Georgia Daycare Inspection Checklist
By Jayesh Parayali, Founder, CareCam · 15+ years building daycare camera systems · checked against state sources 2026-10-19
What the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (Bright from the Start), Child Care Services looks at when it inspects a licensed child care center, written as a walk-through you can do the day before. DECAL policy is to conduct unannounced, on-site inspections of every licensed child care learning center twice a year. One visit is a full licensing study and the other is a monitoring visit focused on core rules and prior violations.
Georgia at a glance
- Licensing agency
- Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (Bright from the Start), Child Care Services
- Inspections
- DECAL policy is to conduct unannounced, on-site inspections of every licensed child care learning center twice a year. One visit is a full licensing study and the other is a monitoring visit focused on core rules and prior violations. Source
- Ratio rule
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. r. 591-1-1-.32
- Public inspection reports
- State lookup
Ratios the inspector counts against
| Age group | Staff : children | Max group |
|---|---|---|
| Infants (less than 1 year old, or under 18 months and not walking) | 1:6 | 12 |
| One-year-olds (1-year-olds who are walking) | 1:8 | 16 |
| Two-year-olds (2 years) | 1:10 | 20 |
| Three-year-olds (3 years) | 1:15 | 30 |
| Four-year-olds (4 years) | 1:18 | 36 |
| Five-year-olds (5 years) | 1:20 | 40 |
| Six years and older (6 years and older) | 1:25 | 50 |
Need the staffing number for the children in the building right now? Use the calculator on the Georgia daycare ratios page.
The walk-through
Georgia · Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (Bright from the Start), Child Care Services 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.
Georgia inspection FAQ
How often are daycare centers inspected in Georgia?
Where can I find a Georgia daycare's inspection reports?
What ratios does a Georgia inspector check?
Do I have to tell parents about cameras in Georgia?
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