Childcare Center Operations Checklist

Daily tasks

Opening checks (before first family arrives)

Ratio verification. Count staff present and confirm you meet your state’s required ratios for the number of children expected at opening. If you’re short-staffed, identify the gap before families are in the building — not after.

Room readiness review. Each classroom meets licensing requirements before children enter: appropriate furniture configuration, no broken or hazardous materials, first aid kit stocked and accessible, emergency evacuation routes unobstructed.

Medication review. Check which children have medication administration authorizations on file for the day. Confirm medication is present, properly labeled, and that the authorized staff member is on shift to administer it.

Attendance system open. For centers using digital check-in, confirm the sign-in system is functional at every entry point before parents arrive. A system that’s down at 7 AM creates check-in chaos that takes the rest of the morning to resolve.

Mid-day checks

Morning attendance finalization. By mid-morning, cross-check your attendance system against your expected arrival list. Children who haven’t checked in and haven’t called should be contacted for a welfare check — required by most state licensing programs after a defined period of unexplained absence.

Mid-day ratio verification. After nap-time begins and some staff go on break, ratios shift. Verify compliance with the current configuration before breaks cascade.

Meal documentation. For CACFP participants, confirm point-of-service meal counts are being recorded at lunch service, not after the fact.

Incident log check. Review any incidents logged during the morning for completeness. Incomplete incident reports must be completed while the memory is fresh — not at the end of the day.

Closing checks

Attendance finalization. All check-outs recorded before closing. Any discrepancies between expected departures and recorded checkouts should be resolved before the last staff member leaves.

End-of-day ratio confirmation. Verify that ratios were maintained through the afternoon peak (typically 3-5 PM pickup rush) by reviewing attendance records against staffing schedule.

Medication log completion. Confirm all medication administration records for the day are complete and signed.

Incident report closure. Any incident reports initiated during the day should be complete with all required fields, signed by the responsible staff member, and filed.

Injury log review. Check that any first aid administered during the day is logged in the facility injury log.

Weekly tasks

Attendance record review. Pull the prior week’s attendance and scan for gaps: missing check-in times, rooms with unusual patterns (everyone logged in at 7:00 AM exactly suggests retroactive entry), children missing from the record who you know were present. Address gaps before the data ages further.

Billing and payment exceptions. Review any pending invoices, overdue balances, or payment failures from the prior week. Follow up on late payments per your policy — weekly follow-up before balances compound is easier than monthly collections.

Subsidy reconciliation check. For subsidy families, confirm that attendance records for the prior week are complete and correctly attributed. Monthly claim errors often trace to missing records in the middle of the month that weren’t caught until claim preparation.

Staff credential calendar review. Check which staff certifications are expiring in the next 60 days. Book or confirm renewal training for anyone with an upcoming expiration. CPR certifications that expire mid-year create ratio compliance issues — two months of advance visibility is enough time to prevent them.

Next week staffing review. Compare next week’s enrollment schedule against your staffing roster. Identify any coverage gaps (planned leave, position vacancies) before they become ratio problems on Monday.

Monthly tasks

Attendance record closure. On the last business day of the month, confirm all attendance entries for the month are complete and accurate. This is the data source for monthly billing and subsidy claims — errors not caught before closure become billing corrections later.

Subsidy claim preparation. Generate subsidy attendance documentation by the applicable claim deadline. For CCDF and most state programs, claims are due 15-30 days after month close. Missing the deadline typically means forfeiting that month’s reimbursement — there’s rarely a grace period.

Monthly billing run. Generate invoices for the new month. Review before sending: confirm each child is billed at the correct rate, subsidy children show the correct family co-pay amount, and any rate changes effective this month are reflected.

Fire drill log. Confirm the required monthly fire drill was completed and documented in the facility log. Missing months are a common licensing finding because directors know the drill needs to happen but forget to verify the documentation.

Emergency contact review. Spot-check 10-15 child records per month to confirm emergency contacts are current. Families change phones, move, and update relationships without notifying the center. A systematic monthly review catches staleness before it matters.

CACFP claim submission. If you participate in CACFP, submit the monthly meal claim before your state’s deadline (typically the 15th of the following month). Late submission means late reimbursement — and some programs have hard cutoffs after which missed claims cannot be submitted.

Quarterly tasks

Full staff credential audit. Review every staff member’s complete credential file: CPR certification, first aid certification, required state training hours, background check expiration (if applicable), and any role-specific certifications. Address anything expiring in the next quarter now.

Emergency preparedness review. Review emergency procedures, confirm emergency contact lists are current, and confirm emergency supplies (first aid, emergency medications like epinephrine auto-injectors if applicable) are stocked and within expiration.

Licensing compliance calendar review. Review your current licensing certificate expiration date and any documentation requirements due in the next six months. Most states require annual or biennial renewal — the preparation timeline for renewal paperwork typically starts 90-120 days before the expiration date.

Financial review. Review quarterly revenue against budget: tuition revenue, subsidy reimbursements received vs. claimed, CACFP reimbursements, and operating expenses. A quarterly financial review is the earliest you can catch subsidy underpayment patterns before they become significant.

Annual tasks

Licensing renewal. Start the licensing renewal process 90-120 days before your current license expiration. Most states require inspection scheduling, documentation submission, and fee payment in sequence — starting late creates timeline risk.

Staff annual training completion. Verify that all staff have completed their required annual in-service training hours. Most state licensing programs require a defined number of training hours per year per staff member — confirm completion before your annual licensing inspection.

Subsidy eligibility redeterminations. Most state subsidy programs require annual eligibility redetermination for enrolled subsidy families. Track the redetermination calendar for each family and initiate the process early enough that gaps in eligibility don’t interrupt care continuity.

Family handbook update. Review your family handbook for accuracy: current rates, current policies, current licensing information, and current contact information. Outdated handbooks distributed to families create expectation mismatches.

Insurance renewal. Review and renew your liability insurance and any other facility coverage. Confirm coverage limits are appropriate for your current enrollment and any changes in your program.