Child Care Centers
The Jefferson County Health Department evaluates plan reviews, inspections and permitting of all child care centers in Jefferson County. No person shall operate a child care center unless the person has in his or her possession a valid permit issued by the health department to operate a specific child care center. The applicant shall submit an application for a permit at least 15 days before the actual or proposed operation of the child care center is scheduled to begin. The applicant shall submit a written permit application to the health department on a form prescribed by the department. The form shall be signed by the applicant or his or her authorized agent and shall contain all information requested by the health department to determine if the child care center and its operation are in compliance with the applicable provisions of this rule. The health department shall deny a permit if the information on the application form is incomplete, inaccurate, false or misleading, or indicates that the applicable provisions of this rule cannot be met.
Here are some special reminders for child care providers:
- Be sure to understand the wash, rinse, and sanitize steps of toys and food equipment. Many toys and other surfaces in child care facilities use the same cleaning techniques as food establishments.
- Hand washing is not only important for you as a child care worker, but also important for the children before they eat and after using the restrooms.
- Many food dishes are served family-style. Use utensils that children can handle and be ready to replace utensils that are dropped, licked by a child, or incorrectly used.
- Children's medications that must be refrigerated in the kitchen must be labeled and kept in a water-tight container.
The State day care regulations as well as other useful information can be found in the child care section of our website.