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 5, 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
Arizona
A DHS child care group home holds five to ten with a second adult from six present; a DES-certified home holds six with four for pay. A.R.S. 36-897; R9-3-301(D)(2); R6-5-5220
Arkansas
One licensed home instrument to sixteen children, with a second caregiver above ten. Registered homes stop at five. PUB-001 102.4, 301.2; PUB-003 201.6
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
Colorado
Five license types: regular 6 plus school-age, three-under-18-months 6, infant and toddler 8 with two staff, experienced provider 9, large 12 with an assistant above 8. 8 CCR 1402-1 2.112 to 2.114
Connecticut
Family child care home 6 plus 3 school-age; group child care home 7 to 12 under a separate license; the 2025 endorsement stretches a family home to 12 for a few licensees. 19a-77(a)(2)-(3); 19a-87b(m)
Delaware
Level I 6, Level II 9, large family child care home 12 with an assistant; the large home is its own license. 934 sec. 57, 68
District of Columbia
Child Development Home up to 6; Expanded Child Development Home up to 12 with staffing rows. 5-A DCMR 167 to 169
Florida
Family home, registered or licensed, to ten on fixed groups; large family home to twelve with an assistant. Fla. Stat. 402.302, 402.3131
Georgia
One home size: a Family Child Care Learning Home for three to six. Seven or more is a learning center. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 290-2-3-.03, -.04
Hawaii
Family home three to six with two under 18 months; group home seven to twelve, children two and older only. Haw. Admin. R. 17-891.2-10; 17-892.2-10
Idaho
Family daycare home to six, group daycare facility seven to twelve, with a twelve-point staffing budget on licensed facilities. Idaho Code 39-1102, 39-1109(4)
Illinois
Day care home four to twelve, group day care home to sixteen, with an assistant above eight in both. 225 ILCS 10/2.18, 10/2.20; 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007, 2009
Indiana
Class I home to fifteen and class II home to sixteen, the class set by capacity and staffing rather than by a group label. Ind. Code 12-17.2-5-7.5
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
Kansas
One tier only since 2024: the family child care home to 12 absorbed the former group day care home. K.A.R. 28-4-113(i)
Kentucky
Certified family child-care home to 10 (6 unrelated); 7 to 12 becomes a Type II child-care center in the residence. 922 KAR 2:100 sec. 10; 2:090 sec. 2
Louisiana
No tiers: a family child care provider stops at 6, and the seventh unrelated child makes the place a center. R.S. 17:407.33(3); Bulletin 139 sec. 309
Maine
One license from 4 to 12 children sized by the ratio table; no group tier. 22 M.R.S. 8301-A; ch. 33 sec. 7
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
Massachusetts
Three license sizes on one instrument: six or fewer, seven to eight, nine to ten, each with its own educator rows. 606 CMR 7.09(15); 7.10(4)
Michigan
Family home one to six, group home seven to twelve with an assistant above six; increased-capacity variants reach seven and fourteen. MCL 722.111(1)(v); R 400.1925 to 400.1928
Minnesota
Family day care to ten and group family day care to fourteen with a helper, plus specialized infant and toddler variants at six and nine. Minn. R. 9502.0367
Mississippi
A child care family home for five or fewer, a home facility for twelve or fewer in the operator’s residence, both licensed. 15 Miss. Admin. Code Pt. 11, Subpt. 55, Ch. 2, Ch. 3
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
Montana
Family child care facility three to eight, group child care facility nine to fifteen with a second staff member above eight at 8 to 1. MCA 52-2-703; ARM 37.96.106(5)
Nebraska
Home I holds eight, ten with school-age additions, in the residence; Home II holds twelve, two providers above ten, in the residence or elsewhere. 391 NAC 1-006.08; 2-006.08
Nevada
Family home five to six with one caregiver, group home seven to twelve on a caregiver table by age. NAC 432A.100, 432A.110, 432A.536
New Hampshire
Family day care home to six, family group day care home seven to twelve with an assistant, each with school-age additions. RSA 170-E:2, IV; He-C 4002.33
New Jersey
One registered home size, three to five children and up to eight with school-age additions. Six or more is a center under center rules. N.J.A.C. 3A:54-6.1; 3A:52-1.2
New Mexico
Family home five to six, group home seven to twelve with two educators above six or above two under two. No home is licensed above twelve. 8.9.4.30, 8.9.4.31, 8.9.4.33 NMAC
New York
Family day care home three to six, eight with school-age conditions; group family day care home seven to twelve plus four school-age, assistant from seven. 18 NYCRR 413.2(b)(2), (3)
North Carolina
One home size, three to ten on age mixes; eleven or more is a center. G.S. 110-86(3), 110-91(7)
North Dakota
Family child care to 9; group child care 8 to 30 with a point-based staffing formula, licensed separately. 50-11.1-03; 75-03-09-09
Ohio
Type B home one to seven, type A home eight to fourteen, or four to fourteen when four or more are under two. Ohio Rev. Code 5104.01; OAC 5180:2-13
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
Oregon
Registered family home to ten, certified family home to sixteen on Table A with a second caregiver above ten. OAR 414-210-0400; 414-360-0400
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
Rhode Island
Family home six alone or eight with an assistant; group family home eight to twelve with one or two assistants. 218-RICR-70-00-2 2.3.4(B)
South Carolina
Family childcare home to six; group childcare home seven to twelve with a second caregiver at nine or four under two. S.C. Code 63-13-20(13), (14); Reg. 114-514.A(2)
South Dakota
Family day care home to twelve, group family day care home thirteen to twenty at ten to one; twenty-one is a center. SDCL 26-6-14.1, 26-6-14(5); ARSD 67:42:17:22
Tennessee
Family child care home five to seven, group child care home eight to twelve plus three school-age, both staffed from educator charts. Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-04-01-.20, -.21
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
Utah
Residential Certificate to eight with one caregiver, Licensed Family Child Care nine to sixteen with two. R430-50-10; R430-90-10
Vermont
Registered home ten year round or twelve in summer; licensed home to twelve with three staff. Both run on age-mix charts. CVR 13-171-005 Rules 6.2.1, 6.2.2
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
West Virginia
Family child care home four to six registered; family child care facility seven to twelve licensed with two staff above six. W. Va. Code 49-1-206; 78CSR19 6.6; 78CSR18 7.1
Wisconsin
A family child care center licensed for four to eight, or four to twelve with no more than two providers at once, on a weight table. Wis. Stat. 48.67(2m); DCF 250.055
Wyoming
Family child care home to ten; family child care center to fifteen in a residence or a commercial building. DFS Rules ch. 11 2(a)
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.