Community Care Licensing (CCL) licenses child care programs and monitors them to make sure they are safe environments for children.  You can make complaints to Community Care Licensing about a licensed child care center or family child care home if you think something is wrong like:

• A health and safety problem
• The provider is not caring for or supervising the children
• The provider is not doing truthful record keeping

Anyone can make a complaint to Community Care Licensing about a licensed facility or staff person if they think something is wrong. You can make a complaint, even if you don’t know for sure that the provider is not following the rules. It is always better to err on the side of caution. When you file a complaint, you not only protect the children but you help the community.

This is a great video to watch for information about filing complaints to CCL.

How to file a complaint with Community Care Licensing 

• You can call: 1-844-LET-US-NO. (1-844-538-8766)
• You can email: letusno@dss.ca.gov.
• You can submit via online complaint webpage.
• You can write a letter and either mail or fax it to the Community Care Licensing office in your community.
• Fax: (916) 414-2551.
• US Mail: California Department of Social Services, Centralized Complaint and Information Bureau, 744 P Street, Mail Station 9-3-52, Sacramento, California 95814

What to say in your complaint:

It is very helpful to CCL if you tell them as much as possible about the complaint.  They would like to know:

• Your name and contact information – CCL can call you if they need more information and they will let you know what happened with the complaint. They will not tell anyone you made the complaint
• The name  and address of the child care center or family child care home
• The license number if you know it
• What did you see?
• When did you see it?
• Where did you see it?
• Who or what was involved?
  • a provider or teacher?
  • one or more children?
  • some equipment

What happens after you file the complaint:

• CCL will make an unannounced visit to the child care center or family child care home within ten business days and investigate the case in less than 90 days. Sometimes it might take longer. 
• CCL will not talk with you about the complaint until the investigation is complete. 
• CCL will contact you with the results. The complaint will either be:
  • substantiated, meaning there was enough proof to support the claim, or
  • unsubstantiated, meaning there was not enough support to prove the claim
• If the claim is substantiated, CCL will take action to make sure the provider corrects the problem. 
• The results will be public.  Anyone can search the CCL database to see if a provider has any complaints or violations. The database will never include the name of the person who made the complaint.

Other Kinds of Complaints

There are some complaints that are not for Community Care Licensing. Usually, this is something between only you and the provider, like an attendance or payment issue.  For these complaints, contact your local child care resource and referral agency. They can help you!