Daycare Licensing in Washington, D.C.: Violations, Inspections & License Lookup
How child care licensing works in Washington, D.C.: who regulates it, the rules providers answer to, how often they are inspected, and the exact steps to look up a daycare's violations and verify its license. Sourced from Office of the State Superintendent of Education.
Last verified 2026-08-03
How do I look up daycare violations in Washington, D.C.?
- Open My Child Care DC at mychildcare.dc.gov.
- Search for the facility by name, address, or zip code.
- Open the facility's provider profile.
- Review the posted inspection reports and any substantiated complaints vetted by OSSE, which cover the last three years.
State portal: Washington, D.C. child care search
How do I verify a Washington, D.C.daycare's license?
- Go to mychildcare.dc.gov.
- Search for the facility by name or location.
- Open the provider profile.
- Confirm the licensing information, capacity, facility type, age range served, and any quality rating (gold, silver, or bronze).
State portal: Washington, D.C. license search
Who regulates daycares in Washington, D.C.?
Child care licensing in Washington, D.C. is administered by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, under DCMR Title 5-A, Ch. 1. It licenses providers, inspects them, and records the violations found.
How often are Washington, D.C. daycares inspected?
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education gives each licensed child development facility one announced and one unannounced inspection visit each year. OSSE may conduct additional inspections at any time, including in response to complaints. My Child Care DC keeps inspection reports available for three years.
Washington, D.C. does not publish a public severity scale for its violations.
What our Washington, D.C.data covers, and what it doesn't
We track Washington, D.C.'s licensed providers from the state's public records: license number, status, and capacity. For a provider's full inspection and violation history, follow the steps above at the state's own source.
| Washington, D.C. child care data | On record |
|---|---|
| Licensed providers tracked | 442 |
| Independently scorable (Confidence Index) | Not yet scorable |
| Inspection history on this site | Roster only, use state source |
Washington, D.C. daycare licensing: common questions
- How do I look up daycare violations in Washington, D.C.?
- Use My Child Care DC at mychildcare.dc.gov, the official site run by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. Search for the facility and open its provider profile to read inspection reports and any substantiated complaints vetted by OSSE. Reports are kept online for three years.
- How often does D.C. inspect licensed daycares?
- OSSE gives each licensed child development facility one announced inspection and one unannounced inspection each year. OSSE may also conduct additional inspections at any time, including after a complaint. The resulting reports appear in the facility's My Child Care DC profile.
- How do I verify a D.C. daycare's license?
- Search for the facility on My Child Care DC at mychildcare.dc.gov and open its provider profile. The profile shows licensing information, capacity, facility type, age range served, and any quality rating. My Child Care DC lists licensed child development centers and licensed home-based facilities.
- How far back do D.C. daycare inspection reports go?
- My Child Care DC keeps inspection reports available for three years. For example, a facility open more than three years will show reports going back three years from the current date. Older records can be requested directly from OSSE.
This page republishes the public licensing record and labels every absent field plainly. Primary source: https://mychildcare.dc.gov. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.