About
Children's Resource and Referral
Referral
and Complaint Policy
Parents' Rights &
Responsibilities
Identifing Child Care
Needs
How
to Choose a Child Care Center
How to Locate & Choose Quality Child
Care
Begin by calling The Children’s Resource & Referral Program. Our agency has a comprehensive database of licensed centers, homes, and license-exempt child care for Santa Barbara County. Families will be linked to child care options based on family and/or child needs (location, age, type of care, etc.).
When searching for child care, some of the determining factors in quality child care are: CAREGIVERS who provide warm and loving guidance for your child; a LICENSED SETTING that keeps your child safe, enriched and healthy while you are away; and ACTIVITIES that will help your child develop mentally, physically, socially, and emotionally.
Although having a license does not guarantee quality, it is a good beginning when choosing care for your child. The Children's Resource & Referral Program cannot endorse, recommend, or advise that quality care will be provided. Parents should plan on visiting several providers to determine which provider meets their particular needs. Once a decision has been made, contact Community Care Licensing at (805) 682-7647 for information on regulations and/or provider background. Have the name of the provider and the license number available and ask to speak to the child care duty officer of the day.
Licensed/Licensed-Exempt Providers
Child care centers and family child care homes in Santa Barbara County are licensed by the Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing, 360 S. Hope Ave., Suite C-105, Santa Barbara, 93105, (805) 682-7647. The Children's Resource & Referral Program refers parents to licensed child care providers and centers.
License-exempt providers are caregivers who:
- care for children of only one family in addition to their own children (exempt and in-home).
- participate in a cooperative arrangement where no payment is involved and the arrangements meet all the following conditions: 1) care is rotated between parents, 2) caregiver must be related by blood or marriage and 3) no more than 12 children are cared for in same location.
- operate a child care program for only one day per week for no more than four hours on that one day.
- There are NO licensing requirements for in-home and exempt care.
- Parents must pay minimum wage/taxes and must file tax forms as an employer.
Trustline
TrustLine is a child care provider registry for license-exempt or in-home caregivers, available to families in California. The TrustLine Registry was developed by concerned parents along with the California Department of Justice, California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, local Child Care Resource and Referral Programs, and child care providers.
The TrustLine Registry is a program which conducts background checks on license-exempt caregivers (nannies, baby sitters, au-pairs) who care for children in the child's home and/or in license-exempt child care in the caregiver's home.
The TrustLine process screens an individual's criminal history and child abuse background (via Department of Justice and F.B.I.) Clearances and denials are generated based on the outcome of the background search.
A parent can find out if a provider is on the TrustLine Registry by calling 1-800-882-8490. If a provider is not listed, the TrustLine Registry will be unable to disclose specific circumstances.
Parents may pay to have their provider listed on the TrustLine Registry by contacting Children's Resource and Referral Program to complete the TrustLine process. TrustLine applications and fingerprint cards are available at the Children's Resource & Referral Program. R & R counselors will assist applicants to submit a completed application to the Department of Justice. There is a processing fee for this service. Applications take about eight weeks to process.
TrustLine should not be the only instrument used for selecting care. Parents should interview and observe the caregiver and check references to determine the quality of care.
Family Service Agency