How KinderFax works
KinderFax collects child care licensing and inspection records that state agencies are already required by law to make public, and reorganizes them into a single, consistent, searchable format. We do not create, score, or editorialize the underlying findings. Every fact on a facility page comes from a government record, and every facility page links back to the official source so you can verify it yourself.
Federal law (the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act) requires every state to make the results of child care monitoring and inspections available to the public. Each state publishes that information differently — on different websites, in different formats, at different levels of detail. KinderFax exists to bring those records together so a parent doesn't have to learn 50 different government systems to check on one daycare.
Where our data comes from
Every record on KinderFax originates with a state child care licensing agency. For the complete list of agencies, portals, and datasets we draw from — with links to each official source — see our Data Sources & Attribution page.
For each facility we collect, where the state makes it available:
- License status, type, number, capacity, ages served, and location
- Inspection history (routine, complaint-driven, and follow-up inspections)
- Violations or deficiencies cited, including the state's own citation code, the state's own description, and the state's own severity classification
- Substantiated complaints and formal enforcement actions
- Ownership and name changes over time
We do not collect or publish information about individual children, families, or the identities of people who file complaints.
How current the data is
Records are only as current as the state source they come from, and state agencies vary in how quickly they publish. Every facility page shows a “Last Updated” date indicating when we most recently updated that facility's information from the official source. We refresh each state at least monthly; some states also cap how far back their online records go (for example, showing only the most recent 36–60 months), and in those cases older records may exist with the state but not appear on KinderFax.
How we handle violations and severity
We present each violation exactly as the state recorded it: the state's citation code, the state's description, and — where the state assigns one — the state's own severity or risk level, shown in the state's own words (for example, Texas classifies violations as high, medium, or low risk). Where we add a plain-English explanation to help parents understand a citation, that explanation is clearly distinguished from the state's official language, and it describes what the rule is — not our opinion of the facility.
Because every state uses a different violation system, comparing severity across state lines is inherently imperfect. We do not rate, rank, or score the overall quality or safety of any facility based on its record. A clean record is not a guarantee of safety, and a citation is not by itself a judgment that a facility is unsafe. We show you the official record and let you decide.
What KinderFax is not
KinderFax is an independent information service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by any government agency. We do not license, inspect, accredit, or regulate child care facilities. We do not provide child care referrals as a substitute for your own research, and nothing on KinderFax is a recommendation for or against any facility.
Found something wrong?
If you believe a record on KinderFax is inaccurate, out of date, or attached to the wrong facility, please tell us using the “Correct this listing” link on any facility page, or see our Corrections & Removal Policy. We take corrections seriously and respond to every submission.