Teachers: In the District of Columbia teachers must be at least 18 and have a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education or a related field including a minimum of 15 hrs. in early childhood education courses; or 2 or more years of college including a minimum of 15 hrs. in early childhood education courses and 1 year experience in a child development facility; or a HS diploma or equivalent and 3 yrs. experience as teacher or assistant teacher in child development  center and 9 college credit hours in early childhood education from an accredited college or university;  or experience as a teacher or assistant teacher in licensed child development center with a CDA.

Age Range	Ratio For Center Based Care in Washington DC
2 years - 2 ½ years	(1:4)
2 ½ - 3 years	(1:8)
4 years	(1:10)
5 years	(1:15)
6 - 14 years	(1:15)
Mixed age group	Ratio shall be adjusted to protect the welfare of the younger children
Age Range	Ratio For Family Child Care in Washington DC
All ages	(1:5) [ratio includes family members under age 6]
Infants	(1:2)

Child Care Licensing Agency
District of Columbia Health Regulation Administration
Department of Health
825 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 2224
Washington, DC 20002
Phone: (202) 442-5888
Fax: (202) 442-9430

Child Care Subsidy Agency
DC Department of Human Services
Early Care and Education Administration
717 14th Street NW, Suite 1200
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 727-1839
Fax: (202 )727-7728 or (202) 727-8166

Child Abuse Reporting
To report suspected child abuse or suspected neglect in District of Columbia, call Local (toll): (202) 671-SAFE (202-671-7233).

For national child abuse information, call Childhelp®, 800-4-A-CHILD (800-422-4453), or your local CPS agency.