How to Report a Daycare in Georgia: DECAL, DFCS, and Penalties

To report a daycare in Georgia, call the Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) at 1-888-442-7735 for licensing, staffing, or health and safety problems at a childcare facility, and call the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) at 1-855-422-4453 for suspected child abuse or neglect. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911 first. The two agencies do different jobs, and getting your report to the right one is the difference between a fast response and a delayed one.

Which Agency Handles Your Concern

DECAL regulates childcare centers, group daycare homes, and family daycare homes. It handles complaints about facility conditions, licensing violations, staffing shortages, and health or safety rule breaches.1Justia Law. Georgia Code 20-1A-10 – Regulation of Early Care and Education Programs

DFCS handles suspected child abuse and neglect, whether it happens at a daycare, at home, or anywhere else. DFCS has the authority to intervene directly on behalf of a child, including removing a child from a dangerous situation. DECAL can shut a facility down, but it doesn’t have child protective services authority.2Georgia Department of Human Services. How to Report Child Abuse

When the situation is both, report to both. A daycare that leaves toddlers unsupervised in a parking lot is a licensing violation and potential neglect. There is no penalty for over-reporting.

What Counts as a Reportable Licensing or Safety Problem

Georgia law requires DECAL to investigate reported problems immediately and take whatever action the situation demands.1Justia Law. Georgia Code 20-1A-10 – Regulation of Early Care and Education Programs Don’t second-guess whether your concern is serious enough. DECAL investigates:

  • Unsanitary conditions, broken or unsafe play equipment, missing smoke detectors, improper food handling, or medications stored within children’s reach.
  • Too few adults supervising too many children, unqualified staff left alone with kids, or staff members who haven’t completed required background checks.
  • Operating without a valid license, exceeding licensed capacity, or failing to display the license.
  • Children left unattended, allowed to wander outside designated areas, or inadequately monitored during nap time or outdoor play.

Georgia’s Staff-to-Child Ratios

Ratio violations are among the most common complaints, and knowing the numbers helps you spot the problem. At licensed childcare learning centers, Georgia requires these minimums:3Cornell Law Institute. Georgia Comp. R. and Regs. R. 591-1-1-.32 – Staff: Child Ratios and Group Sizes

  • Infants under 1 year, or under 18 months and not walking: 1 staff per 6 children
  • 1-year-olds (walking): 1 staff per 8 children
  • 2-year-olds: 1 staff per 10 children
  • 3-year-olds: 1 staff per 15 children
  • 4-year-olds: 1 staff per 18 children
  • 5-year-olds: 1 staff per 20 children
  • 6 years and older: 1 staff per 25 children

Staff only count toward the ratio while giving full attention to supervising children. A director handling paperwork or a cook preparing lunch does not count. Maximum group sizes also apply, so an infant room cannot have more than 12 babies regardless of how many adults are present.3Cornell Law Institute. Georgia Comp. R. and Regs. R. 591-1-1-.32 – Staff: Child Ratios and Group Sizes

How to File a Complaint With DECAL

Before you call, gather what you can. A detailed complaint gets investigated faster than a vague one. Write down:

  • The facility’s full name and street address, plus the license number if you know it.
  • The dates and approximate times you observed the problem.
  • Exactly what you saw, in your own words.
  • Names of staff involved, or first names and physical descriptions if that is all you have.
  • Any photos, videos, or screenshots of text messages you have safely.

Call DECAL’s Child Care Services division at 404-657-5562 or 404-656-5957. The toll-free line is 1-888-442-7735, staffed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.4GA DECAL Bright from the Start. Contact Us You can also submit a written complaint by mail to Bright from the Start at 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE, 754 East Tower, Atlanta, Georgia 30334.5GA DECAL Bright from the Start. About Bright from the Start

DECAL does have an online fraud reporting form, but that form is only for suspected fraud in state-funded programs like Georgia’s Pre-K. For safety or licensing complaints, use the phone numbers above.

