Licensed Family Child Care Homes (FCCH)

Opening a family child care home is an opportunity to develop your own small business while providing an important service to families in our community. Caring for children from infancy through school age supports their growing developmental needs and offers them a safe, nurturing, healthy, and stimulating environment.

The entire process to become a licensed provider takes between two and four months. The purpose of a license is to insure that the provider’s home meets state health and safety standards. A family child care license is only good in the home of the provider who is licensed. This means that s/he cannot legally use his/her child care license to provide care in the parents’ home. It also means that every time a provider moves, s/he must be re-licensed. A family child care license is not required when a provider cares for one family’s child or children in addition to her/his own children.

Family Child Care Home/Ratios:

Small License

• 1:8 = Two 6 year olds, two infants*, four preschool children. NO ASSISTANT REQUIRED
• 1:8 = All school age children (two children at least 6 years old). NO ASSISTANT REQUIRED
• 1:8 = Two 6 year olds and six preschool children. NO ASSISTANT REQUIRED
  
  *Whenever more than 6 children are present there can be no more than 2 infants present.

Large License

• 1:14 = Three infants*, two 6 year olds and nine preschool children. ASSISTANT IS REQUIRED
• 1:14 = Two 6 year olds and twelve preschool children. ASSISTANT IS REQUIRED
• 1:14 = All schoolage children (2 at least 6 years old). ASSISTANT IS REQUIRED
  
  *Whenever more than 12 children are present there can be no more than 3 infants present.

Option for Extra School-Age Children/Less Infants:
If you are applying for a small license, you are allowed to care for 8 children and you are limited to two children under the age of two years if you care for all ages of children. Two children must be 6 years or older.

If you are applying for a large license, you are allowed to care for 14 children and you are limited to three children under the age of two years. Two children must be 6 years or older.

Child Care Licensing Regulations: Title 22

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