Oregon

Staff-child ratios (centers)

Requirements

Annual training

Directors, teachers and aide IIs must complete at least 15 clock hours of Oregon Registry (ORO)-approved training annually, including at least 8 hours in child development/early childhood education and 1 hour in health, safety and nutrition; prorated at 1.25 hours per month during the first year (OAR 414-305-0380).

Lead teacher

Teachers must be at least 18 and meet one of five options for their age group: 750 hours of qualifying teaching experience in a certified center or comparable program; 1 year/1,500 hours in registered or certified family child care; Oregon Registry Step 6 (or 9 quarter credits across two core knowledge categories); at least an associate degree with an ECE-related major; or a recognized credential such as the CDA.

Director

Directors must be at least 21 and reach Oregon Registry Step 9; or, for a single center licensed for 20 or fewer children, have 1 year as a certified family child care provider; or document a CCLD-approved combination of management/supervision of adults and child development knowledge (Table 1, OAR 414-305-0320).

Worth knowing

Table 3A shown, which applies to centers first certified after July 15, 2001; earlier-certified centers and small sites (16 or fewer children on site) have separate tables. Oregon's center rules were recodified from OAR division 300 to division 305.

Compliance

Background checks

The operator, all center staff and anyone 18 or older who may have unsupervised access to children must be enrolled in DELC's Central Background Registry before initial or renewal certification (OAR 414-305-0310); CBR determinations rest on Oregon State Police criminal records checks and child abuse and neglect records checks. Conditionally enrolled staff may work but may not have unsupervised access to children, visitors not enrolled must be escorted via a sign-in/out process, and enrollment must stay current at all times.

Mandated reporting

Any staff member who has reason to believe a child has been abused or neglected must report immediately — 24 hours a day — to the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline (1-855-503-7233), DHS Child Welfare or law enforcement (OAR 414-305-0270(3), reflecting ORS 419B duties). Two hours of DELC-approved Oregon-specific training on recognizing and reporting child abuse is required within 30 days of hire and repeated every three years (414-305-0370, -0385).

First aid & CPR

All staff and substitutes except cooks must hold current first aid and pediatric CPR certification within the first 90 days of hire and keep it current; online CPR is acceptable only with hands-on instruction (OAR 414-305-0370(3)). At least one certified person must be present in the center at all times, during transportation and on field trips (414-305-0300).

Health & safety training

All staff, including substitutes, must receive orientation within 10 days of hire and before unsupervised access (rules, emergency plan, infectious disease, premises safety, hazardous materials, safe sleep/shaken baby, medication, policies, abuse reporting), and within 30 days must complete Introduction to Child Care Health and Safety plus at least 2 hours of Oregon-specific recognizing-and-reporting-child-abuse training (OAR 414-305-0370). Child Development Training is due within 90 days, Safe Sleep for Oregon Infants within 30 days where infants are served, food handler certification applies to food-handling staff, and directors/teachers/aides need 15 clock hours of training annually (8 in child development, 1 in health/safety/nutrition) (414-305-0380).

Operations

Supervision rule

Children must have staff's full attention: aware of what each child is doing, near enough to assist, and within sight AND sound without relying on audio/video monitors; no personal activities that interfere (OAR 414-305-0500). Nap rooms need enough light to see each child's face; sleeping infants are monitored frequently for breathing and placed on their backs on firm, flat surfaces (414-305-0630); school-age children may be within sight OR sound with regular checks, and one child at a time may be out of sight/sound for up to 5 minutes with staff knowledge.

Record-keeping

Children's records — contacts, immunization record or exemption, emergency medical authorization, health history and care plans — are required before the first day and reviewed annually (OAR 414-305-0220, -0225). Centers must keep daily attendance with arrival/departure times with each group, staff attendance, a visitor log, medication administration records, a written log of abuse reports made, and emergency drill records; compliance records are retained 2 years, and staff and children's records 2 years after employment or care ends (414-305-0250).

Inspections

DELC's Child Care Licensing Division may conduct unannounced monitoring visits at least annually to determine compliance, plus compliance-verification visits (OAR 414-305-1600). Complaints trigger investigations that may include visits, interviews, record reviews and observations, ending in a findings letter; unannounced complaint or compliance visits may occur at any reasonable time.

Worth knowing: Fields cite the official DELC rulebook CCLD-0084 (Sept. 2026 edition: Division 305 effective 1/1/2024 with updates effective 9/1/2026, plus Division 075 general rules); OAR division 300 was repealed and replaced by division 305. Centers must also inform parents how to view inspection reports (414-305-0200).

Family & home child care

OAR 414-205-0000 to 414-205-0170 (Registered Family Child Care Homes); OAR 414-350-0000 to 414-350-0405 (Certified Family Child Care Homes)

Registered Family Child Care Home

A maximum of 10 children in the provider's own home, counting all child care children, the provider's own children (including foster children) age 9 or younger, and other children age 12 or younger in the provider's responsibility. Of the 10, no more than 6 may be preschool age or younger, and up to 4 school-age in addition (more school-age allowed if fewer preschoolers, never exceeding 10). Per HB 2468 (2024), the provider's own children age 10+ no longer count unless they need a higher level of care (OAR 414-205-0065).Of the maximum 6 children preschool age or younger, only 2 may be under 24 months of age (OAR 414-205-0065(2)).

Certified Family Child Care Home

A maximum of 16 children at any one time in a building constructed as a single-family dwelling; licensed capacity is based on square footage, ages, and staff. Caregiver/child ratios are set by the age of the youngest child in the group, and all children in the home — including the provider's or caregivers' own — count toward ratios and group size (OAR 414-350-0110/0120).Caring for more than 2 children under 24 months triggers additional provider qualifications; before caring for more than 4 under 24 months, at least one additional qualified caregiver is required and the provider needs 20 extra clock hours of infant/toddler training; infant/toddler group size is limited to 8 (OAR 414-350-0120, per the compilation fetched).

Provider training

Registered Family: 10 hours of training per 2-year registration period (at least 6 hours in child development/early childhood education), plus maintaining current CPR, first aid, food handler, and approved health-and-safety training (OAR 414-205-0055). Certified Family: at least 15 clock hours per year, of which at least 8 in child development/ECE (OAR 414-350-0115).

Worth knowing

Certified Family details (ratios, infant thresholds, 15-hour training) were verified against a rules compilation current through April 2014 plus DELC's current program page (max 16 confirmed); DELC's page also notes the provider must be 21+ to care for more than 12 children. Check OAR 414-350 for any post-2014 amendments before relying on the certified-home fine print.