Religious Exempt from Licensure Accreditation

Religious Exempt from Licensure Accreditation:
Faith Based Child Care Facilities in Florida may choose to obtain a Religious Exemption from Licensure Accreditation with the FCCPSA instead of obtaining a Department of Children and Families (DCF) licensing from the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

The FCCPSA is recognized by the State of Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) as an approved Religious Exemption agency for child care facilities.

The Florida Statutes provides Religious Exemption for child care facilities in the State of Florida. The facility must be an integral part of church or parochial schools, meet the screening requirements pursuant to FLA STAT 402.305 and 402.3055 of DCF and meet local health requirements in addition to the on-site evaluation process of the agency to ensure compliance with its standards for health, safety and sanitation.

In accordance with FLA STAT 402.306 the Department recognizes and exempts from licensure those religiously affiliated programs that meet the following statutory requirements:

"The provisions of FLA STAT 402.301-402.319, except for the requirements regarding screening of child care personnel, shall not apply to a child care facility which is an integral part of church or parochial schools conducting regularly scheduled classes, courses of study, or educational programs accredited by, or by a member of, and organization which publishes and requires compliance with its standards for health, safety, and sanitation, and safety and shall meet the screening requirements pursuant to FLA STAT 402, 305 and 402, 3055. Failure by a facility to comply with such screening requirements shall result in the loss of the facilities exemption from licensure."

All forms and applications can be downloaded from the Forms Page.

The FCCPSA maintains an integrated partnership with Cognia, formally AdvancED, the parent organization of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools CASI, the North Central Association CASI, and the Northwest Accrediting Commission.
This partnership allows FCCPSA accredited schools to obtain both FCCPSA and Cognia/SACS accreditation through one seamless process.

For more information see the Affiliations page.

The FCCPSA is an approved member of the National Council for Private School Accreditation which is dedicated to the accreditation process as a viable and responsible means of establishing a witness of school excellence.

The NCPSA is a member of The International Alliance for School Accreditation which is a coalition of regional, national, and international accrediting bodies.

In 1996, the Florida Legislature established the Gold Seal Quality Care program to acknowledge child care facilities and family day care homes that are accredited by nationally recognized agencies and whose standards reflect quality in the level of care and supervision provided to children.

The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) requires that all full member senior high schools be accredited by an approved accrediting agency to play sports in the state league.

Contact



Copyright © 2019 Florida Coalition of Christian Private Schools Accreditation. All Rights Reserved.