About
The Office for the Ombuds for Family Child Care Providers:
- Educates and consults
- Refers and supports
- Investigates and resolves
- Registers complaints
- Recommends change
The OFCCP assists family child care providers with licensing, compliance, and other family child care issues. The ombuds is an independent resource for reliable information and expert guidance regarding family child care.
The OFCCP is a state agency whose role is to assist family child care license holders in Minnesota with issues that impact them. An ombuds is a person whose job is to advocate with people and help them solve problems with government agencies. This office provides reliable answers to questions confidentially, receives complaints when rights may have been violated, and helps to solve problems with the systems.
The duties of the OFCCP are to:
- Answer questions about licensing actions, determinations and violations;
- Provide information about appeals processes and other interactions with licensing;
- Monitor the activities of local licensing agencies;
- Make recommendations for family child care licensing and education improvements;
- Confidentially receive complaints from license holders;
- Discuss agency actions when license holders believe their rights may have been violated or they are being treated unfairly;
- And assist license applicants to navigate the license application process.
Family child care programs are licensed under Minnesota Rules 9502 and Statutes 245A. A family child care license allows for a small of children to be care for in the license holder’s private residence. Minnesota statutes also allow for family child care licenses to be issued for a program located in a house, apartment or condominium that is not the license holder’s primary residence; a church, synagogue, temple or mosque; or a commercial property.
Family child care programs are licensed through a delegated system. The Department of Human Services (DHS) issues licensing actions based on recommendations made by local, county and tribal agencies and inspectors.
Authority
The authority of the Office of the Ombuds for Family Child Care Providers can be found in Minnesota Statutes, Section 245.975.
Annual report
- Office of Ombuds for Family Child Care Providers | 2024 Annual Report (PDF)
- Office of Ombuds for Family Child Care Providers | 2023 Annual Report (PDF)
- Office of Ombuds for Family Child Care Providers | 2022 Annual Report (PDF)