All tools · Child Care License Check FL

Do I need a license to watch my grandchildren in Florida?

Use the free tool — Child Care License Check FL

The short answer

If you only care for your own grandchildren, Florida's licensing rules for a "family day care home" generally do not apply to you. That rule is aimed at care for children from other families, not your own relatives. But the final word on your exact situation is DCF or your county licensing agency — this page is not legal advice.

What counts as a "family day care home"

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

• Where that definition applies, Fla. Stat. 402.313 says the home must be licensed in counties that have adopted licensing for family day care homes, and registered with DCF in all other counties.
• A large family child care home — caring for 7 to 12 children with a second caregiver — must be licensed under Fla. Stat. 402.3131, and the operator must first have run a licensed family day care home for two consecutive years.

If you care only for your grandchildren

Care that is only for relatives generally falls outside the "family day care home" definition. That usually means no license and no registration is required just to watch your grandchildren. Still, you may choose voluntary registration or licensing — doing so can open eligibility for subsidies through the local Early Learning Coalition. DCF confirms whether your situation fits.

If you also plan to watch other children

If you start caring for a neighbor's children too — not just relatives — for pay, fee, or grant, the family day care home rules can apply, and ratios matter. Fla. Stat. 402.302(8) and Rule 65C-20, F.A.C. set four possible limits for one family day care home, counting your own children under 13:

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

Do not guess which limit applies by yourself — the ages and mix of children matter. Some Florida counties license family day care homes locally instead of through DCF, and local rules can be stricter; the DCF child care page lists which counties do this.

Before you accept any paid child

If licensing or registration ends up applying to you, Rule 65C-20 requires, before you can start:

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

Your application is not approved until screening clears. Do not take in children before then.

What to do next

This page explains the general rule in plain language. The free tool asks for your own numbers — how many children, their ages, and whose they are — and tells you whether a license or registration likely applies, checks your numbers against the ratio table, and lists the screening and training steps for your situation. Nothing you enter is stored, and there's no account.

This is not legal advice and can be wrong. Confirm with DCF (myflfamilies.com — Child Care) or your county licensing agency before 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.