DESE Office of Childhood
Missouri's exemption is a straight headcount: any person caring for six or fewer children at the same address, including at most three children under the age of two, does not need a license, per RSMo 210.211.1(1) as effective August 28, 2024. A licensed Family Child Care Home then takes up to 10 children on an age-mix table, and group child care homes and centers continue above that.
| Tier | Children | Age limits | Your own kids |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Child Care Homelicense | up to 10 |
| Count |
| Group Child Care Homelicense | up to 20 |
| See rule |
Age limits and totals for every tier, with row-level citations, live on the Missouri home daycare ratios page.
The amended text we verified counts children at the same physical address without a relatedness carve-out, so plan the six around every child in your care, and note the three-under-two ceiling inside it.
On the licensed tier, the provider's own children under age five count toward the 10, per the capacity rule in 5 CSR 25-400.105.
The statute defines a child care facility around maintaining or advertising care. If you hold yourself out as a daycare, the licensing framework is what applies past the exemption numbers.
Our numbers come from 5 CSR 25-400 with a 2023 print date and the 2024 statute. Missouri opened a rule revision under Executive Order 25-15; we re-verify on each refresh.
Six or fewer children at the same physical address, including a maximum of three under age two, per RSMo 210.211.1(1), effective August 28, 2024.
No. The exemption itself caps children under age two at three. For four infants at once you are in licensed territory, where a 4-infant configuration exists on the age-mix table.
Up to 10 children with mixes from the 5 CSR 25-400.105 table, for example 4 children if all are under two, or larger groups as the share of under-twos falls, counting the provider's own children under five.
Yes, Missouri offers voluntary licensure for homes under the exemption threshold, which some providers use for subsidy or insurance reasons.
RSMo 210.211 declares it unlawful to establish or maintain a facility that requires a license without one. We print the thresholds so you know exactly where that line is.
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.