Home tiers, not center tables
Home daycare ratios by state
Verified August 31, 2026Most ratio tables online describe child care centers. Home daycare runs on different numbers: headcount ceilings per tier, caps on children under two, and assistant rules. This table shows each verified state’s home tiers at a glance; the state pages carry every cap with its citation.
| State | Home tiers | Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Family Day Care Home: up to 6 · Family Nighttime Home: up to 6 · Group Day Care Home: 7 to 12 · Group Nighttime Home: 7 to 12 | 2026-08-31 |
| California | Small Family Child Care Home: up to 8 · Large Family Child Care Home: up to 14 | 2026-08-31 |
| Iowa | Child care home (with child care assistance provider agreement): up to 5 · Child development home category A: up to 8 · Child development home category B: up to 12 · Child development home category C: up to 16 | 2026-08-31 |
| Maryland | Family Child Care Home: up to 8 · Large Family Child Care Home: 9 to 12 | 2026-08-31 |
| Missouri | Family Child Care Home: up to 10 · Group Child Care Home: up to 20 | 2026-08-31 |
| Oklahoma | Family Child Care Home: up to 7 · Large Family Child Care Home: 8 to 12 | 2026-08-31 |
| Pennsylvania | Family Child Care Home: 4 to 6 · Group Child Care Home: 7 to 12 | 2026-08-31 |
| Texas | Listed Family Home: up to 3 · Registered Child-Care Home: up to 12 · Licensed Child-Care Home: 7 to 12 | 2026-08-31 |
| Virginia | Registered home-based child care (regulatory term: registered family day home): 1 to 4 · Licensed family day home (statutory term: licensed home-based child care): 5 to 12 · Home-based child care provider that is a member of a licensed home-based child care system (regulatory term: family day system member): 1 to 12 | 2026-09-01 |
| Washington | Family home licensee with less than one year of experience: up to 6 · Family home licensee with at least one year but less than two years of experience: up to 9 · Family home licensee with at least two years' experience: up to 12 · License for birth to 24 months of age (family home licensee with two years of experience): up to 8 | 2026-08-31 |
The same question, one age at a time
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DaycareRules is an informational reference about home child care licensing rules in the United States. It reprints thresholds, capacity limits, ratios and citations from state statutes and regulations, together with the date each state was last verified. Nothing on this site is legal advice, and rules change. Confirm with your state licensing agency before acting on any number printed here.