Inspection records · Connecticut
What Connecticut daycare inspectors cite
Connecticut inspectors cited at least one rule at 93% of the 3,020 daycares they visited since October 2023. Health rules lead by a wide margin, 30% of everything cited, and the rule cited at the most daycares is about required consultant visits: 821 of them.
- Daycares visited
- 3,020
- Visits in the records
- 13,365
- Had at least one rule cited
- 93%
- Median cited rules per daycare
- 8
How it works
How daycare inspections work in Connecticut
The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Division of Licensing, licenses daycare centers, group homes and family home daycares and inspects them. Routine visits come without notice, and inspectors also investigate complaints and come back for follow-up visits.
Connecticut's records list each visit and the rules cited at it, by rule number and a short title. The middle daycare in these records had 8 cited rules over about three years, so a record with a few findings is normal here.
- Who inspects: Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Division of Licensing.
- Routine visits: Connecticut reported inspecting licensed centers once a year, without notice (national survey of state licensing agencies, 2017).
- Visits in the records since October 2023: 9,354 inspections, 2,303 follow-up visits, 768 complaint investigations, 940 other visits, at 3,020 daycares (1,388 centers and 1,632 home daycares).
- Records on each listing go back to: 1990.
How common
How often inspectors cite a rule
- of the 3,020 daycares visited had at least one rule cited
- 93%
- cited rules for the middle daycare over three years
- 8
These figures describe Connecticut's own inspection records since October 2023. States write and cite their rules in different ways, so a figure here cannot be compared with another state's. A cited rule is one finding at one visit, not a rating of a daycare.
What gets cited
What Connecticut's cited rules are about
Share of the 35,804 rules cited since October 2023, sorted into plain groups.
Health, medication and illness rules make up 30% of what Connecticut inspectors cited, and 82% of the daycares visited had at least one. Most are about children's health records, shot records, care plans and medication permission, the paperwork that keeps a child's health needs in writing.
Records and paperwork come next (17.1% of citations, at 69% of daycares), then safety and hazards (13.7%, at 63%) and the building and outdoor space (12.4%, at 45%). Supervision and ratio rules are 5.8% of citations but reached 35% of daycares, so they are worth a question on your tour.
Most cited
The rule areas Connecticut cites most
Ordered by how many daycares had the rule cited since October 2023. The wording is the state's rule; no daycare is named here.
- Health, medication and illness821 daycares (27.2% of those visited)
Regular visits from the required consultants
The state's rule: 19a-79-4a(i)(1-2)(H), (F) 035- Consultants
A center must have consultants, such as a health consultant, who visit on the schedule the rules set and record what they checked. A citation means a consultant visit was missed or not written down.
Ask on a tour: Who is your health consultant, and when did they last visit?
- Health, medication and illness816 daycares (27% of those visited)
Children's shot records kept current
The state's rule: 19a-87b-10(b)(2)(A)(v) and/or 19a-87b-10(l) 055-Immunizations
Each child's file must show up-to-date immunizations or an exemption the state accepts. A citation means a child's file was missing a current record when the inspector checked.
Ask on a tour: How do you track immunization records for the children in my child's group?
- Records and paperwork785 daycares (26% of those visited)
A health record on file for each child
The state's rule: 19a-87b-10(b)(2) 054-Child Health Record
Each child needs a current health assessment from a doctor or nurse on file. A citation means a form was missing, out of date or incomplete.
Ask on a tour: What health forms do you need from me, and how often do you ask for new ones?
- Building, equipment and play areas570 daycares (18.9% of those visited)
A safe outdoor play space
The state's rule: 19a-79-7a(h)(1-9) 111- Outdoor space
The outdoor play area must be big enough, fenced where needed, with safe equipment and soft ground under climbing equipment. A citation can cover anything from a gap in a fence to worn ground cover.
Ask on a tour: Can I see the playground, and what is under the climbing equipment?
- Health, medication and illness542 daycares (17.9% of those visited)
A signed care plan for a child's health needs
The state's rule: 19a-79-5a(a)(2)(E) 040- Individual care plan- signed by parents/staff
A child with a health need, such as an allergy or asthma, needs a written care plan signed by the parent and the staff who carry it out. A citation means a plan was missing or not signed.
Ask on a tour: If my child has an allergy, who writes the care plan and which staff learn it?
- Safety and hazards534 daycares (17.7% of those visited)
Evacuation drills every three months
The state's rule: 19a-87b-9(d)(5) 033-Emergency Evacuation Drills-Quarterly
The daycare must practice an emergency evacuation with the children at least once each quarter and keep a record. A citation means a drill was skipped or not recorded.
Ask on a tour: When was your last evacuation drill, and where do the children go?
- Health, medication and illness514 daycares (17% of those visited)
Written permission before giving medicine
The state's rule: 19a-79-9a(b)(3)(A-B) 161- Authorized prescriber/parent permission
Staff may give a child medicine only with written orders from an authorized prescriber and permission from the parent. A citation means a dose was given or kept on hand without the required paperwork.
Ask on a tour: How do you store and give medicine, and who signs the log?
- Staff training and qualifications456 daycares (15.1% of those visited)
Ongoing training for staff
The state's rule: 19a-79-4a(a)(2), (h)(1-2) 033-Professional development
Staff must complete the yearly professional development hours Connecticut requires. A citation usually means a staff file did not show enough hours.
Ask on a tour: How much training do your teachers complete each year, and on what topics?
On the tour
What to ask when you visit
Health paperwork is what Connecticut cites most, so ask how the daycare keeps health records, shot records and medicine permissions current, and who checks them.
Then ask when the last evacuation drill was, walk the outdoor play area, and ask how many adults are with your child's group at nap time and pick-up. Ask the director about anything on the daycare's state record that you want explained.
The full tour checklist for Connecticut puts these questions on one printable page.
On each listing
How to read a daycare's record
Each Connecticut listing on DaycarePal shows the state's visits for that daycare and the rules cited at each one, by rule number and title. Connecticut's records carry no risk level, so read the rule title: a late consultant visit is a different matter from a supervision finding.
The records do not show when a cited rule was corrected, so ask the director what changed. A single paperwork citation from years ago says little; the same health or supervision rule cited at visit after visit says more.
More detail: how to read a daycare inspection report. Find a daycare's record on its listing from daycares in Connecticut, or search the state's records.
Questions
Questions about Connecticut daycare inspections
How often are Connecticut daycares inspected?
Connecticut reported inspecting licensed centers and home daycares once a year, without notice, in a 2017 national survey of state licensing agencies. Since October 2023, Connecticut made 13,365 visits to the 3,020 daycares listed here.
How do I look up a Connecticut daycare's inspection record?
Open the daycare's listing on DaycarePal and go to its inspection section, or look up the license in Connecticut's eLicense system by name or town.
What do Connecticut inspectors cite most?
Health, medication and illness rules: 30% of the rules cited since October 2023, at 82% of the daycares visited. Most are about children's health records, shot records and care plans.
Does a cited rule mean a daycare is unsafe?
No. A cited rule is one finding at one visit, and 93% of the Connecticut daycares visited had at least one. Look at what was cited and ask the daycare what it changed.
Can I compare Connecticut's numbers with another state's?
No. Each state writes and cites its own rules in its own way, so the same daycare could collect a different number of citations elsewhere. Compare daycares within Connecticut instead.
Source: Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, Division of Licensing, inspection records October 2023 to September 2026, for the daycares listed on DaycarePal. Inspection schedule: National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations (ACF), from a 2017 survey of state licensing agencies.