Inspection records · New York
What New York daycare inspectors cite
New York inspectors cited at least one rule at 80% of the 15,876 daycares they visited since October 2023. Health and paperwork rules come up most, and the single rule cited at the most daycares, 1,858 of them, is about keeping each child's health papers on file.
- Daycares visited
- 15,876
- Visits in the records
- 139,807
- Had at least one rule cited
- 80%
- Median cited rules per daycare
- 4
How it works
How daycare inspections work in New York
The New York State Office of Children and Family Services licenses and registers daycare centers, family day care homes and group family day care homes, and inspects them. Routine visits come without notice, and the office also investigates complaints from parents and the public.
Each finding in the state's record names the rule that was cited and the visit where it was found. The rules cited at the most daycares, listed below, come from New York's rules for group family day care homes; centers and family day care homes follow their own sets of rules.
- Who inspects: New York State Office of Children and Family Services.
- Routine visits: New York reported inspecting licensed centers more than three times a year, without notice (national survey of state licensing agencies, 2017).
- Visits in the records since October 2023: 131,166 inspections, 4,682 complaint investigations, 3,959 other visits, at 15,876 daycares (4,576 centers and 11,300 home daycares).
- Records on each listing go back to: 2023.
How common
How often inspectors cite a rule
- of the 15,876 daycares visited had at least one rule cited
- 80%
- cited rules for the middle daycare over three years
- 4
These figures describe New York'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 New York's cited rules are about
Share of the 122,687 rules cited since October 2023, sorted into plain groups.
Health, medication and illness rules are the largest group, at 18% of the rules New York inspectors cited, and 49% of the daycares visited had at least one cited. Records and paperwork follow at 16%, reaching 45% of daycares; many of these are forms that were missing or not filled in at the time, such as attendance sheets.
Safety and hazards make up 15.3% of citations and staff training 12.9%. Background check rules are 12.1% of citations, and supervision and ratio rules 9.4%; each of those reached 26% of the daycares visited.
Most cited
The rule areas New York 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 illness1,858 daycares (11.7% of those visited)
Each child's health plan and consent forms on file
The state's rule: 416.15(c)(6) The program must maintain on file at the group family day care home, available for inspection children's individual health care plans; parental consents for emergency medical treatment; child's medical state
The program must keep each child's health care plan, the parent's consent for emergency medical treatment and medical statements on site, ready for an inspector. A citation means one or more of these papers was missing or out of date.
Ask on a tour: If my child has an allergy or a medical need, where is the plan kept and who knows about it?
- Records and paperwork1,552 daycares (9.8% of those visited)
Signing children in and out every day
The state's rule: 416.15(c)(5) The program must maintain on file at the group family day care home, available for inspection daily attendance records that are filled out at the time a child arrives and departs, and must include arrival an
Daily attendance records must be filled in when each child arrives and leaves, with the times. A citation means the sheet was not filled in as children came and went, so the record of who was there was incomplete.
Ask on a tour: How do you record when my child arrives and leaves, and who checks the sheet?
- Records and paperwork1,482 daycares (9.3% of those visited)
A daily record of when each caregiver arrives and leaves
The state's rule: 416.15(c)(13) The program must maintain on file at the group family day care home, available for inspection: a daily schedule documenting the arrival and departure times of each caregiver, employees and volunteers;
The program must keep a daily schedule of when each caregiver, employee and volunteer arrives and leaves. A citation means that record was missing or incomplete, which makes it hard to show enough adults were present.
Ask on a tour: Who is with the children at opening and closing time each day?
- Safety and hazards1,427 daycares (9% of those visited)
A fire evacuation drill every month
The state's rule: 416.4(b)(1) Evacuation drills must be conducted at least monthly during the hours of operation of the group family day care home.
The program must hold an evacuation drill at least monthly while children are in care. A citation means drills were missed or not recorded.
Ask on a tour: When was your last fire drill, and where do the children go?
- Health, medication and illness1,426 daycares (9% of those visited)
A doctor's statement before a child starts
The state's rule: 416.11(a)(1) No child may be accepted for care in a child care program unless the program has been furnished with a written statement signed by a health care provider verifying that the child is able to participate in ch
A child may not start care until the program has a statement signed by a health care provider saying the child can take part. A citation means a child was in care without that statement on file.
Ask on a tour: What health forms do you need from me before my child's first day?
- Staff training and qualifications1,218 daycares (7.7% of those visited)
Someone trained in CPR and first aid on site at all times
The state's rule: 416.14(m) All child care programs must have at least one caregiver who holds a valid certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid on the premises of the child care program during the program's opera
At least one caregiver with current CPR and first aid certification must be on the premises whenever children are in care. A citation means no certified caregiver was present, or the certification had lapsed.
Ask on a tour: Who holds current CPR and first aid training, and is one of them here at all hours?
- Supervision and ratios1,202 daycares (7.6% of those visited)
Competent supervision of every child
The state's rule: 416.8(a) Children cannot be left without competent supervision at any time. Competent supervision includes awareness of and responsibility for the ongoing activity of each child. It requires that all children be within a
Children may never be left without competent supervision, which means an adult aware of and responsible for what each child is doing. A citation means an inspector found children without that kind of supervision.
Ask on a tour: How do staff keep track of every child during nap time, outdoor play and bathroom trips?
- Health, medication and illness1,134 daycares (7.1% of those visited)
Up-to-date immunization records
The state's rule: 416.11(a)(3) The program must keep documentation of immunizations the child has received to date, in accordance with New York State Public Health Law.
The program must keep a record of the shots each child has received, as New York's public health law requires. A citation means immunization records were missing or out of date.
Ask on a tour: How do you keep track of immunization records for the children in my child's group?
On the tour
What to ask when you visit
Health and paperwork rules are cited at the most New York daycares, so ask to see how the daycare keeps health forms, attendance sheets and staff sign-in records.
Then ask about the people: who holds current CPR and first aid training, whether every adult in the home or center has cleared the state background check, and how many adults are with the children at opening and closing time.
The full tour checklist for New York puts these questions on one printable page.
On each listing
How to read a daycare's record
Each New York listing on DaycarePal shows the state's inspection visits for that daycare since 2023, with the rules cited at each visit. New York does not publish a seriousness level or a correction date for each finding, so read what the rule is about.
A missing form says less than a supervision or background check citation, and a finding from last month says more than one from two years ago. If anything on the record worries you, ask about it on the tour; a good director will tell you what happened and what changed.
More detail: how to read a daycare inspection report. Find a daycare's record on its listing from daycares in New York, or search the state's records.
Questions
Questions about New York daycare inspections
How often are New York daycares inspected?
New York reported inspecting licensed centers more than 3 times a year, without notice, in a 2017 national survey of state licensing agencies. Since October 2023, the state made 139,807 visits to the 15,876 daycares listed here.
How do I look up a New York daycare's inspection record?
Open the daycare's listing on DaycarePal and go to its inspection section, or search the Office of Children and Family Services records by name or ZIP code.
Does a cited rule mean a New York daycare is unsafe?
No. A cited rule is one finding at one visit, and 80% of the New York daycares inspectors visited had at least one. The middle daycare had 4 cited rules over three years; look at what was cited and when.
How many daycares had no rules cited?
About 20% of the New York daycares visited since October 2023 had no rule cited, since 80% had at least one.
Can I compare these New York numbers with another state's?
No. Each state writes its own rules and cites them in its own way, so the same daycare could collect a different number of citations under another state's system. Compare daycares within New York instead.
Source: New York State Office of Children and Family Services, inspection records October 2023 to October 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.