RNRF DCF CORE EXAMS SET QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
2025/2026
✔✔Child Discipline - ✔✔The child care facility shall adopt a discipline policy consistent
with Section
402.305(12), F.S., including standards that prohibit children from being subjected to
discipline which is severe, humiliating, frightening, or associated with food, rest, or
toileting. Spanking or any other form of physical punishment is prohibited.
✔✔B. The child care facility operators, employees, substitutes, and volunteers -
✔✔must comply
with written disciplinary and expulsion policies.
✔✔Child Discipline Rules - ✔✔Verification that the child care facility has provided the
parent or guardian a written
copy of the disciplinary and expulsion policies used by the program must be
documented on the enrollment form with the signature of the custodial parent or legal
guardian.
✔✔What is the main purpose for regulatory agencies in child care? - ✔✔govern child
care in Florida so they can provide a safe and healthy setting for children in out-of-home
care.
✔✔How do regulatory agencies
influence the care each child receives? - ✔✔ensure that children are well cared for in a
safe, healthy, positive, and educational environment by trained, qualified child care staff
✔✔The Florida Statutes (F.S.) - ✔✔outline the legislative intent of the child care
regulations
✔✔Legislature - ✔✔established child care standards and establishes the intent to
protect the health, safety, and well-being of Florida's children through the establishment
of minimum standards of care for Florida.
✔✔The licensing standards established by the Department address the - ✔✔Physical
environment (health, sanitation, safety, and physical surroundings) and
Children in care (health, nutrition, and development)
✔✔Child Care Standards - ✔✔The health and safety standards support all areas of
children's development, as well as the environment where care is provided. The
standards provide families with options for child care so they are able to make decisions
that best align with their goals and needs.
,✔✔The Florida Department of Children and Families' Office of Child Care Regulation's
mission - ✔✔to "ensure the health, safety, and well-being of the children of the state
while in care through licensing and regulatory activities. The purpose of this program is
to ensure that children are well cared for in a safe, healthy, positive, and educational
environment by trained, qualified child care staff."
✔✔Regulation - ✔✔is a law, rule, ordinance, or other order prescribed by authority,
especially to regulate conduct. Rules and regulations exist to protect the health and
safety of children in out-of-home care.
✔✔Florida Law - ✔✔means a bill passed by the Florida Legislature, which includes the
House and Senate, and signed by the governor of Florida.
✔✔Florida Statutes - ✔✔a permanent collection of state laws organized by subject area
into a code made up of titles, chapters, parts, and sections. The Florida Statutes are
updated annually by laws that create, amend, transfer, or repeal statutory material.
✔✔Rules - ✔✔implement, interpret, and/or describe laws found in the Florida Statutes
✔✔Florida Administrative Code
FAC - ✔✔The permanent collection of rules that describe the laws found in the Florida
Statutes. (DCF Office of Child Care Regulation writes the rules)
✔✔. An ordinance - ✔✔is a local law enacted by a county or municipality and only
applies within the jurisdiction of the particular county or city.
✔✔DCF's Office of Child Care Regulation - ✔✔the licensing authority and currently
regulates licensed child care facilities, licensed family day care homes, licensed large
family child care homes, and licensed mildly ill facilities in most counties in Florida. In
addition, they administer the registration of family day care homes not required to be
licensed. They also provide consultation services, technical assistance, and training for
child care programs and personnel.
✔✔Key Point: The rules and regulations - ✔✔protect the health and safety of children in
out-of-home care.
✔✔Child Care Facility and School-Age Child Care Handbooks - ✔✔outline a list of
definitions used in the rules and regulations.
✔✔If a child care program in Florida - ✔✔meets the statutory definition of "child care," it
is subject to regulation by the Department or local licensing agencies, unless specifically
excluded or exempted from regulation by statute or by rule.
