North Carolina Home Daycare Record Keeping Requirements
The Record Categories You Must Maintain
Under 10A NCAC 09 .1721, North Carolina family child care home operators must keep a structured set of records on-site and available for immediate review during unannounced DCDEE inspections. These are not optional filing suggestions — they are licensing conditions, and missing documentation is one of the most frequently cited compliance violations.
The records fall into several categories:
Per-child health and enrollment records:
- Child health assessment from an authorized health care professional, on file before admission or within 30 days after admission
- Immunization records (updated as the child receives new vaccines)
- Emergency medical care plan signed by the parent and the child's physician
- Signed Written Plan of Care acknowledgment
- Allergy documentation and any special health needs
Daily operations records:
- Daily attendance log with each child's actual arrival and departure times, maintained as children arrive and depart
- Infant sleep visual check log (for programs serving infants 12 months and under)
- Medication administration log with parent authorization forms
Safety and drill records:
- Monthly fire drill log documenting the date, time, length of the drill, and operator signature
- Quarterly lockdown or shelter-in-place drill log
- Incident and injury reports signed by both the operator and the parent
Operator and staff records:
- Operator's health questionnaire
- Criminal background check qualification letters for the operator, substitutes, and all household members 16 and older
- Training documentation — CPR/First Aid certificates, ITS-SIDS completion, and ongoing annual training hours logged in DCDEE WORKS
- Substitute employee records including qualifications and 16-hour orientation completion
Retention Periods
Not every document needs to be kept forever, but the retention rules vary by category:
| Document | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Child health assessment and immunizations | Duration of enrollment plus one year |
| Emergency medical care plan | One year from date of revision |
| Daily attendance log | One year from date of execution |
| Infant sleep check log | 30 days from date of execution |
| Fire and lockdown drill logs | One year from date of execution |
| Incident and injury reports | Duration of enrollment plus one year |
| Operator health questionnaire | Active license duration |
| Substitute employee records | Active employment plus one year |
| Well-water test results | Active license duration |
| Written Plan of Care acknowledgment | Duration of enrollment plus one year |
| Transportation permission forms | One year from date of execution |
The one-year retention period is a floor, not a ceiling. Many operators keep records for two to three years as a practical buffer, especially incident reports and medication logs that could become relevant if a complaint is filed after a child has left the program.
How to Organize Your Filing System
The DCDEE consultant who conducts your annual unannounced inspection will ask to see specific records and expects to find them quickly. Operators who keep everything in a single binder or a pile of loose papers fail this test regularly.
The approach that works: one dedicated binder or file folder per enrolled child (health records, authorizations, incident reports), plus separate operational binders for daily attendance, drill logs, and medication administration. Keep your operator credentials — background check letters, training certificates, health questionnaire — in their own section.
Digital records are permitted if they are available at the family child care home during operating hours and required signatures are preserved in paper, PDF, or another graphic format. Keep a reliable way to retrieve the records during an inspection rather than relying on a phone-only workflow.
Free Download
Get the North Carolina — Home Daycare Licensing Checklist
Everything in this article as a printable checklist — plus action plans and reference guides you can start using today.
The Connection to Your Compliance Score
Record-keeping violations directly impact your compliance history score. The DCDEE calculates a Visit Compliance Score during each inspection, and you need to maintain a rolling average of at least 75% over the preceding 18 months. Missing a child's health assessment, having an expired CPR certificate, or being unable to produce required attendance logs during an inspection all count against you.
The gap between operators who pass inspections smoothly and those who scramble is almost always organizational, not substantive. The same operator with the same qualifications and the same level of care can score differently based purely on whether their paperwork is current, filed correctly, and retrievable on demand.
The North Carolina daycare licensing guide includes a complete filing system template organized by category and retention period, so you can build your record-keeping infrastructure before your first child enrolls.
Get Your Free North Carolina — Home Daycare Licensing Checklist
Download the North Carolina — Home Daycare Licensing Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.