State Registration

The Child Care Connection is the child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agency that holds the State’s unified child care services contract for Mercer County. In this role, Child Care Connection administers, among other programs, Family Child Care (FCC) Registration. The agency strives to build and enhance the supply of child care in the community.

As a State agent for FCC, Child Care Connection inspects and registers the homes of those interested in becoming self-employed family child care providers. CCC also monitors registered family child care homes for continued compliance with State regulations.

Individuals who want to obtain State registration to provide family child care services must complete an application package (includes the Provider Application, Criminal Conviction Disclosure(s), Provider Health Examination Form, two references, and the Child Abuse Record Information (CARI) Consent Forms, the latter of which must now be submitted electronically due to new State practices. Please see the information on the new electronic submission of CARIs, under the Forms section at right), attend a mandatory orientation class, have a home inspection, pay a $25 registration fee, and attend 18 hours of training (including the six-hour Adult & Pediatric CPR/First Aid training course) prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Registration. Child Care Connection will offer this additional 12 hours of training free-of-charge over a period of two or three days periodically. For training information, please visit the Calendar page of this web site; training that meets the State requirements is entitled Health & Safety Basics, Child Development, and Child Abuse Mandated Reporting, and is classified as CCDBG. 

As stated above, those interested in becoming State registered to provide family child care services must attend a mandatory family child care orientation.  For more details on the orientation, visit our orientation page. 

As of January 31, 2010, certification in both CPR and first aid is required prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Registration. Once a provider becomes registered, she/he must maintain current CPR and first aid certification, as long as the provider maintains her/his certificate. If you need information on upcoming CPR/First Aid opportunities in Mercer County, please visit our CPR/First Aid page.  

The New Jersey Office of Licensing has developed a number of forms that help providers meet the mandatory documentation requirements.  Using the specific form is not required but is highly suggested, as they contain all of the information for you to comply with the regulations.  There are also a number of suggested forms that Child Care Connection encourages providers to use, as they will assist you in running a more efficient child care program.  Providers can cut and paste the information from any of these forms onto your business letterhead.  Please refer to the Mandatory Forms and Suggested Forms in the Forms section to the right. 

For further information on becoming a State-registered family child care provider, please call 609-989-7938.