How to read a Delaware child care compliance record

What Delaware's compliance review data does and does not show, how to read each field, a worked example, and what to ask the director.

Delaware publishes information about child care facilities and about compliance reviews that ended in a cited regulation. This guide explains the fields on each Delaware profile, the limits of the data, and what to do with what you find. It describes the state's records as published; it does not judge any program. This is general information, not legal advice.

Who licenses child care in Delaware

Delaware's Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) licenses child care centers, family child care homes and large family child care homes. Its pages are at kids.delaware.gov/occl. Our Delaware profiles come from two state open-data files: a facility file with capacity, ages, hours and contact details, and a compliance review file. Both are on data.delaware.gov.

What is in the compliance file

Each row in the compliance file is one regulation cited at one visit. It shows:

• the date of the visit and the type of visit, for example an unannounced full compliance review;
• a regulation code with a short description, such as "Ratios, Group Size, and Supervision" or "Personnel Files";
• the date the correction was due;
• whether the correction is completed or still pending, and the date it was corrected;
• sometimes a short note on what the program was asked to do.

An important limit: only findings appear

Every row in Delaware's compliance file has the status "non-compliance". The file does not list visits where nothing was cited. So a program with no citations here was either visited without findings or not visited in the period covered, and we cannot tell which. We say so on each profile. For the same reason we cannot show how many visits a Delaware program had, only how many regulations were cited. The file we use begins in late 2021, so older history is not included.

Reading the correction status

"Completed" means the state recorded that the program corrected the item. "Pending" means the file did not yet show a correction. A pending status can simply reflect a due date that has not arrived, or a record that has not been updated. Do not assume the worst. Ask the program, and ask OCCL.

A worked example

This is an invented illustration of how to read a profile, not a real program. Suppose a profile shows three rows on one date: one for "Personnel Files" marked completed, one for "Ratios, Group Size, and Supervision" marked completed, and one for a missing form marked pending. Read it in this order:

1. One visit produced three rows. That is one review, not three separate problems.
2. Two of the items are about paperwork and one about supervision. Supervision is the one to ask about, because it concerns children directly.
3. Ask the director what happened and what changed. A clear, specific answer, such as "we added a floating teacher at nap time," is more informative than a general one.
4. Check whether the same regulation appears on other dates. A single citation is different from the same one repeated visit after visit.

Citations in context

• Type of regulation. Staff files and training records are different from supervision or ratios. Read the description rather than counting rows.
• Size. A large center has more staff files and more rooms than a small family home, so there are more places where something could be cited.
• Timing. A citation corrected promptly is different from one still open months later.
• Several rows on one date. One visit can generate several rows, one per regulation.

What the data does not show

It does not describe the daily quality of care, relationships between staff and children, or events outside licensing. Delaware's facility file also carries a state summary of reported injuries and deaths for each facility, which we show as written. Use it as a prompt for questions, not a score. Home-based programs have no street address or phone number on this site, because they are private homes.

Verify, ask, and report

1. Confirm the license is current on the OCCL site, and ask to see it posted at the program.
2. Ask the director about anything cited, and ask to read the most recent inspection report.
3. Visit in person. Our list of questions to ask when touring helps.
4. If you have a concern about a licensed program, contact OCCL through its website. Delaware's Child Abuse & Neglect Report Line is 1-800-292-9582. Call 911 if a child is in immediate danger.

Compare how the two states differ in Connecticut and Delaware license types.

Questions to ask the director about a citation

• What happened on that date, in your words?
• What did you change, and how do you make sure it stays changed?
• Has the same item been cited before or since?
• Is the correction finished? If the file shows pending, what remains?
• Who on staff is responsible for that area now?

A program that has nothing to say about a citation is not necessarily a problem, but one that can explain it clearly gives you something solid to weigh. Remember also that the absence of rows is not proof of a clean record, for the reason given above.

Data dates and freshness

Delaware updates its open data on its own schedule, and our copy is a snapshot. A correction made last week may not show yet, and a visit last week may not appear. The date on each profile tells you when we last refreshed. For anything that matters, such as a pending item, check with OCCL directly before relying on our page.

Updated 2026-10-02.

General information only, current as of the date above. The information on CT & DE Child Care Records is not a safety rating or recommendation. Inspection records show what the state found on the dates shown; problems may since have been corrected, and a clean record does not guarantee future safety. Visit any program in person and check the state's own records before you choose. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.