Daily Daycare Checklist

A one-page daycare checklist for opening, mid-day, and closing routines — print it fresh each day or reuse a laminated copy with a dry-erase marker. It covers facility safety, staff-to-child ratio, daily health screening, attendance, supplies, and the handoff notes the next shift needs.

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1. Center & Date

• Center / daycare name: [CENTER OR DAYCARE NAME]
• Room or group: [ROOM OR GROUP NAME]
• Date: [DATE]
• Completed by (opening): [OPENING STAFF NAME]

One sheet per room per day keeps the ratio and headcount numbers unambiguous if more than one group shares a building.

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2. Opening Safety Walkthrough

Before the first child arrives, walk the space and confirm:

• Exits and hallways clear of obstruction: [ ] Yes [ ] No — needs attention
• Furniture, toys and equipment checked for damage: [ ] Yes [ ] No — needs attention
• Room temperature comfortable, thermostat/heating/cooling working: [ ] Yes [ ] No — needs attention
• Outdoor play area gate and fencing secured (if used today): [ ] Yes [ ] No — N/A

Notes: [OPENING WALKTHROUGH NOTES]

Tick the box that matches what you actually found — “needs attention” is not a failure, it is the reason this sheet exists. Log the fix or who you told.

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3. Staff-to-Child Ratio Check

• Ratio required by your license for this room/age group today: [REQUIRED RATIO PER YOUR LICENSE]
• Staff present at opening: [NUMBER OF STAFF PRESENT]
• Children present at opening: [NUMBER OF CHILDREN PRESENT]
• Ratio within the licensed limit: [ ] Yes [ ] No

This template deliberately does not print a ratio number — the correct ratio depends on your jurisdiction and the children’s ages. Write in the number from your own license or regulator before the first count of the day.

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4. Daily Health Screening

• Screening conducted for every child at arrival: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Screening conducted by: [HEALTH SCREENING CONDUCTED BY]
• Children flagged for follow-up today: [NUMBER OF CHILDREN FLAGGED, OR “NONE”]

Quick reference — categories a screener typically checks: visible fever/flush, cough, rash, unusual fatigue, unexplained bruising or injury, and anything a parent flags at drop-off.

Child (initials)	Observation	Action taken

Use initials, not full names, if this sheet will be posted or photographed for a group photo. Attach extra copies of the table for larger groups — the goal is one row per child who needed a second look, not a full attendance list.

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5. Attendance & Sign-In / Sign-Out

• Sign-in sheet current and complete: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Every departure today verified against the authorized-pickup list: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Pickup exception notes (late pickup, new authorized adult, ID checked, etc.): [PICKUP EXCEPTION NOTES]

A “No” on the pickup-verification line is the single most important flag on this sheet — resolve it before the child leaves, not after.

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6. Supplies & Consumables Check

• Diapering / changing supplies: [ ] Stocked [ ] Running low [ ] Out
• First-aid kit stocked, sealed and accessible: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Cleaning and sanitizing supplies: [ ] Stocked [ ] Running low [ ] Out
• Items to reorder: [ITEMS TO REORDER]

A quick visual check, not a full inventory count — the reorder line is what turns this into an action instead of just a record.

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7. Meal or Snack Service (if applicable today)

• Meal or snack served today: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Allergy/dietary list reviewed before service: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Notes: [MEAL SERVICE NOTES]

Leave this section unchecked and skip it on days with no on-site meal service — it is not needed for a center that only offers drop-off snacks brought from home.

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8. Nap or Rest Time (if applicable today)

• Nap/rest block scheduled today: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Supervising staff present throughout: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Notes: [NAP SUPERVISION NOTES]

Skip for rooms or age groups with no scheduled rest period.

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9. Outdoor Play Safety (if applicable today)

• Outdoor play scheduled today: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Weather, hydration and shade check completed before going out: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Notes: [OUTDOOR PLAY NOTES]

Skip on indoor-only days.

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10. Emergency Preparedness Spot-Check

• Emergency contact sheet accessible and current: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• First-aid/fire extinguisher present and accessible: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Emergency exits unobstructed: [ ] Yes [ ] No

This is a spot-check, not a substitute for your scheduled fire-drill log or full emergency plan review — those stay in their own document.

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11. Incident & Handoff Notes

• Any incident today that needs a separate incident report: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Handoff notes for the next shift or closing staff: [HANDOFF NOTES]

If you check “Yes” on the incident line, this sheet is not the report — file your center’s actual incident report and reference it here.

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12. Closing Walkthrough

Before locking up, confirm:

• Every child has been signed out to an authorized pickup: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Toys and equipment put away and secured: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Doors, windows and gates locked: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Lights, appliances and non-essential equipment powered down: [ ] Yes [ ] No
• Next-day prep flagged for opening staff (low supplies, notes above): [ ] Yes [ ] No

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13. Sign-Off

• Opening staff signature and time: [OPENING SIGNATURE AND TIME]
• Closing staff signature and time: [CLOSING SIGNATURE AND TIME]
• Director / supervisor review (optional): [DIRECTOR REVIEW SIGNATURE AND DATE]

Two signatures — opening and closing — are enough for daily use. Add the director’s review only on the cadence your center already uses for spot-checking these sheets (weekly is common).

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How to use this template

• Print one sheet per room per day, or laminate a copy and complete it with a dry-erase marker if you prefer to reuse it.
• Complete Sections 1–5 at opening, before or as children arrive; complete Sections 6–11 through the day as they apply; complete Section 12 at closing.
• Skip Sections 7, 8 and 9 entirely on days your center does not offer that service — they are marked optional for exactly that reason.
• Fill in your own required ratio (Section 3) from your license before your first headcount — this template will not print a number for you, because the correct one depends on where you operate.
• File completed sheets the way you already retain other daily records; keep them somewhere a licensing inspector or a parent inquiry could reasonably ask to see.
• This sheet is a daily operational checklist, not an incident report, an enrollment form, or a fire-drill log — keep those as separate documents and just reference them here (Sections 10–11) when something happens.