Washington DCYF Licensing
Washington does not offer an unlicensed headcount: ongoing, regularly scheduled care of unrelated children requires a family home license. The statute instead excludes specific situations, led by relatives (a broad list including first cousins, nieces and nephews) and neighbor-or-friend care that is not ongoing and regularly scheduled and not advertised to the public. Licensed capacity then grows with the provider's experience: 6 children in the first year, 8 or 9 in the second, and 10 to 12 after two years.
| Tier | Children | Age limits | Your own kids |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family home licensee with less than one year of experiencefamily home license | up to 6 |
| Count |
| Family home licensee with at least one year but less than two years of experiencefamily home license | up to 9 |
| Count |
| Family home licensee with at least two years' experiencefamily home license | up to 12 |
| Count |
| License for birth to 24 months of age (family home licensee with two years of experience)family home license | up to 8 |
| Count |
Age limits and totals for every tier, with row-level citations, live on the Washington home daycare ratios page.
It covers care for a neighbor's or friend's children, with or without pay, only where the provider does not conduct the activity on an ongoing, regularly scheduled basis for the purpose of engaging in business, and does not advertise. A standing weekday slot is a business.
Under WAC 110-300-0355 a licensee with under a year of experience runs at most 6 children with 3 under age two; one to two years allows 8 (9 with a qualified assistant); two-plus years allows 10, or 12 for school-age groups, and 12 with an assistant at 6 under two.
Capacity counts all children on the premises including the licensee's own children under 13 and staff children.
Experienced providers can hold a license for up to 8 children all under 24 months, at 1 staff per 4 children and at most 2 non-walkers per staff member.
Only while it stays outside business territory: not ongoing and regularly scheduled, and not advertised. The statute's neighbor-and-friend exclusion is about occasional help, not a recurring arrangement.
Six, with no more than 3 under age two, and among three under-twos at least one must be walking independently, per WAC 110-300-0355(7).
With at least two years of experience: 12 for school-age-only groups, or 12 of mixed ages with a qualified assistant, at most 6 under age two, per 110-300-0355(9).
Yes, capacity counts children on the premises including the licensee's own children under 13.
No. Relatives are excluded, and the list is broad: blood relatives including half-blood, first cousins, nieces, nephews and preceding generations are all outside licensing.
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.