Types of Child Care in Massachusetts

There are many different kinds of child care:

• Family child care home

• Child care center

• Nursery school

• Head Start

• School-age child care

• In-home relative care

Massachusetts Office for Child Care Services (OCCS) licenses most child care programs.

At a licensed program, staff has had a criminal background check and meet minimum health, safety, education and training requirements.  Licensed programs can also be accredited.  This means that the program has met even higher standards set by a national organization.

FAMILY CHILD CARE – HOME
Ages:  8 weeks – 14 years
Site:    Home
Hours:  Usually full-day, year-round
Groups may have up to 6 children.  Large family child care homes have 2 providers and up to 10 children.

CHILD CARE CENTER
Ages:  8 weeks – 6 years
Site:  Center
Hours:  Usually full-day, year-round
A child care center usually has large groups of children with multiple providers.

NURSERY SCHOOL
Ages:  2.9 – 5 years
Site:   School
Hours:  Half days, school year only, may have morning and afternoon sessions.

HEAD START
Ages:  2.9 – 5 years
Site:  Center or school
Hours:  Full and half days, school year only
Head Start is an enrichment program with education, nutrition, health and social services.  Early Head Start has similar program for children 8 weeks to 2.9 years.

SCHOOL AGE CHILD CARE
Ages:  6-14 yrs.
Site:  School or Home
Hours:  Before and after school, sometimes school vacations
Some programs exempt from OCCS licensing

IN-HOME RELATIVE CARE
Ages:  All ages
Site:  Home
Hours:  By agreement
Provided by friend, neighbor, relative or nanny, UNLICENSED