Alabama
Family day care home up to 6; group day care home 7 to 12 with an infant cap of 6 and one caregiver per 3 infants. Nighttime variants mirror both tiers. 660-5-27-.02, -.09
Cross-state guide
Family child care home vs group home, state by state
Verified September 1, 2026Most states split home care into a small tier, often called a family child care home, and a large tier, called a group or large home. The jump usually buys capacity and costs staffing: a second adult, more square footage, sometimes a different chapter of rules entirely. A few states skip the split and scale one license instead. Here is where each verified state draws the line between the tiers.
The two tiers, state by state
California
Small home up to 8 on age mixes; large home up to 14, and an assistant is required whenever more than 8 children are present. 22 CCR 102416.5
Iowa
Categories instead of tiers: A up to 8, B up to 12, C up to 16, with a second provider above 8 children in B and C. 441 IAC 110.13 to 110.15
Maryland
Registered home up to 8; large home 9 to 12 on center-style staffing rows, registered separately under its own chapter. COMAR 13A.15, 13A.18
Missouri
Family child care home up to 10 on an age-mix table; group child care home up to 20 under the group chapter. 5 CSR 25-400.010, .105
Oklahoma
Family child care home up to 7 on a sliding age mix; large family child care home 8 to 12. OAC 340:110-3-84, -97.1
Pennsylvania
Family home 4 to 6 unrelated children; group home 7 to 12, or 15 for older school-age-only programs. 55 Pa. Code 3290.51, 3280.51
Texas
Registered home to 12 with after-school slots; licensed home 7 to 12 on caregiver-scaled charts. The 12-child ceiling never moves. 26 TAC 747.113, .115
Virginia
One licensed tier, 5 to 12 children, with the 16-point caregiver budget deciding when a second adult joins. Va. Code 22.1-289.02; 8VAC20-800-570
Washington
One license scaled by experience: 6 in year one, 8 or 9 in year two, 10 to 12 after two years with an assistant for mixed ages. WAC 110-300-0355
Real questions, short answers
Is a group home the same as a small center?
No. Group and large homes stay in a residence and under home chapters; centers run under separate chapters with classroom ratios. Pennsylvania is the exception that proves the rule: its homes hold the same certificate as centers but under home-specific chapters.
Does the large tier always require a second adult?
Usually above a trigger count: more than 8 children present in California, above 8 in Iowa categories B and C, per staffing row in Maryland, by point budget in Virginia. Texas is the outlier where extra adults never raise a registered home’s cap.
Can I start at the large tier?
The rules set capacity ranges, not career ladders: Maryland large homes and Oklahoma large homes are separate registrations you can apply for directly. Washington is the exception: its capacity grows only with licensed experience.
Keep reading
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.