Check the county first: Florida has both licensed and registered home pathways, and some counties administer local licensing.
Agency: Florida Department of Children and Families, Child Care Program Paperwork source review: September 14, 2026
Use your print window to print on paper or save as a PDF. The organizer is a planning aid for your files.
Check the form and your provider type.
An official agency form is issued or listed by the agency; that label alone does not establish mandatory use. A required state form is identified as mandatory in the cited instructions. A required record identifies information you must maintain; its format may be flexible. An optional template is a suggested format. Official instructions / portal links explain the application or record process.
Read “Applies to” and “Format and applicability” for each item. Home, group-home, center, local licensing, food-program, and subsidy requirements can differ.
Application & renewal
01
Official instructions / portal
CARES Family Day Care Home License Application Guide
Create and submit a family-home license application.
Applies to
Homes seeking licensure through DCF
Who completes it
Applicant
Where it goes
CARES portal.
When to use or update
Initial licensed-home application.
Format and applicability: Public PDF instructions; application requires account.
Selected official forms and public instructions were reviewed on September 14, 2026. This is a practical starting list, not a complete certification of every record, retention period, local rule, or individual application.
Registration is unavailable in counties requiring home licensure. DCF’s public page lists those counties; verify the address with the responsible licensing office.
This selection emphasizes registered homes; licensed and large-family homes have additional handbook records.
Food-program and School Readiness billing documents are not covered.
Use the agency’s current original and revision instructions. Keep confidential child and staff records in your own secure record system.
Use this sheet to check which items apply to your program. A listed item or a checked box does not establish that your program meets licensing requirements.
Program / provider type:
Licensing office / reviewer:
Date checked / rule or packet edition:
Form or instruction
Applies? Yes / No / Ask
Received / completed
Location / next review
1. CARES Family Day Care Home License Application Guide
2. Application for Family Day Care Home Registration (CF-FSP 5099)
3. Registered Family Child Care Home Health and Safety Checklist (CF-FSP 5274)
4. Attestation of Good Moral Character (CF-FSP 1649A)
5. Family Day Care Home List of Children in Care
6. In-service Training Record requirement (CF-FSP 5268A)
Other local or agency document
Food-program / subsidy documents
Questions and next steps
Ask about required format, signatures, submission, update triggers, and retention. Record the agency’s answer and the person or written source that confirmed it.
Companion to the Florida source review dated September 14, 2026. Provider Path educational planning sheet.
Use your existing tools alongside these sources.
Keep official licensing records with your program’s business records. Provider Path’s editable agreement, handbook, and daily forms can help organize your work; check the state instructions before choosing a format.
