Key Terminology

Center-Based Care
Child care centers are required to be licensed in California. Infants, toddlers, preschool, or school-age children may all receive care at a child care center. Centers are usually located in schools, religious facilities, public buildings, or private buildings. A center may be a part of a large child care corporation or it may be locally owned.

Child Care (Childcare)
Typically refers to programs for younger children who are not in a preschool program yet. While child care is a component of all early learning programs, it is the focus of our youngest learners.

Daycare
An acceptable, but lesser used term, that refers to a number of care options for your child. The term daycare focuses on the needs of the child while families are working, while child care is a preferred child-centered terminology, focusing on the needs that includes, but also beyond the working family.

ECE
Used in reference to early education, ECE stands for Early Childhood Education, or Early Care Education.

Early Learning / Early Education
Both these terms can be utilized with any age group under 5 that is participating in a program that has an education component. Education in child care settings should be play-based and looks different than a K-12 classroom.

Family Child Care Homes
Licensed family child care is care offered in a child care provider’s home. Families may choose family child care for their children because it is a home-based setting with smaller adult-to-child ratios.

Family Fee
Many subsidized care options require a family fee to paid, the fee is capped at 1% of a families income, and the fee covers all children in the family (i.e. A family of four with an income of $10,000 a month would pay about $66 a month. Many families have no fees).

K
K stands for Kindergarten. Kindergarten is available to children who turn 5-years-old by September 1st.

License-Exempt
If you are providing care for your children (or those of a relative) and children from only one other family, then you do not need a child care license and you are legally exempt (license-exempt) from license requirements in California. Other situations such as the child care you may utilize at your gym, or a rec program, also are not required to be licensed. Learn more at ChildCareLaw.org.

Licensed Care
“CCLD licensed care settings” refers to facilities that are licensed by the California Department of Social Services’ Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD), which includes child care centers (CCCs) and family child care homes (FCCHs), meaning they provide non-medical care and supervision to children in a regulated setting, either in a commercial building (CCC) or within a caregiver’s own home (FCCH). This represents both subsidized and unsubsidized care.

Preschool
Most commonly refers to care settings serving 2-year-old to kindergarten entry that feature an educational component, focused on preparing children for K-12.

Subsidized Care
The State of CA provides subsidized care for a number of circumstances for families.

Title 22 Health and Safety
Licensed child care centers and homes are required to abide by health and safety standards found in CA law Title 22, this includes subsidized and full-pay programs.

TK
TK stands for Transitional Kindergarten. TK is an UPK option to children who turn 4-years-old by September 1st.

UPK
Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) is California’s effort to make early learning more accessible for every family. It includes a variety of high-quality programs for 3- to 5-year-olds, offered in different settings such as public schools, licensed child care centers, and family child care homes. These programs support your child’s development through play, hands-on learning, and nurturing relationships with caring adults. Some programs are free. Others may have low costs or offer flexible schedules. Families can choose the option that works best for their needs, routines, and values.