, ✔✔Prolonged child care - ✔✔allows care to be provided for 24 hours or longer for a
child whose parent or guardian works a shift of 24 hours or more, such as a firefighter
✔✔The main types of child care programs in Florida are: - ✔✔-Child Care Facilities
-Specialized Child Care Mildly
Ill Facilities
-Family Day Care Homes and
-Large Family Child Care Homes
✔✔Key Point: Child care supplements parental care - ✔✔for a period of less than 24
hours a day on a regular basis.
✔✔Before-school and after-school sites are programs, regardless of location -
✔✔providing care for children who are at least five years old, and who are enrolled in
and attend kindergarten or above. These programs provide care only before and after
school, on teacher planning days, holidays, and breaks that occur during the school
district's official academic calendar year.
✔✔A school-age child care program must be licensed prior to operation and for
continued operation, unless - ✔✔the program demonstrates that it is exempt because it
is located on a public/nonpublic school site and is all of the following:
Operated and staffed directly by that school or through a formal agreement
Serving only the school-age children attending the school during the day
Following the standards set forth by the Florida Building Code State Requirements for
Public Educational Facilities
✔✔A school-age child care program may also be exempt from licensure - ✔✔if it is an
instructional/tutorial program, is an open access program, is affiliated with a national
membership organization, or provides care for children in grades six and above.
✔✔Key Point: School-age child care - ✔✔is a specific program providing care before
and after school or during school closures to school-age children exclusively
✔✔Child care for mildly ill children - ✔✔means the care of children with short-term
illness or symptoms of illness or disability
✔✔Specialized Child Care Facilities - ✔✔licensed programs that provide child care for
more than five mildly ill children unrelated to the operator, which receive a payment, fee,
or grant for any of the children receiving care, wherever operated, and whether or not
operated for profit. These programs were created by the Legislature in order to
implement standards, in conjunction with the Florida Department of Health, specific to
caring for mildly ill children, such as those with the flu.
✔✔Key Point: The Legislature - ✔✔created standards for specialized child care
programs that take care of children who are mildly ill.
2025/2026
✔✔Child Discipline - ✔✔The child care facility shall adopt a discipline policy consistent
with Section
402.305(12), F.S., including standards that prohibit children from being subjected to
discipline which is severe, humiliating, frightening, or associated with food, rest, or
toileting. Spanking or any other form of physical punishment is prohibited.
✔✔B. The child care facility operators, employees, substitutes, and volunteers -
✔✔must comply
with written disciplinary and expulsion policies.
✔✔Child Discipline Rules - ✔✔Verification that the child care facility has provided the
parent or guardian a written
copy of the disciplinary and expulsion policies used by the program must be
documented on the enrollment form with the signature of the custodial parent or legal
guardian.
✔✔What is the main purpose for regulatory agencies in child care? - ✔✔govern child
care in Florida so they can provide a safe and healthy setting for children in out-of-home
care.
✔✔How do regulatory agencies
influence the care each child receives? - ✔✔ensure that children are well cared for in a
safe, healthy, positive, and educational environment by trained, qualified child care staff
✔✔The Florida Statutes (F.S.) - ✔✔outline the legislative intent of the child care
regulations
✔✔Legislature - ✔✔established child care standards and establishes the intent to
protect the health, safety, and well-being of Florida's children through the establishment
of minimum standards of care for Florida.
✔✔The licensing standards established by the Department address the - ✔✔Physical
environment (health, sanitation, safety, and physical surroundings) and
Children in care (health, nutrition, and development)
✔✔Child Care Standards - ✔✔The health and safety standards support all areas of
children's development, as well as the environment where care is provided. The
standards provide families with options for child care so they are able to make decisions
that best align with their goals and needs.
,✔✔The Florida Department of Children and Families' Office of Child Care Regulation's
mission - ✔✔to "ensure the health, safety, and well-being of the children of the state
while in care through licensing and regulatory activities. The purpose of this program is
to ensure that children are well cared for in a safe, healthy, positive, and educational
environment by trained, qualified child care staff."
