I'm in the process of selecting childcare for my 2-year old son in
Massachusetts and have narrowed the choice down to two places.  Both
are businesses that women are operating out of their homes.  My
question is:  What criteria do these businesses need to meet in order
to operate registered childcare in MA, how often are they reviewed by
the state, and is there an official state authority that I can call to
validate everything and make sure that the providers' track records
are exemplary?

Dear paulyt-ga;

Thank you for allowing me to answer your interesting question. In the
state of Massachusetts the MASSACHUSETTS OFFICE OF CHILD CARE SERVICES
regulates all childcare businesses:

Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services
600 Washington St., 6th Floor,
Suite 6100
Boston, MA 02111

Phone: (617) 988-6600 
Web Page: http://www.qualitychildcare.org/contact.shtml

You can find the statutes and standards that govern these businesses here:

NATIONAL RESOURCE CENTER FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY IN CHILD CARE
http://nrc.uchsc.edu/STATES/MA/massachusetts.htm
http://nrc.uchsc.edu/SPINOFF/index.htm

You can use this search tool (right side) to find registered and
licensed childcare in the state of Massachusetts.

MASS.GOV
http://www.eec.state.ma.us/

As for inspections of in home childcare facilities, the statutes say this:

?8.33: Required Visits

(1) A visit by the Office is required as a pre-condition to licensure.
(2) An unannounced visit must be made by the Office within six months of licensure.
(3) An unannounced visit must be made by the Office annually thereafter?

102 CMR 8.00: STANDARDS FOR THE LICENSURE OF FAMILY CHILD CARE AND
LARGE FAMILY CHILD CARE HOMES (10-10-2003)
http://nrc.uchsc.edu/STATES/MA/ma_large.htm#pgfId-550486


I hope you find that my answer exceeds your expectations. If you have
any questions about my research please post a clarification request
prior to rating the answer. Otherwise I welcome your rating and your
final comments and I look forward to working with you again in the
near future. Thank you for bringing your question to us.

Best regards;
Tutuzdad-ga ? Google Answers Researcher



INFORMATION SOURCES

Defined above


SEARCH STRATEGY


SEARCH ENGINE USED:

Google ://www.google.com


SEARCH TERMS USED:

Massachusetts

Childcare

Law

Regulations

Regulatory

Inspection

Licensure

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Clarification of Answer by tutuzdad-ga on 23 Aug 2005 06:29 PDT

Also, here is one other means of checking on licensed childcare
referrals in your state:

CHILDCARE CIRCUIT
http://www2.childcarecircuit.org/

tutuzdad-ga

Thank you for a quick and thorough answer!