Nevada

Staff-child ratios (centers)

Requirements

Annual training

24 hours of training during each 12-month licensing period for directors and caregivers (NRS 432A.1775; NAC 432A.326), including at least 12 hours specific to the age group served and 2 hours on children's wellness, health, and safety; CPR certification (including infants where applicable) within 120 days of hire.

Lead teacher

Caregivers must be at least 16 (no more than half of a facility's caregivers may be under 18), be able to summon help in an emergency, be emotionally and physically qualified, and join The Nevada Registry within 120 days; no formal education credential is required for caregivers (NAC 432A.306).

Director

Directors qualify under NRS 432A.1773 via pathways such as an associate degree in ECE plus 1,000 hours of experience; an associate degree in any field plus 15 ECE semester hours and 2,000 hours; a CDA plus 2,000 hours; or a high school diploma plus 15 ECE semester hours and 3,000 hours — plus 1,000 administrative hours or business-administration training and Nevada Registry membership.

Worth knowing

Additional bands: 2 to under 3 years 1:9 (group 18); 4 to under 5 years 1:13 (group 26). These are daytime ratios (6:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m.); nighttime ratios differ. Mixed-age groups follow the youngest child's ratio.

Compliance

Background checks

Every applicant, licensee, employee, and resident 18+ must submit a complete set of fingerprints (forwarded to the Nevada Central Repository and the FBI), a statement of prior convictions, and authorization for a Statewide Central Registry (child abuse/neglect) check (NRS 432A.175, 432A.170); the initial check occurs within 3 days of hire and before direct contact with children, is repeated at least every 5 years, and no one may have unsupervised contact with children before the investigation is complete (NAC 432A.200 implements the 5-year fingerprint cycle).

Mandated reporting

Yes — any person who maintains or is employed by a facility furnishing care to a child is a mandated reporter under NRS 432B.220(4) and must report known or suspected abuse/neglect as soon as reasonably practicable and no later than 24 hours; if the suspected perpetrator is connected to the child care facility, the report goes to a law enforcement agency (NRS 432B.220(2)(a)).

First aid & CPR

Employees must obtain CPR certification within 120 days of starting work, including certification in CPR for children and for infants if infants are in care, from a certified instructor meeting nationally recognized standards, plus first aid training within the same window (NAC 432A.322-.323).

Health & safety training

New caregivers must complete initial trainings on a schedule: within 90 days, shaken baby syndrome (1 hr), medication administration, building safety, and emergency preparedness (2+ hrs each); within 120 days, CPR certification, child development (3+ hrs), first aid, illness recognition, SIDS, and wellness/health/safety (2+ hrs each) (NAC 432A.323); thereafter each director and caregiver in a child care center must complete at least 24 hours of training per 12-month licensing period (NAC 432A.326).

Operations

Supervision rule

Staffing must be sufficient to provide physical care, supervision, and individual attention to each child (NAC 432A.520); ratios per NAC 432A.5205 apply, field trips require one additional caregiver or adult volunteer per group beyond the ratio to assist direct supervision, an adult 18+ must always be on the premises, under-18 staff/volunteers may not provide direct care unsupervised (NAC 432A.306), and a staff member must supervise resting children in sick care (NAC 432A.620).

Record-keeping

Facilities must keep a record for each child with parent-provided information (NAC 432A.340) and evidence of the child's health including immunization records (NAC 432A.370, .500-.505), a daily sign-in sheet with arrival and departure times for staff and children (NAC 432A.280(5)), and organized separate records for each employee including training documents and background/personal history (NAC 432A.304(2)(d)).

Inspections

Licensing inspections must be made at least twice during each 12-month licensing period (about every 6 months) and may be unannounced, the licensee can be charged the cost of investigating a substantiated complaint, and the State Fire Marshal inspects buildings at least annually (NAC 432A.190, 432A.280(7)).

Worth knowing: NAC 432A contains no consolidated sight/sound supervision definition that could be located, so the supervision field reflects staffing/field-trip provisions; note that in Clark and Washoe counties local agencies handle some child care licensing — that split was not verified from fetched sources. dss.nv.gov survey PDFs could not be fetched.

Family & home child care

NRS chapter 432A and NAC chapter 432A

Family home (5 to 6 children)

A facility in which the licensee regularly provides care for at least 5 and not more than 6 children (NAC 432A.100). No more than 6 children under 18 per caregiver; the licensee must reside in the home and provide direct care, and a resident operator's own child counts toward the limit only if under age 4 (NAC 432A.534). Caring for fewer than 5 children generally is not a 'child care facility' requiring a state license (NRS 432A.024).No more than 2 children under 1 year of age and no more than 4 children under 2 years of age at any given time (NAC 432A.534).

Group home (7 to 12 children)

A facility in which the licensee regularly provides care for at least 7 and not more than 12 children (NAC 432A.110). Staffing is by age per the rule's table: 1 caregiver per 2 children under 1 year; 1 per 4 children aged 1 to under 3; and, as printed in the rule, '2 caregivers for every 6 children' aged 3+ (NAC 432A.536). With written approval, up to 3 additional school-age children may be served before/after school (NAC 432A.538).Infant limits operate through the ratios: 1 caregiver per 2 children under 1 year, and 1 caregiver per 4 children aged 1 to under 3 (NAC 432A.536).

Provider training

24 hours of training each year for each person employed in a child care facility (NRS 432A.1775, applied through NAC 432A.326): at least 12 hours specific to the ages served, at least 2 hours on children's wellness/health/safety (obesity, nutrition, physical activity), and no more than 3 hours may be CPR.

Worth knowing

The '2 caregivers for every 6 children' entry for ages 3+ is transcribed exactly from the NAC 432A.536 table as published online; confirm the intended staffing for 3+ groups with the Division before acting on it.