Research & Records
How to Read a Daycare Inspection Report
State inspection reports are public — but they're written for regulators, not parents. Here's how to decode violation types, risk levels, and corrections, and which findings actually matter.
How to Look Up Any Daycare's Violation History
Every licensed daycare's inspection history is public record. A step-by-step guide to finding it — on DaycareAlert or directly through your state's licensing agency.
12 Red Flags in a Daycare's Violation History
Most daycares have a few violations — that's normal. These specific patterns are not. What to look for in an inspection record before you enroll.
How Daycare Inspections Actually Work
Who inspects daycares, how often they visit, what triggers an unannounced inspection, and what happens when a facility fails one.
Licensed vs. License-Exempt Child Care: What's the Difference?
Not every daycare is inspected by the state. What a license actually covers, which programs are exempt, and the extra questions to ask when there's no inspection record to check.
Choosing a Daycare
The Daycare Tour Checklist: What to Look For in the First 15 Minutes
A safety-first walkthrough for touring a daycare — what to watch, what to ask, and the small details that reveal how a facility really operates.
15 Questions to Ask a Daycare Director (and What the Answers Mean)
Good directors answer hard questions without flinching. The questions worth asking about staffing, discipline, illness, and emergencies — and how to read the answers.
Choosing Infant Daycare: A Safety-First Guide
Infant rooms have the strictest rules in child care for a reason. Safe sleep practices, ratios, feeding policies, and the specific things to verify before enrolling a baby.
Daycare Ratios and Group Sizes, Explained
Staff-to-child ratio is the single most studied safety factor in child care. What the numbers mean, how they vary by age and state, and how to check compliance on a visit.
Safety & Incidents
Every guide links back to the public records it draws on. Start by looking up any daycare's inspection history or read how our safety ratings work.