a live, video-only view of their own child's room during the hours you set, so most of those questions never get asked.
California inspection FAQ
How often are daycare centers inspected in California?
Where can I find a California daycare's inspection reports?
What ratios does a California inspector check?
Do I have to tell parents about cameras in California?
See how CareCam fits your center
Run a California center? See if your cameras can do double duty
Tell us your camera brand and we'll confirm whether the cameras you already have can give parents a secure, live, video-only view of their own child's room. We reply within one business day.