Most counties in Florida allow home day care providers to choose between licensing the day care business or registering the day care business. However, all home day cares in Broward, Clay, Duval, Hillsborough, Miami-Dade, Nassau, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Saint Johns counties must be licensed.
Inspection
Officials from the Florida Department of Children and Families complete an in-home inspection before issuing a license to a home day care. The provider of a registered home day care completes a self-inspection of the home annually instead of having an official inspection.
Training
The main provider for a licensed day care home needs to complete first aid training and infant and child CPR certification prior to obtaining a license. The provider for a registered day care does not need these forms of training.
Reputation
Home day cares that are licensed may have a higher reputation than day cares that are only registered. This is because parents can rest assured that the day care home has passed the state's inspection and maintains high standards in case of future inspections.