Certification for
License-Exempt Child Care Centers

During the 2017 legislative session, the state legislature passed language intended to bring Minnesota into compliance with the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant. As part of this compliance effort, license-exempt centers that are authorized to receive Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) payments will need to be “certified” by the Department of Human Services to continue receiving CCAP payments.

Who needs to be certified?

A program that is exempt from licensure under 245A.03, subdivision 2(a) clauses 5, 11, 12, 13, 15, 18, and 26, and is authorized to receive CCAP must be certified. These programs are referred to collectively as “license-exempt centers.”

A license-exempt center that does not receive CCAP payments and is not authorized to receive CCAP payments does not need to be certified. Additionally, any license-exempt center that currently receives CCAP payments or intends to receive CCAP payments in the future must be certified by the Department of Human Services.

What are the certification requirements?

All certification requirements are listed in the Health and Human Services omnibus bill that passed during the 2017 legislative session – S.F. 2 – on pages 586-614. Please see the full text of the bill for the exact requirements. Requirements cover several topics including:

  • Application procedures and requirements
  • Commissioner’s right of access to the program
  • Monitoring and inspection of the program
  • Staffing qualifications
  • Group size and ratio
  • Background studies
  • Reporting of deaths, injuries, neglect, or physical or sexual abuse of a child
  • Health and safety standards
  • Training and training documentation, including CPR, first aid, sudden unexpected infant death, abusive head trauma, child development, orientation, and in-service
  • Emergency preparedness

Is there a fee to become certified?

There is currently no application fee to become certified.

When does my program need to become certified in order to avoid losing my CCAP authorization?

The Department will begin certifying license-exempt child care centers that participate in the Child Care Assistance Program beginning October 2017. Applications for certification will be received and processed by the Department on a phased-in schedule. If you are a license-exempt center that is currently authorized to receive payments from CCAP, the Department will notify you in writing of the application schedule for becoming certified.

I received a letter from CCAP regarding meeting training requirements by September 30, 2017. Do I still need to meet this deadline?

All child care programs that participate in the child care assistance program, including license-exempt are required to meet the health and safety training requirements by September 30, 2017 to continue receiving payments.

Who can I contact with questions?

Michelle Beedle, Supervisor Child Care Center Licensing at or 651-431-6571.

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