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Home Daycare License Requirements in California (2026)

Opening a home daycare in California means getting a family child care home license from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD), Child Care Program. Here is exactly what that takes in 2026 — your capacity limit and ratios, the training and background checks, the application steps, and the postings and enrollment forms you need — sourced to the state’s own rules and dated.

Who needs a license — home types in California

CALIFORNIA LICENSES TWO KINDS OF FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME, AND THE STATUTORY BANDS OVERLAP. Most summaries render the split as "small up to 8, large up to 14." That is half right and it hides the overlap. Health and Safety Code section 1596.78 defines all three terms: "(a) 'Family daycare home' means a facility that regularly provides care, protection, and supervision for 14 or fewer children, in the provider's own home, for periods of less than 24 hours per day, while the parents or guardians are away, and is either a large family daycare home or a small family daycare home. (b) 'Large family daycare home' means a facility that provides care, protection, and supervision for 7 to 14 children, inclusive, including children under 10 years of age who reside at the home, as set forth in Section 1597.465 and as defined in regulations. (c) 'Small family daycare home' means a facility that provides care, protection, and supervision for eight or fewer children, including children under 10 years of age who reside at the home, as set forth in Section 1597.44 and as defined in regulations. (d) A small family daycare home or large family daycare home includes a detached single-family dwelling, a townhouse, a dwelling unit within a dwelling, or a dwelling unit within a covered multifamily dwelling in which the underlying zoning allows for residential uses. A small family daycare home or large family daycare home is where the daycare provider resides, and includes a dwelling or a dwelling unit that is rented, leased, or owned." (Section 1596.78 amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 244, Sec. 3 (SB 234), effective January 1, 2020.) READ (b) AND (c) TOGETHER: the large band starts at SEVEN, and the small band runs to EIGHT.

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

How many children you can care for in California

THE CEILINGS ARE EIGHT AND FOURTEEN, THE DEFAULTS ARE SIX AND TWELVE, AND THE COUNT IS NOT JUST THE PAYING CHILDREN. THE GOVERNING REGULATION, QUOTED IN FULL.

California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102416.5 (Staffing Ratio and Capacity), last amended 2-10-2016, operative 4-1-2016 (Register 2016, No. 7): "(a) The capacity specified on the license shall be the maximum number of children for whom care may be provided at any one time. (b) For a Small Family Child Care Home, the maximum number of children for whom care may be provided at any one time, including children under age 10 who reside at the licensee's home, shall be one of the following: (1) Four infants; or (2) Six children, no more than three of whom may be infants; or (3) More than six and up to eight children, without an additional adult attendant, only if the criteria in Section 1597.44 of the Health and Safety Code are met. (c) The total licensed capacity for a Small Family Child Care Home shall not exceed eight children. (d) For a Large Family Child Care Home, the maximum number of children for whom care may be provided at any one time when there is an assistant provider in the home, including children under age 10 who reside at the licensee's home and the assistant provider's children under age 10, shall be either: (1) Twelve children, no more than four of whom may be infants; or (2) More than twelve and up to fourteen children only if the criteria in Section 1597.465 of the Health and Safety Code are met. (e) If no assistant provider is present at a Large Family Child Care Home, then the licensee shall comply with the capacity requirements for a Small Family Child Care Home as specified in subsections (b) and (c). (f) The total licensed capacity for a Large Family Child Care Home shall not exceed fourteen children."

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

Adult-to-child ratios

CALIFORNIA DOES NOT PUBLISH A STAFF-TO-CHILD RATIO TABLE FOR FAMILY CHILD CARE HOMES. IT PUBLISHES CAPACITY BANDS WITH INFANT SUBLIMITS, AND THE "RATIO" IS THE NUMBER OF CAREGIVERS THOSE BANDS PRESUPPOSE. The regulation that carries the word is titled "Staffing Ratio and Capacity" -- California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102416.5 -- and if you read it looking for a ratio expressed as "one adult per N children" you will not find one. What it gives you is: a set of permitted group compositions for one caregiver (the small-home numbers), a set of permitted group compositions for two caregivers (the large-home numbers), and a rule that says the second set evaporates the moment the second caregiver leaves. THE ONE-CAREGIVER SET (SMALL FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME). Section 102416.5(b): "the maximum number of children for whom care may be provided at any one time, including children under age 10 who reside at the licensee's home, shall be one of the following: (1) Four infants; or (2) Six children, no more than three of whom may be infants; or (3) More than six and up to eight children, without an additional adult attendant, only if the criteria in Section 1597.44 of the Health and Safety Code are met."

