Child Care Glossary
Service providers and specialists in the field of child care use terms that are not often used by the "average person." The Consortium staff has developed a glossary of terms frequently used by child care advocates and providers. We hope this list will help you better understand our web site and the resources it offers.
Please contact us if you have any suggestions for additions to our glossary!
Accreditation – a process through which child care programs voluntarily meet specific standards to receive endorsement from a professional agency, such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children or the National Association for Family Day Care.
Capacity – the total number of children that may be in care at any one time in a particular program.
Child Care Management Agency (CMA) – In Alabama, there are 12 regional CMA’s that serve as resource and referral agencies and that are responsible for the management of subsidized care.
Child Development Associate Credential – a degree that requires at least 120 hours of formal preparation distributed across 6 goals and 13 functional areas of CDA competencies, at least 450 clock hours of experience working directly with children under supervision, and an independent assessment of the individual’s competence for working with children.
Corporate Day Care Centers – Corporations may either fund or subsidize child care for their employee’s children. Parents employed by these corporations are able to enroll their children in local day care centers in which the corporation has purchased spaces or in an on-site center. These centers must meet state licensing requirements.
Day Care Centers – In Alabama, a day care center is defined as a nonresidential facility in which more than twelve children receive care during all or part of the day. In this type of care, children are grouped by age and developmental stage. Because day care centers provide care for large numbers of children, their hours of operation may be less flexible than other arrangements. All centers, with the exception of religious and school-based programs, must meet state licensing requirements for health and safety, staff-to-child ratios, caregiver qualifications, and curriculum. The parents of preschoolers are most likely to enroll their children in day care centers.
Developmentally Appropriate Practice – child care that includes materials, activities, and staff expectations of children’s behavior that are appropriate for a child’s stage of development and that support the child’s development and learning.
Director/Administrator – the person responsible for the on-site, ongoing daily supervision of the child care program and staff.
Early Childhood – birth to age eight
Exempt programs – certain child care programs operated by churches and religious non-profit elementary schools which are exempt from the Department of Human Resource’s licensing requirements.
Family Day Care Home – In Alabama, a "day care home," or family home, is a residential facility in which no more than six children receive care during the day. Like day care centers, family homes must meet state licensing requirements. Children in family home care are usually mixed in age. The small group size and home-based setting of family home care appeal particularly to parents of infants and toddlers.
Family Nighttime Home – a family home in which no more than six children receive nighttime care after 7 p.m.
Group – children who are assigned to a certain teaching staff member or team of staff members and who occupy an individual classroom or a well-defined physical space in a larger room.
Group Day Care Home – A group home is a residential facility in which at least seven and no more than ten children receive care. Group homes have two caregivers, a provider, and an assistant. This type of arrangement offers the same benefits as family home care.
Group Nighttime Home – a group home in which at least 7, but no more than 12 children receive care after 7 p.m.
Incremental Accreditation – a process that distinguishes between different levels of child care, from basic (care that meets minimum standards) through higher levels (care that strongly supports the development of children and that incorporates other services for families and children with special needs).
Infant – a child from birth to 12 months in age.
License – a document issued by the State Department of Human Resources to a person, a group of people, or corporation who has met the state minimum standards for child care, which allows them to legally operate a child care program.
Minimum Standards – the minimum requirements of states to protect the health and safety of children in day care.
Mixed-Age Grouping – placing children who are at least one year apart in age into the same child care group.
Nighttime Center – a facility in which 12 or more children receive care after 7 p.m.
Preschool or Nursery School – programs that provide care for children who are three to five years old. They normally operate for three to four hours a day, and from two to five days a week.
Preschooler – a child between the ages of three and five.
Process or Dynamic Quality – interactions between children and their caregivers in a child care environment. This type of quality cannot be regulated because it is difficult to measure.
Relative Care – care provided by grandparents, siblings, and other family members. It is often the most affordable and convenient child care arrangement available to parents. Because of its flexibility, relative care is particularly popular among parents who work part-time or night shifts.
Resource and Referral Agency – local organizations who give parents information about local day care centers or family day care homes. They also may provide training for child care providers, or work with the community to increase public awareness of the need for child care services.
Staff-to-child Ratio – a ratio that represents the number of children per qualified caregiver in a child care program. For instance, Alabama requires at least one qualified caregiver for every six infants, or a 1:6 staff-to-child ratio.
Structural Quality – characteristics including staff-to-child ratio, group size, staff education and experience, and square feet of facility per child. These characteristics can be regulated.
Subsidy - anything that either reduces the cost of providing care for children or that allows parents who normally could not afford care to enroll their children in a particular day care center.
Toddler – a child from 13 to 36 months in age.