Inspection records · Ohio
What Ohio daycare inspectors cite
Ohio inspectors cited at least one rule at 93% of the 7,247 daycares they visited since October 2023. Staff health training and children's medical and enrollment records are cited most: the training rule was cited at 2,829 daycares, 39% of those visited.
- Daycares visited
- 7,247
- Visits in the records
- 35,363
- Had at least one rule cited
- 93%
- Median cited rules per daycare
- 13
How it works
How daycare inspections work in Ohio
The Ohio Department of Children and Youth licenses daycare centers and home daycares and inspects them. Routine visits to centers come without notice, inspectors return for follow-up visits, and the department also investigates complaints from parents and the public.
Each finding names the rule that was cited, and many include a note on what the inspector saw. When the department took over child care licensing, Ohio's rules moved from 5101 numbers to 5180 numbers. Older visits show the old number, and we count both under the current number.
- Who inspects: Ohio Department of Children and Youth.
- Routine visits: Ohio reported inspecting licensed centers twice a year or once a year, without notice (national survey of state licensing agencies, 2017).
- Visits in the records since October 2023: 26,455 inspections, 1,194 follow-up visits, 2,592 complaint investigations, 5,122 other visits, at 7,247 daycares (5,492 centers and 1,755 home daycares).
- Records on each listing go back to: 2023.
How common
How often inspectors cite a rule
- of the 7,247 daycares visited had at least one rule cited
- 93%
- cited rules for the middle daycare over three years
- 13
These figures describe Ohio'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 Ohio's cited rules are about
Share of the 132,960 rules cited since October 2023, sorted into plain groups.
Records and paperwork are the largest group, at 19.4% of the rules Ohio inspectors cited, and 70% of the daycares visited had one cited. Staff training (17.3%) and health, medication and illness (16.6%) each reached 75% of daycares, and safety and hazards (16.6%) reached 70%.
Supervision and ratio rules are a small share of citations in Ohio (4.1%), but 32% of the daycares visited had one cited. Food and nutrition rules (5.4%) reached 43% of daycares.
Most cited
The rule areas Ohio 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.
- Staff training and qualifications2,829 daycares (39% of those visited)
Staff trained in first aid, CPR and child abuse recognition
The state's rule: 5180:2-12-10 Health Training Requirements
A center must have staff trained in first aid, CPR, communicable disease and recognizing child abuse, with at least one trained person in each building at all hours, and every staff member needs yearly training. A citation means training was missing, expired or not on record, or no trained person was on site.
Ask on a tour: Who is trained in first aid and CPR, and is one of them in the building all day?
- Records and paperwork2,800 daycares (38.6% of those visited)
A complete enrollment and health record for each child
The state's rule: 5180:2-12-15 Child Medical and Enrollment Records
Each child needs a current enrollment form with health information, kept private and ready for the inspector. A citation can mean records were missing or out of date, or that health details, such as an allergy list, were posted where other families could see them.
Ask on a tour: How do you keep my child's health information up to date and private, while making sure staff know about allergies?
- Health, medication and illness2,279 daycares (31.4% of those visited)
A medical statement on file for each child
The state's rule: 5180:2-12-08 Medical Statement
Each child must have a medical statement from a health professional on file and kept current. A citation means a child's statement was missing or out of date.
Ask on a tour: What medical forms do you need before my child starts, and how often must I update them?
- Safety and hazards2,050 daycares (28.3% of those visited)
A building free of hazards
The state's rule: 5180:2-12-12 Safe Environment
Children must be protected from anything in the building or play areas that could harm them. Citations cover things like chipping or peeling paint, broken equipment or hazards within reach.
Ask on a tour: Can I see the rooms, gym and playground my child would use?
- Health, medication and illness1,774 daycares (24.5% of those visited)
A care plan for a child with a medical need, where staff can reach it
The state's rule: 5180:2-12-15 Medical / Physical Care Plans
A child with an allergy, asthma or another medical or physical need must have a written care plan, and the staff caring for that child must be able to get to it. A citation often means the plan was missing, out of date or locked away in an office or cabinet.
Ask on a tour: If my child needs a care plan, where will it be kept, and does every teacher in the room know what it says?
- Staff training and qualifications1,746 daycares (24.1% of those visited)
An administrator on site and staff records kept current
The state's rule: 5180:2-12-07 Administrator Responsibilities / Requirements
A center must have an administrator in the building for at least half of its hours or 40 hours a week, and must keep each staff member's employment record current in the Ohio Professional Registry. A citation can mean no administrator was on site enough, or staff records were missing or out of date.
Ask on a tour: Who runs the center day to day, and how many hours a week are they in the building?
- Staff training and qualifications1,682 daycares (23.2% of those visited)
Yearly training hours for every teacher
The state's rule: 5180:2-12-10 Professional Development Requirements
Each child care staff member must finish a set number of training hours every year, and the center must keep records of the staff and substitutes who work there. A citation means one or more staff members were short of their yearly hours, or the records were incomplete.
Ask on a tour: How much training do your teachers do each year, and on what topics?
- Background checks1,625 daycares (22.4% of those visited)
Background checks for every staff member
The state's rule: 5180:2-12-09 Background Check Requirements
Everyone who works with children must pass the required background checks before they start, with the results on file. A citation means a check was missing, late or not documented for one or more staff members.
Ask on a tour: Do all staff and substitutes finish their background checks before they work with children?
On the tour
What to ask when you visit
Paperwork and training are cited at the most Ohio daycares, so ask who is trained in first aid and CPR and whether one of them is there all day, and how the daycare keeps children's health forms current.
Then look around with safety in mind: peeling paint, broken equipment and cleaning products within reach are things you can spot yourself. Ask the director about anything on the state record that you want explained.
The full tour checklist for Ohio puts these questions on one printable page.
On each listing
How to read a daycare's record
Each Ohio listing on DaycarePal shows the state's inspection visits for that daycare since 2023, with the rules cited at each visit and, for many findings, a note on what the inspector saw. Ohio does not publish a seriousness level or a correction date for each finding.
A long list is common: the middle daycare had 13 cited rules over three years, and many are about forms and training records. Look for the same safety or supervision rule cited visit after visit, and weigh recent visits more than old ones. If something worries you, ask about it on the tour.
More detail: how to read a daycare inspection report. Find a daycare's record on its listing from daycares in Ohio, or search the state's records.
Questions
Questions about Ohio daycare inspections
How often are Ohio daycares inspected?
Ohio reported inspecting licensed centers once or twice a year, without notice, in a 2017 national survey of state licensing agencies. Since October 2023, the state made 35,363 visits to the 7,247 daycares listed here, including 1,194 follow-up visits.
How do I look up an Ohio daycare's inspection report?
Open the daycare's listing on DaycarePal and go to its inspection section, or search Ohio's child care records by name or ZIP code.
Why do older Ohio records show a different rule number?
Ohio renumbered its child care rules from 5101 to 5180 when the Department of Children and Youth took over licensing. Older visits show the old number and newer visits the new one, but the rule is the same.
Does a cited rule mean a daycare is unsafe?
No. A cited rule is one finding at one visit, and 93% of the Ohio daycares inspectors visited had at least one. Look at what was cited and when, not only how many.
Can I compare Ohio's 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 Ohio instead.
Source: Ohio Department of Children and Youth, 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.