Florida after school licensing explained: licensed, exempt and unregulated
Most Florida after school care programs must be licensed by the Department of Children and Families (DCF), or by the county licensing office in counties that run their own. Some are legally exempt, mainly programs run by a school on its own campus. Activity classes are generally not regulated as child care. Here’s how to tell which is which, and how to check any program.
Who must be licensed
Florida treats a program as school-age child care when it cares for school-age children before school, after school or during out-of-school time. A “school-age child” is at least 5 years old by September 1 of the school year (Florida Senate bill analysis, 2018). These programs must be licensed before they open unless they qualify for an exemption (Fla. Admin. Code R. 65C-22.008).
Who can be exempt
Under rule 65C-22.008, exemptions include:
- Programs on school sites that are run by the school or district, or by a provider under a formal agreement that names the school as responsible, and that serve only children attending that school.
- Programs only for grade 6 and above, as long as they’re not designated Gold Seal providers.
Exempt programs can choose to become licensed. Separately, Florida recognises religious-exempt providers affiliated with an accrediting association (Florida DCF).
What a license means
Licensed programs must meet state standards on staffing, space, health and safety, and they’re inspected. All child care personnel must pass a Level 2 background screening before starting work, with rescreening every five years (Florida DCF). Licenses are renewed annually.
Gold Seal Quality Care is a further designation for providers accredited by an approved accrediting association. Our listings show it where the state records it.
Activity classes
Sports clubs, dance studios, music schools and tutoring centers usually aren’t child care under Florida law, so they aren’t licensed or inspected by DCF. That’s normal for a class you drop off at and pick up from. If one runs as full-afternoon care with pickup from school, ask whether it is licensed or how it qualifies as exempt.
How to check any program
- Open the DCF Child Care Provider Search.
- Search by the program’s name, city or license number.
- Open its profile to see license status, capacity, hours and about three years of inspections. Inspections with a violation are marked.
On this site, every licensed listing shows its license number, dates and a link to its state record. Browse after school programs in Florida.