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

Training you must complete before licensure

CALIFORNIA'S PRE-LICENSURE TRAINING IS NOT ONE COURSE. IT IS FIVE SEPARATE REQUIREMENTS THAT LAND ON DIFFERENT PEOPLE AND ARE PROVED WITH DIFFERENT DOCUMENTS: (1) the 15-hour health and safety training, (2) mandated reporter training, (3) the CDSS orientation, (4) tuberculosis clearance, and (5) the three-vaccine immunization requirement. Only the first is usually described. All five are conditions of getting or keeping a license. === 1. THE 15-HOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING (HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTION 1596.866) === Section 1596.866 was amended by Stats. 2026, Ch. 25, Sec. 20 (AB 150), effective June 29, 2026 -- two months before this entry was written -- and the amendment changed WHO must take it. Subdivision (a)(1) now reads: "In addition to other required training, all staff who provide childcare at a daycare center, each family daycare home licensee, all staff who provide childcare at a family daycare home, AND EACH SUBSTITUTE ADULT WHO PROVIDES CARE IN A FAMILY DAYCARE HOME PURSUANT TO SECTION 1597.63, shall have at least 15 hours of health and safety training, and if applicable, at least 1 additional hour of training pursuant to clause (ii) of subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2)." Note the "at least 1 additional hour": the headline number is 15, but the childhood nutrition component can push it to 16. THE MANDATORY COMPONENTS.

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

Ongoing (annual) training

TWELVE HOURS PER YEAR, BEGINNING JANUARY 1, 2027 -- WITH NINE MANDATED TOPICS, PLUS TWO OTHER RECURRING TRAINING CLOCKS THAT ARE ALREADY RUNNING. === THE 12-HOUR CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENT, AND ITS START DATE === Health and Safety Code section 1596.866(b), as amended by Stats. 2026, Ch. 25, Sec. 20 (AB 150), effective June 29, 2026: "Beginning January 1, 2027, persons described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) shall complete a minimum of 12 hours of continuing education on an annual basis. Annual training shall be provided by qualified sources to be determined by the department. The courses shall include all of the following topics: (1) Emergency and disaster preparedness and response planning. (2) Building and physical premises safety, including identification of and protection from hazards, bodies of water, and vehicular traffic. (3) Safe sleep practices and prevention of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). (4) Prevention of shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma, and child maltreatment. (5) Transporting children safely. (6) Infectious diseases in children. (7) Prevention and response to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions. (8) Handling and storage of hazardous materials and the appropriate disposal of biocontaminants. (9) Administration of medication, consistent with parental consent."

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

Background checks

CALIFORNIA RUNS THREE SEPARATE CHECKS, NOT ONE. A summary that says "Live Scan fingerprints through the DOJ and FBI" describes two of them and omits the third, which is the one that most often surprises applicants. The three are: (1) a state and federal criminal offender record information search on fingerprints submitted through the California Department of Justice, (2) a Child Abuse Central Index search, and (3) for a family child care home specifically, a check of the county child protective services agency's own child abuse and neglect complaint records for the two years preceding the application. === THE THIRD CHECK, QUOTED, BECAUSE IT IS THE ONE THAT GETS MISSED === Health and Safety Code section 1596.877: "(a) PRIOR TO GRANTING A LICENSE TO, OR OTHERWISE APPROVING, ANY FAMILY DAY CARE HOME, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL CHECK THE CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT COMPLAINT RECORDS OF THE CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES AGENCY OF THE COUNTY IN WHICH THE APPLICANT HAS RESIDED FOR THE TWO YEARS PRECEDING THE APPLICATION. (b) Prior to granting a license to or otherwise approving any individual to care for children in either a family day care home or a day care center, the department shall check the Child Abuse Registry pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) of Section 11170 of the Penal Code.

Summarised from the state’s own rules. Every figure above is quoted from the regulation cited on this page.

The application, step by step

Work through these in order — the prep packet turns them into a checklist you can tick off:

