All tools · Child Care License Check FL

How many children can I watch in a home daycare in Florida?

Use the free tool — Child Care License Check FL

Do you need a license, or just a registration?

Florida law defines a family day care home as an occupied residence where child care is regularly provided for children from at least two unrelated families, and where someone receives a payment, fee, or grant for any of the children (Fla. Stat. 402.302).

Under Fla. Stat. 402.313, a family day care home must be licensed in the counties that have adopted licensing for family day care homes, and registered with DCF in every other county.

If you plan to care for 7 to 12 children with a second caregiver, that is a large family child care home under Fla. Stat. 402.3131, and it must be licensed. The operator must have already run a licensed family day care home for two consecutive years first.

This is not legal advice. DCF or your county licensing agency confirms which category applies to you.

How many children can you have at one time?

Fla. Stat. 402.302(8) and Rule 65C-20, F.A.C. set four possible limits for a family day care home. Your own children under 13 count toward these numbers.

• Up to 4 children from birth to 12 months.
• Up to 3 children from birth to 12 months, plus other children, for a total of 6.
• Up to 6 preschool children, if all are older than 12 months.
• Up to 10 children, if no more than 5 are preschool age and no more than 2 of those are under 12 months.

Only one of these limits applies at a time, based on the ages of the children in your care. If you plan for more children than these limits allow, you likely need a large family child care home license instead (Fla. Stat. 402.3131).

What must be finished before day one

Rule 65C-20, F.A.C. requires Level 2 background screening (fingerprints through DCF's Background Screening Clearinghouse) for you, any substitute caregiver, and every household member 18 or older. Household members age 12 to 17 may need screening too.

You also need the 30-hour Family Child Care Home training course, current infant/child CPR and first aid certification, and annual in-service training after that.

Your application is not approved until screening clears. Do not accept any child before then.

Other things to know

• Some Florida counties license family day care homes through a local agency instead of DCF, and local rules can be stricter. The DCF Child Care website lists these counties. If you are not sure about your county, check that list rather than guessing.
• Any pool or body of water on the property must be made inaccessible to children — a fence or barrier with a locked gate or door. DCF or your local licensing agency inspects this.
• Licensed or registered homes may join the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program through a Florida sponsor, and may accept School Readiness subsidy families through the local Early Learning Coalition.
• If you only care for relatives, this generally falls outside the family day care home definition in Fla. Stat. 402.302. You can still choose voluntary registration or licensing, which can open eligibility for subsidies. DCF confirms whether this applies to your situation.

What to do next

The free tool asks how many children, their ages, and whose children they are — nothing you enter is stored, and there's no account. In a few seconds, it tells you whether you likely need a license or a registration, checks your numbers against the ratio table above, and lists the screening and training steps to finish before your first day.

This is not legal advice, and the tool can be wrong. Confirm your situation with DCF, your county licensing agency, or your local Early Learning Coalition before you begin caring for any child.

Child Care License Check FL explains Florida's family child care rules in plain language; it can be wrong, and it is not legal advice. Definitions and ratios are from Fla. Stat. 402.302–402.3131 and Rule 65C-20 as published; some counties license locally with stricter rules. Nothing you enter is stored.