Referral. As the Pennsylvania designated Child Care Resource & Referral program, the CCIS can offer a variety of free information about choosing quality child care. The following are types of child care providers in Pennsylvania, according to Department of Public Welfare (DPW) standards.

Day Care Center is DPW certified with maximum number of children based on state regulations.
Group Child Care Home (GCCH) is DPW certified with maximum of 12 children with at least 2 caregivers.
Family Child Care Home (FCCH) is DPW registered with maximum of 6 children.
Relative/Neighbor is unregulated by DPW with no more than 3 children not related to the provider; must comply with health and safety standards outlined in the agreement if participating in the subsidized child care program.

Child Care Provider Lists. The CCIS can tailor a list of DPW certified/registered child care providers based on parent criteria, such as:

Type of care (Center, GCCH, FCCH)
Age of child
Location (search within radius of address, zipcode, school)
Special Needs

You also have the opportunity to create your own list of child care providers at www.compass.state.pa.us/childcaresearch.

Child care referrals will be provided to you, but at no time will a program be recommended. The goal is to provide a parent/caretaker with tools to choose a quality program that suits their family's needs.