Types

• Iowa makes a distinction between a child care home and a child development home based on the number of enrolled children. A child care home serves five or fewer children. Six or more children constitute a child development home. Another category, a group day care, serves between 11 and 16 children full time.
  
  

Identification

• Each child care home or child development home in Iowa has to obtain a certificate of registration. It is an honor system where the certificate is awarded based on the child care provider's answers on the application form. A new certificate of registration has to be obtained every year. The certificate has to be displayed in a visible place in the child care home.
  
  

Size

• Iowa law makes allowances for additional children to be present in the child care home during after-school hours or on days that school is not in session. During these hours, up to 12 children may be accommodated by the child care home. However, six or more of them must be of school age.
  
  

Features

• When the additional children are at the child care home, assistant child care providers have to be there, too. The assistants must be at least 14 years old. The additional children are legally allowed to be present daily for a maximum of two hours on school days. This clause allows parents who work to arrange to have consistent child care for all of their children before and after school.
  
  

Expert Insight

• The laws that govern home daycares in Iowa are in the Iowa law code section 237A.3. More information and help for setting up a childcare home or child development home in Iowa is available from the Iowa Secretary of State's office. (See Resources below.)