✔✔Regulation - ✔✔is a law, rule, ordinance, or other order prescribed by authority,
especially to regulate conduct. Rules and regulations exist to protect the health and
safety of children in out-of-home care.
✔✔Florida Law - ✔✔means a bill passed by the Florida Legislature, which includes the
House and Senate, and signed by the governor of Florida.
✔✔Florida Statutes - ✔✔a permanent collection of state laws organized by subject area
into a code made up of titles, chapters, parts, and sections. The Florida Statutes are
updated annually by laws that create, amend, transfer, or repeal statutory material.
✔✔Rules - ✔✔implement, interpret, and/or describe laws found in the Florida Statutes
✔✔Florida Administrative Code
FAC - ✔✔The permanent collection of rules that describe the laws found in the Florida
Statutes. (DCF Office of Child Care Regulation writes the rules)
✔✔. An ordinance - ✔✔is a local law enacted by a county or municipality and only
applies within the jurisdiction of the particular county or city.
✔✔DCF's Office of Child Care Regulation - ✔✔the licensing authority and currently
regulates licensed child care facilities, licensed family day care homes, licensed large
family child care homes, and licensed mildly ill facilities in most counties in Florida. In
addition, they administer the registration of family day care homes not required to be
licensed. They also provide consultation services, technical assistance, and training for
child care programs and personnel.
✔✔Key Point: The rules and regulations - ✔✔protect the health and safety of children in
out-of-home care.
✔✔Child Care Facility and School-Age Child Care Handbooks - ✔✔outline a list of
definitions used in the rules and regulations.
✔✔If a child care program in Florida - ✔✔meets the statutory definition of "child care," it
is subject to regulation by the Department or local licensing agencies, unless specifically
excluded or exempted from regulation by statute or by rule.
, ✔✔Prolonged child care - ✔✔allows care to be provided for 24 hours or longer for a
child whose parent or guardian works a shift of 24 hours or more, such as a firefighter
✔✔The main types of child care programs in Florida are: - ✔✔-Child Care Facilities
-Specialized Child Care Mildly
Ill Facilities
-Family Day Care Homes and
-Large Family Child Care Homes
✔✔Key Point: Child care supplements parental care - ✔✔for a period of less than 24
hours a day on a regular basis.
✔✔Before-school and after-school sites are programs, regardless of location -
✔✔providing care for children who are at least five years old, and who are enrolled in
and attend kindergarten or above. These programs provide care only before and after
school, on teacher planning days, holidays, and breaks that occur during the school
district's official academic calendar year.
✔✔A school-age child care program must be licensed prior to operation and for
continued operation, unless - ✔✔the program demonstrates that it is exempt because it
is located on a public/nonpublic school site and is all of the following:
Operated and staffed directly by that school or through a formal agreement
Serving only the school-age children attending the school during the day
Following the standards set forth by the Florida Building Code State Requirements for
Public Educational Facilities
✔✔A school-age child care program may also be exempt from licensure - ✔✔if it is an
instructional/tutorial program, is an open access program, is affiliated with a national
membership organization, or provides care for children in grades six and above.
✔✔Key Point: School-age child care - ✔✔is a specific program providing care before
and after school or during school closures to school-age children exclusively
✔✔Child care for mildly ill children - ✔✔means the care of children with short-term
illness or symptoms of illness or disability
✔✔Specialized Child Care Facilities - ✔✔licensed programs that provide child care for
more than five mildly ill children unrelated to the operator, which receive a payment, fee,
or grant for any of the children receiving care, wherever operated, and whether or not
operated for profit. These programs were created by the Legislature in order to
implement standards, in conjunction with the Florida Department of Health, specific to
caring for mildly ill children, such as those with the flu.
✔✔Key Point: The Legislature - ✔✔created standards for specialized child care
programs that take care of children who are mildly ill.
