Free inspection template
Daycare Opening Checklist — Free Template
Run this Daycare Opening Checklist from your phone — online or offline — and get a finished PDF report when you're done.
Overview
What is A Daycare Opening Checklist?
A Daycare Opening Checklist is a structured checklist that helps inspectors systematically verify compliance with the relevant standards or operational requirements. Completing the inspection on mobile produces a timestamped PDF that can be shared immediately with clients or management.
The checklist
Every checkpoint, in full
A read-only preview of the live template. Clone it to run the inspection on mobile, where each item records Pass, Fail or N·A with optional photos and notes.
Opening Information
7 checksNOTENote on Usage
This checklist is based on common state child care licensing minimum standards (e.g., California Title 22 and Texas Child Care Minimum Standards) and general child-safety practice. Completing it does not guarantee licensing compliance or the safety of children in care; the provider, director, and staff remain responsible for meeting all applicable state and local licensing requirements and for the ongoing safety and supervision of every child.
Date
Opening time
Time the facility opened or this walkthrough was started.
Staff member opening (full name)
Facility / site name
Room(s) or area(s) covered by this check
e.g., Infant room, Toddler room, Preschool room, gym, outdoor play area.
Meals or snacks prepared on site today?
Gates the Food & Kitchen section below.
Outdoor play area used today?
Gates the Playground & Outdoor section below.
Staff & Supervision
5 checksAll required opening staff present for the children expected?
Account for call-outs before children arrive; arrange coverage if short.
Staff-to-child ratios met for every age group?
Use your state's required ratios for each age group (ratios are tighter for infants/toddlers). Fail if any group is over ratio.
Current CPR and pediatric first-aid certification on file for staff on duty?
At least one certified staff member should be present in each area at all times; confirm certifications are unexpired.
Each group can be seen and heard by an assigned staff member?
Active supervision — no blind spots, no child left unattended.
Staffing notes (call-outs, coverage arranged, ratios by room)
Facility Safety
8 checksCleaning supplies, chemicals, and other hazardous materials locked and out of children's reach?
Includes bleach, sanitizers, detergents, aerosols. Storage must be locked or inaccessible to children.
All medications stored locked and inaccessible to children?
Includes staff and children's medications. Refrigerated meds in a locked container within the refrigerator.
Electrical outlets within children's reach covered or tamper-resistant?
Electrical cords and window-blind/curtain cords secured out of reach?
Looped blind cords are a strangulation hazard; cords should be cordless, cleated high, or removed.
Tall furniture, shelving, and TVs anchored to prevent tip-over?
Infant and toddler areas free of small objects and choking hazards?
Anything that fits through a toilet-paper tube is a choking hazard for under-3s. Check floors and low shelves.
Floors clear of trip hazards; walkways and stairs unobstructed?
Photo of any hazard found (optional)
Sanitation & Diapering
4 checksHandwashing sinks stocked with soap and single-use towels (or working dryer)?
Check both child-height and staff sinks.
Diapering surfaces cleaned and sanitized, with supplies stocked?
Sanitizer, gloves, wipes, and disposal bags ready. Mark N/A if no diapering area.
Restrooms clean and stocked (soap, toilet paper, paper towels)?
Diaper-disposal and trash containers covered and emptied?
Food & Kitchen
4 checksRefrigerator temperature
Pass: at or below 40°F. Read the unit thermometer or probe a sample.
Children's allergy list posted in food-prep and serving areas and current?
Allergen exposure is a life-safety risk; the list must reflect currently enrolled children.
Food-prep surfaces and utensils clean and sanitized?
Kitchen hazards (knives, hot surfaces, chemicals) inaccessible to children?
Indoor Environment
3 checksRoom temperature comfortable and within a healthy range?
Roughly 68–75°F is typical; adjust heating/cooling as needed.
Ventilation adequate; no strong odors, smoke, or stuffiness?
Lighting adequate in all occupied areas?
Playground & Outdoor
5 checksPlay equipment safe, age-appropriate, and in good repair?
Check for broken parts, sharp edges, protruding bolts, and entrapment gaps.
Protective surfacing under and around equipment intact and adequate?
Mulch, rubber, or sand at proper depth in the fall zone — not compacted bare ground.
Fence and gates secure and latched?
Latches functional and out of children's reach; no gaps a child could pass through.
Play area free of debris, trash, animal waste, and standing water?
Photo of any outdoor hazard found (optional)
Emergency Preparedness
6 checksAll exits clear, unobstructed, and unlocked from the inside?
Nothing blocking exit paths; doors must open from inside without a key.
Evacuation plan posted and current?
Routes and assembly point posted where staff can see them.
First-aid kit stocked and accessible to staff?
Fire extinguisher present, charged, and inspection tag current?
Gauge in the green; service tag dated within the last 12 months.
Smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms present and working?
Press test; confirm no chirping low-battery alerts.
Emergency contact information for each child current and on hand?
Accessible to staff and ready to take during an evacuation.
Health & Records
2 checksSign-in / sign-out system ready for the day?
Paper sheet or app available so every drop-off and pickup is recorded.
Daily health-check process in place for children at drop-off?
Staff assigned to do a brief wellness check (fever, rash, distress) as each child arrives.
Sign-off
4 checksSummary notes (corrective actions taken, items escalated, anything unusual)
Any item escalated to the director / owner?
What was escalated, and to whom?
Staff signature
Type your full name to attest that this opening check was completed honestly and any issues have been logged.
Yours to edit
Not quite how your site runs?
Clone it and the checklist becomes yours in seconds. Reword a checkpoint, drop in a whole new section, flag what's critical, and add photo or signature fields wherever proof matters. No code, no form-building.
Field procedure
How to run this inspection
Walk the site area by area. Mark each checkpoint Pass, Fail or N·A as you go, and add a photo on any Fail to document it for the report.
STEP 01
Opening Information
Capture the basics so the report ties back to the right day, room, and opening staff. The presence checks here drive the gated sections below — answer them honestly so you don't walk through inapplicable areas.
STEP 02
Staff & Supervision
Adequate, qualified supervision is the single most important daily safeguard. Confirm required staff are present, ratios are met for every group, and current CPR/first-aid certification is on file before children arrive.
STEP 03
Facility Safety
Walk each room as a child would experience it. Hazardous materials locked away, outlets covered, cords secured, furniture anchored, and no choking hazards within reach of infants and toddlers.
STEP 04
Sanitation & Diapering
Confirm handwashing supplies are stocked, diapering surfaces are clean and sanitized, and restrooms are clean and stocked before children arrive.
STEP 05
Food & Kitchen
Complete only when meals or snacks are prepared on site. Confirm refrigeration is within safe range, allergy lists are posted, and food-prep surfaces are clean.
STEP 06
Indoor Environment
Comfortable, well-ventilated, and well-lit rooms ready for the day.
Run your first Daycare Opening Checklist today
Clone the template, inspect from your phone, and hand over a finished PDF report before you leave the floor.