10. Director Credential

Question 1

Director Credential

Answer 1

~ the administrator of a child care program needs to have skills to oversee the operation of the program, which are gained through earning a Florida Director Credential
~ every child care facility is required to have a credentialed director who is on-site a majority of the hours, excluding weekends and evening hours, that the facility is in operation
~ documentation of majority hours must be maintained and available for review by the licensing authority
~ an individual may not be a director of facilities that overlaps in hours
~ if a credentialed director leaves a child care program or is replaced, the owner must notify the licensing authority within five working days
~ evening child care programs are not required to have a credentialed director

Question 2

**Applying for a Credential

Answer 2

~ individuals must apply for a staff credential using the Department’s application
~ once the Department verifies the credential requirements have been met, the credential will be issued and listed on the child care training transcript
~ the Director Credential must be renewed every five years

Question 3

School-Age Child Care Multi-Sites

Answer 3

A credentialed director may supervise multiple before-school and after-school sites for a single organization as follows:
- Three sites regardless of the number of children enrolled
- More than three sites if the combined number of children enrolled does not exceed 350
- In counties where the public school district has included four-year-old children in public before-school and after-school programs, they may participate in the multi-site option; however, they are required to have a credentialed staff person for every 20 children

When a credentialed director is supervising multiple sites, the individual left in charge of the site during the director’s absence must:
- Be at least 21 years old
- Have completed the 40-clock-hour introductory training requirements
- Have completed the Department’s Special Needs Appropriate Practices or a minimum of eight hours of in-service training focusing on serving children with disabilities
- Have completed the Department’s Understanding Developmentally Appropriate Practices and School-Age Appropriate Practices