What Are the Requirements to Be a Daycare Teacher in New York?

Child day care centers in New York are licensed by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS).

Under OCFS rules in Title 18 of the New York Codes, Rules and Regulations, a child day care center is a program or facility which is not a residence in which child day care is provided on a regular basis to more than six children for more than three hours per day per child.

The staff qualification, training and background-check rules for centers sit in 18 NYCRR Part 413 and Subpart 418-1.

Our research read those rule chapters, but it did not verify New York City's separate Health Code Article 47 regime for group child care centers; if you would work in one, confirm that program's requirements with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as well as OCFS.

New York's center rules call the lead teacher the group teacher; qualification routes differ by the age group taught.

For a preschool class, the rule accepts an associate's degree in early childhood or a related field, a CDA or other OCFS-recognized preschool credential plus one year of experience caring for children, or nine college credits in the same fields with a plan of study toward a CDA or an associate's degree plus two years of experience.

Staff on a plan of study must keep documentation of continuous progress on site and submit it as directed, at least annually.

Infant and toddler rooms raise the experience requirement: the associate's degree route also needs one year's experience caring for infants and toddlers, and the CDA route needs two years' experience with children, one involving infants or toddlers.

School-age group teachers can qualify with a high school diploma or its equivalent plus two years of direct experience working with children under 13.

The rule's listed routes do not include a New York State teaching certificate; any certificate rule would attach to school-based pre-K or New York City programs, which our research did not verify.

The assistant teacher qualification is the same for every age group: a high school diploma or its equivalent, or one year of experience working with children less than 13 years of age.

The rule text reads the two as alternatives — either a diploma or the experience year — while the summary table OCFS prints alongside the rule lists them side by side, so an applicant unsure how the agency applies the standard can ask OCFS.

Along with the director and the group teacher, the assistant teacher is one of only three titles the rule allows to supervise a group of children independently, except in an emergency.

Directors, teachers and volunteers must complete OCFS-approved training covering the federal minimum health and safety topics before starting the position or within three months of starting.

Until that training is complete, the rule does not let the person be left unsupervised with children.

Separately from that pre-service training, the rule's required state training topics for center staff include child development, nutrition and health, safety, child abuse identification, shaken baby syndrome, and adverse childhood experiences — understanding trauma and nurturing resiliency.

Every staff person and volunteer at a New York center must complete a minimum of 30 hours of training every two years.

Within that cycle, 15 of the required 30 hours must be earned during the person's first six months at the program, and at least five hours of OCFS-approved training are required every year.

The two-year cycle applies to every staff person and volunteer, not only classroom teachers.

New York requires at least one staff person who holds a valid certification in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid on the premises of the program during its operating hours — the rule does not require every staff member to hold the certification.

Certifications in CPR and first aid must be age-appropriate and must include an in-person competency component.

Our research did not verify a New York staff health statement or physical examination requirement for center staff, so ask OCFS what documentation it expects when you are hired.

New York's child care background clearance includes a national criminal record check with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

It also includes searches of the New York State Sex Offender Registry and the National Sex Offender Registry through NCIC, plus any other state's sex offender registry where the person lives or lived during the preceding five years.

Applicants must also provide the information necessary to determine whether they are the subject of an indicated report of child abuse and maltreatment, and to check the Justice Center's register of substantiated category one cases.

Our research read these requirements in the rule text but could not verify OCFS's current submission process or fees, so confirm the mechanics with OCFS.

The minimum age for any staff person in a New York child day care center is 16.

The rule pairs that floor with a hard ceiling: no person under 18 years of age may be left alone to supervise a group of children at any time, including in an emergency.

Only a director, group teacher or assistant teacher may supervise a group independently even for brief periods of time, except in an emergency — and the under-18 bar holds at any time, so a staff member under 18 is never the one left in charge of a room.