Inspection records · Vermont
What Vermont daycare inspectors cite
Vermont licensors cited at least one rule at 64% of the 1,033 daycares they visited since October 2023. Staff training rules are cited most, 34.8% of all citations, and the middle daycare had 1 cited rule.
- Daycares visited
- 1,033
- Visits in the records
- 3,509
- Had at least one rule cited
- 64%
- Median cited rules per daycare
- 1
How it works
How daycare inspections work in Vermont
The Vermont Department for Children and Families, Child Development Division, licenses daycare centers and home daycares and inspects them. Routine visits come without notice.
Since October 2023, the records hold 3,509 visits at 1,033 daycares, 637 centers and 396 home daycares. Each finding names the regulation, describes what the licensor found and sets out a corrective action, and Vermont records when the problem was corrected.
- Who inspects: Vermont Department for Children and Families, Child Development Division.
- Routine visits: Vermont reported inspecting licensed centers once every two years, without notice (national survey of state licensing agencies, 2017).
- Visits in the records since October 2023: 3,509 inspections, at 1,033 daycares (637 centers and 396 home daycares).
- Records on each listing go back to: 2008.
How common
How often inspectors cite a rule
- of the 1,033 daycares visited had at least one rule cited
- 64%
- cited rules for the middle daycare over three years
- 1
- of cited rules have a correction on record
- 92%
These figures describe Vermont'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 Vermont's cited rules are about
Share of the 3,209 rules cited since October 2023, sorted into plain groups.
Staff training rules lead by a wide margin in Vermont: 34.8% of citations, at 41% of daycares visited. Most are about training records, first aid and CPR, orientation and yearly training hours rather than what happened in a classroom.
Safety and hazard rules come next at 15.6% of citations (27% of daycares), then background checks at 13.9% (27%) and health at 10.8% (22%). Supervision and ratio rules are 5.8% of citations, cited at 12% of daycares.
Most cited
The rule areas Vermont 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 qualifications117 daycares (11.3% of those visited)
Training and credentials recorded within six months of hire
The state's rule: Regulation 3.4.7.3: Within six (6) months of the initial date of employment; staff and auxiliary staff left alone with children and/or counted in staff/child ratio as specified in the rule 6.2.1.8 of these regulations, a
Staff who work alone with children or count in the ratio must complete required training and have it recorded in the state's staff records system within six months of starting. A citation means a staff member's training record was not up to date.
Ask on a tour: How long do new teachers work here before they are alone with children, and what training do they finish first?
- Staff training and qualifications104 daycares (10.1% of those visited)
First aid and CPR for staff counted in the ratio
The state's rule: Regulation 7.1.2.2: Staff who are counted in the staff/child ratios and auxiliary staff left alone with children and/or counted in staff/child ratio as specified in the rule 6.2.1.8 of these regulations shall obtain trai
Staff who count in the staff-to-child ratio must hold current pediatric first aid and CPR. A citation means one or more staff were missing it or it had lapsed.
Ask on a tour: Does every adult in my child's room have current pediatric first aid and CPR?
- Background checks92 daycares (8.9% of those visited)
Background checks before new staff start
The state's rule: Regulation 7.2.2: The licensee shall ensure that all new staff and auxiliary staff, prior to working with children in the CBCCPP; and any new individual designated as the representative of the licensee shall submit a Rec
New staff must complete the state's records check and fingerprinting before working with children. A citation means a check was missing or not finished on time.
Ask on a tour: Has every staff member here, including new hires, completed fingerprinting and the records check?
- Staff training and qualifications82 daycares (7.9% of those visited)
Yearly training hours for staff
The state's rule: Regulation 7.4.4: All staff, with the exception of substitutes, shall complete fifteen (15) clock hours of annual professional development activities as required in the rule 7.4.2 of these regulations.
Staff must complete a set number of training hours each year, 15 clock hours under this rule. A citation means a staff member had not finished the required hours.
Ask on a tour: How many training hours did my child's teachers complete this year, and on what topics?
- Staff training and qualifications71 daycares (6.9% of those visited)
Written policies and orientation for staff
The state's rule: Regulation 7.1.3: The licensee, in consultation with the program director, shall establish written program policies and procedures and provide these to staff and to auxiliary staff left alone with children and/or counted
A program must give staff written policies and procedures, and new staff must complete the state's orientation. A citation means a staff member had not completed it or the program could not show proof.
Ask on a tour: What orientation does a new teacher get before working with children?
- Staff training and qualifications69 daycares (6.7% of those visited)
Yearly training hours, including longer-term substitutes
The state's rule: Regulation 7.4.4: All staff shall complete fifteen (15) clock hours of annual professional development activities as required in the rule 7.4.2 of these regulations. Substitutes filling a staff position for less than thi
This version of the yearly training rule also covers substitutes who fill a position for a longer stretch. A citation means a staff member or substitute was missing training hours.
Ask on a tour: Who covers when my child's teacher is out, and what training do substitutes have?
- Background checks57 daycares (5.5% of those visited)
Background checks renewed every five years
The state's rule: Regulation 2.3.9.3: The licensee shall ensure that all staff have met ongoing background check requirements by submitting at least once every five (5) years a Records Check Authorization form to the Division and as requi
Staff must renew the state's records check at least once every five years. A citation means a staff member's check had expired before it was renewed.
Ask on a tour: How do you keep staff background checks from expiring?
- Health, medication and illness52 daycares (5% of those visited)
Prescription medicine in its labeled container
The state's rule: Regulation 5.6.5: All prescription medication administered by staff shall be in its original container, properly labeled for the child, and administered prior to the expiration date on the container.
Prescription medicine given at the daycare must be in its original container, labeled for the child and not expired. A citation means medicine was kept in another container, unlabeled or out of date.
Ask on a tour: How do you store my child's medicine, such as allergy medicine, and who checks the dates?
On the tour
What to ask when you visit
Most Vermont citations are about staff training and checks, so ask how the daycare keeps every teacher's first aid, CPR, training hours and background check current.
If your child takes medicine or has an allergy, ask to see where it is stored and how it is labeled. Then ask about anything on the daycare's state record that you want explained.
The full tour checklist for Vermont puts these questions on one printable page.
On each listing
How to read a daycare's record
Each Vermont listing on DaycarePal shows the licensing visits for that daycare, with each cited regulation, what the licensor found and the corrective action. Visits with no findings are listed too, and 92% of cited rules have a correction on record.
Look at what was cited, not only how many. A late training record that was corrected says less about your child's day than a supervision or medicine finding at a recent visit. If something worries you, ask the director 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 Vermont, or search the state's records.
Questions
Questions about Vermont daycare inspections
How often are Vermont daycares inspected?
Vermont reported inspecting licensed centers once every 2 years, without notice, in a 2017 national survey of state licensing agencies. Since October 2023, the records hold 3,509 visits at 1,033 daycares.
How do I look up a Vermont daycare's inspection report?
Open the daycare's listing on DaycarePal, or search Vermont's child care records by name or town.
What do Vermont licensors cite most often?
Staff training rules, at 34.8% of citations since October 2023. Many are about training records, first aid and CPR, or yearly training hours.
Does a cited rule mean a daycare is unsafe?
No. A cited rule is one finding at one visit, and 64% of the Vermont daycares visited had at least one. Look at what was cited and whether it was corrected.
Can I compare Vermont's numbers with another state's?
No. Each state writes and cites its own rules in its own way. Compare daycares within Vermont instead.
Source: Vermont Department for Children and Families, Child Development Division, 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.