The questions between the numbers
Guides that compare the states
Verified September 1, 2026The state pages answer how many. These guides answer the questions in between: which piece of paper a state actually demands, where the family home ends and the group home begins, whose children count as relatives, when part-time babysitting crosses the line, and what the statutes say about crossing it without paperwork. Every row quotes a verified state rule.
License, registration, listing: what each state actually requires
What a license, a registration, a certificate and a listing actually mean in home child care, and which instrument each verified state uses at which size.
Family child care home vs group home, state by state
Small family homes and large or group homes differ by headcount, staffing and inspection. The two tiers side by side in every verified state, cited.
What happens if you run an unlicensed daycare?
What each state’s law says happens when home child care runs past the threshold without the required license or registration, quoted with citations.
Who counts as a relative, and whose kids trigger a license?
Relative care is exempt in most states, but each state defines the relative list differently. The exact lists, quoted from ten state rules with citations.
When does part-time care become a regulated daycare?
Hours, regularity and compensation tests decide when part-time or occasional babysitting becomes licensable child care. Every verified state test, quoted.
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.