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Do I need a license to babysit kids in my Florida home?

Use the free tool — Child Care License Check FL

What Florida law calls a "family day care home"

Under Fla. Stat. 402.302, a "family day care home" is an occupied residence where child care is regularly provided for children from at least two unrelated families, and where the caregiver receives a payment, fee or grant for any of the children.

Under Fla. Stat. 402.313, a family day care home must be licensed in counties that have adopted licensing for family day care homes, and registered with DCF in every other county. Some counties license locally instead of through DCF, and their rules can be stricter — the DCF child care website lists which counties do this. If you are not sure about your county, check the DCF list rather than guess.

This is general information, not legal advice. DCF or your county licensing agency confirms which requirement actually applies to you.

How many children you may have at one time

Fla. Stat. 402.302(8) and Rule 65C-20 set four possible limits for a family day care home. Only one of these applies at a time, and you count your own children under 13:

• 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, of those, no more than 2 are under 12 months

These numbers come straight from the statute and rule — nothing here is estimated.

Caring for 7 to 12 children: a large family child care home

Under Fla. Stat. 402.3131, a home caring for 7 to 12 children is a large family child care home. It must be licensed and have a second caregiver. To operate one, you must first have run a licensed family day care home for two consecutive years.

Before you take in your first child

Rule 65C-20, F.A.C. (Rule 65C-20) sets out what must be finished before you operate:

• Level 2 background screening (fingerprints through DCF's Clearinghouse) for you, any substitute, and every household member 18 or older — household members 12–17 may need screening too
• The 30-hour Family Child Care Home training course
• Current infant/child CPR and first aid
• Annual in-service training after that

Your application is not approved until the screening clears. Do not accept any child before it does.

If there is a pool or any body of water on the premises, it must be made inaccessible to children — a fence or barrier with a locked gate or door — and DCF or the local agency inspects this.

Food programs, subsidies, and where to apply

Licensed or registered homes may be able to 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. Details, county lists, and the training course are on the DCF Child Care page.

If you only care for relatives

Care that is only for relatives generally falls outside the "family day care home" definition in Fla. Stat. 402.302. That can mean licensing or registration is not required. You can still choose voluntary registration or licensing, which can open up subsidy eligibility through the Early Learning Coalition. DCF confirms whether that path fits your situation.

What to do next

A free tool can take the numbers straight from your situation — how many children, their ages, and whose they are — and tell you whether you likely need a license or a registration, check your numbers against the ratio table above, and list the screening and training steps before day one. It does not store what you enter, and it is not a substitute for confirming with DCF or your county licensing agency.

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.