Licensing vs. Accreditation

By definition, accreditation and licensing have different functions.

Licensing provides a legislated 'floor' below which child care or out-of-school care programs are not permitted to operate. It typically includes factors such as space, range of equipment, number and ages of children, staff/provider-child ratios and training requirements for staff/providers. Such factors contribute to quality, but are only minimum standards.

Accreditation builds on this legislated "floor" to look at factors that determine quality. The emphasis is on staff/provider practices and actual outcomes for children and families. It shifts the focus from meeting minimum standards to continuously striving towards providing higher levels of care.