How to Report Suspected Abuse or Neglect

If you suspect a child at a daycare is being physically harmed, sexually abused, or severely neglected, call the DFCS child abuse hotline at 1-855-GACHILD (1-855-422-4453). The line operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.2Georgia Department of Human Services. How to Report Child Abuse If a child is in immediate physical danger, call 911 first.

You can, and should, also report the facility to DECAL if there are licensing failures behind the abuse. But the DFCS report should come first, because DFCS is the agency that can act on behalf of the child.

Anyone can report suspected abuse in good faith. Daycare workers themselves are legally required to report and commit a misdemeanor if they witness or suspect abuse and do not.6Justia Law. Georgia Code 19-7-5 – Reporting of Child Abuse An employee is allowed to report through a supervisor, but the report has to actually reach DFCS. If you’re not confident it will, file it yourself.

What Happens After You File

DECAL is required by law to investigate immediately. In practice, an investigator will typically make an unannounced visit, interview staff, review records, and observe conditions firsthand. DECAL has the legal right to enter any licensed facility and access all children under its care during an investigation.1Justia Law. Georgia Code 20-1A-10 – Regulation of Early Care and Education Programs

If violations are found, the facility is notified and given a reasonable time to fix correctable problems. If the problems aren’t corrected in that window, DECAL can move to revoke the license.1Justia Law. Georgia Code 20-1A-10 – Regulation of Early Care and Education Programs

Don’t expect regular updates. DECAL typically won’t share investigation details with the reporter, though substantiated complaints eventually appear in the facility’s public record. Your identity as the reporter is protected under Georgia’s confidentiality provisions for child welfare investigations.

What DECAL Can Do to the Facility

DECAL has a graduated set of enforcement tools and matches the response to the severity of the problem:7GA DECAL Bright from the Start. Enforcement Actions and Descriptions

  • Citations and formal notices documenting the violation and requiring correction. This is the starting point for most first-time, non-dangerous violations.
  • Office conferences, meaning a required meeting between the facility operator and DECAL staff to agree on corrective steps.
  • Fines of up to $500 per day of continued violation or $500 per rule violated, capped at $25,000 total. Fines are posted publicly 15 days after being issued, or after any appeal is resolved.
  • Restricted license, which limits what the facility can do (for example, prohibiting transportation services or reducing the age groups served).
  • License revocation, a legal action that permanently takes away the facility’s right to operate. Nonpayment of fees or fines can also trigger revocation.
  • Emergency closure, which is an immediate shutdown when children are in imminent danger or when an unanticipated death occurs. This happens before the investigation is complete.
  • Emergency monitoring, meaning an outside observer placed in the facility while conditions are assessed.

For facilities operating without any license at all, Georgia treats each day of unlicensed operation as a separate criminal offense punishable by a fine of $50 to $200, up to 12 months in jail, or both.1Justia Law. Georgia Code 20-1A-10 – Regulation of Early Care and Education Programs DECAL can also seek a court injunction to force an unlicensed operation to close.

Checking the Facility’s Record

Before or after filing a complaint, you can look up a daycare’s compliance history. Federal law requires every state to post childcare inspection results online, including health and safety violations, corrective actions taken, and substantiated complaints.8Childcare.gov. Monitoring and Inspections Georgia’s provider search tool is at families.decal.ga.gov, where you can search by facility name or location and review Quality Rated scores and licensing information. Checking a facility’s history before enrollment can reveal patterns a single tour won’t catch, and checking afterward tells you whether enforcement action was actually taken on your report.

If You Work at the Daycare You’re Reporting

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, your employer cannot fire you, demote you, cut your hours, or retaliate in any other way for reporting safety violations. You have 30 days from the date of retaliation to file a complaint with OSHA. Retaliation can include outright termination or subtler moves like reassigning you to an undesirable shift or suddenly documenting performance issues that were never mentioned before.

Retaliation still happens, and fighting it takes time. Document everything: save texts and emails, write down conversations with dates, and keep copies of your work schedule before and after reporting. If you’re fired or punished after making a report, contact your local OSHA office or file online. OSHA can pursue the case on your behalf in federal court if it finds a violation.