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SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT Office Telephone: (218) 299.5200 Fax: (218) 299.7515 MN Toll Free 1.[PHONE REDACTED] Dear Applicant: Thank you for your interest in the exciting field of child care. Your choice of this career is an excellent one that will be both challenging and rewarding. There is some work and preparation involved in starting any small business, and family day care is no exception. This letter is to inform you of what to expect in the next few months. A $50 licensing fee needs to accompany your child care application. The $50 will cover your application, background checks for yourself, family members and one sub. There is a $15.00 charge for each additional sub. No application will be accepted without the fee. This fee is nonrefundable. Enclosed you will find a packet of forms for you to fill out which will begin your licensing application process. Please follow the instruction sheet carefully, as anything left blank or filled out incorrectly, slows down the process considerably. When all of the forms are completed and in your possession, send them to us at Clay County Social Services 715 11th Street North, Suite 502, Moorhead, MN 56560. Once your application papers are received at Social Services, your background checks and references are sent out and the Moorhead Fire Marshall is notified. After the background studies and references are received back, we will call you to set up an appointment for your first home visit. At this visit, we will conduct an initial inspection of your home, go over the day care rule, and discuss any issues or concerns that either you or we feel are important. Some paper work will also be left for you to fill out regarding your child care business. Those forms will be collected when you call back for the second home visit. The second visit is when your home will be reinspected to make certain it is meeting the minimum standards and you will be left with all the forms necessary to run your business. The entire process usually takes about three months. Another step in the licensing process is attendance at a child care orientation. This training session is free and is held on the Fourth Floor of the Clay County Family Service Center, 715 11th Street North Suite #405 in Moorhead. The training is two hours long and gives information about running a family child care business, the State regulations, child development and activities. To view the orientation schedule go to or call one of the licensors. An application is completed when all studies, reports and evaluations required are completed and received by the agency. This agency must forward its licensure recommendations to the Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services within 20 working days after an application is completed. You should receive your actual license in the mail about two to six weeks following that. We look forward to working with you and we hope you can view us as partners in your concern for children. If you have any questions, please feel free to call. Thank you, again, for choosing a career that is so important; both to each child you care for and for society as a whole. Sincerely, Karen Hellem, LSW Julie Klier, County Agency Social Worker Telephone 299-7062 Telephone 299-7118 715 11th Street North, Suite 502 Moorhead, Minnesota 56560-2084 Visit us at An Equal Opportunity Employer