1. STEP 1 -- DECIDE WHICH LICENSE YOU CAN ACTUALLY APPLY FOR, BECAUSE A FIRST-TIME APPLICANT CANNOT OPEN LARGE. Health and Safety Code section 1597.52(b): "No home shall be licensed or registered as a large family day care home after January 1, 1984, unless the provider has at least one year's experience as a regulated small family day care home operator or as an administrator of a licensed day care center. The director may waive this requirement upon a finding that the applicant has sufficient qualifying experience." California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102369(b)(5) restates it as an application element and widens the qualifying experience: "one year of experience as a regulated…
2. STEP 2 -- CONFIRM YOU CAN LICENSE THE ADDRESS, AND GIVE YOUR LANDLORD 30 DAYS' WRITTEN NOTICE IF YOU RENT. The home must be where you live: Health and Safety Code section 1596.78(d) ("A small family daycare home or large family daycare home is where the daycare provider resides, and includes a dwelling or a dwelling unit that is rented, leased, or owned") and California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102352(h)(1) ("'Home' means the licensee's residence as defined by Government Code Section 244"). Renting is expressly protected -- Health and Safety Code section 1597.41(b) prohibits a property owner or manager from refusing to rent to a person "because that person is a family daycare…
3. STEP 3 -- ATTEND THE CDSS ORIENTATION BEFORE YOU FILE ANYTHING, AND PAY THE $25 STATUTORY ORIENTATION FEE. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102369(c): "Prior to filing an application, the applicant shall attend an orientation provided by the licensing agency," covering at least "(A) Completion of the application for license" and "(B) Scope of operation subject to regulation by the Department." Health and Safety Code section 1596.845 requires the orientation to outline the department's rules and regulations, the scope of operation of a child day care facility, the responsibility entailed in operating one, and "[i]nformation about the Healthy Schools Act of 2000 and…
4. STEP 4 -- COMPLETE THE 15-HOUR EMSA-APPROVED HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING, WITH THE 2026 CONTENT. Health and Safety Code section 1596.866(a)(1) requires "at least 15 hours of health and safety training, and if applicable, at least 1 additional hour" of childhood nutrition training. The components are pediatric first aid, pediatric CPR, and a preventive health practices course covering recognition, management and prevention of infectious diseases including immunizations, prevention of childhood injuries, and -- for licenses issued on and after July 1, 2020 -- "instruction in the prevention of lead exposure that is consistent with the most recent State Department of Public Health's training…
5. STEP 5 -- COMPLETE MANDATED REPORTER TRAINING. THIS IS A PRECONDITION TO LICENSURE, NOT A POST-LICENSURE nicety, AND IT IS THE STEP MOST OFTEN LEFT OUT OF CALIFORNIA CHECKLISTS. Health and Safety Code section 1596.8662(b)(2): "On and after January 1, 2018, a person who applies for a license to be a provider of a child daycare facility shall complete the mandated reporter training provided pursuant to paragraphs (2) and (3) of subdivision (a) as a precondition to licensure and shall complete renewal mandated reporter training every two years." The department supplies the training free on its website (section 1596.8662(a)(2)); if you use anything else, section 1596.8662(b)(5) requires you to…
6. STEP 6 -- LIVE SCAN EVERY ADULT, AND WAIT FOR THE CLEARANCE OR EXEMPTION BEFORE ANYONE IS PRESENT. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102370(a): "Prior to the Department issuing a license, the applicant(s) and all adults residing in the home shall obtain a California criminal record clearance or exemption." Each person signs a Criminal Record Statement, LIC 508 (Rev. 1/03), under penalty of perjury, declaring any conviction other than a minor traffic violation "regardless of whether the individual was granted a pardon for the conviction, received an expungement pursuant to Penal Code 1203.4 or the individual's record was sealed as a result of a court order" (section…
7. STEP 7 -- LET CDSS RUN THE TWO CHILD-ABUSE CHECKS. This is not something you file; it is something the department does, and it reaches into the county you lived in. Health and Safety Code section 1596.877(a): "Prior to granting a license to, or otherwise approving, any family day care home, the department shall check the child abuse and neglect complaint records of the child protective services agency of the county in which the applicant has resided for the two years preceding the application." Section 1596.877(b) adds the Child Abuse Registry check under Penal Code section 11170(b)(3), and provides that "[t]he Department of Justice shall maintain and continually update an index of reports…
8. STEP 8 -- OBTAIN A TUBERCULOSIS CLEARANCE FOR EVERY ADULT WHO WILL BE IN THE HOME DURING CARE HOURS, AND MIND THE WINDOW. Health and Safety Code section 1597.54(b)(4) requires "[e]vidence of a current tuberculosis clearance ... for any adult in the home during the time that children are under care," satisfiable "by a current certificate, as defined in subdivision (f) of Section 121525, that indicates freedom from infectious tuberculosis as set forth in Section 121525." The regulation's window is unusual and generous at both ends: California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102369(b)(9), "not more than one year prior to or seven days after initial presence in the home." Note that the…
9. STEP 9 -- GET THE IMMUNIZATIONS DONE FOR EVERYONE WHO WILL PROVIDE CARE. Health and Safety Code section 1597.622(a)(1): "Commencing September 1, 2016, a person shall not be employed or volunteer at a family day care home if he or she has not been immunized against influenza, pertussis, and measles. Each employee and volunteer shall receive an influenza vaccination between August 1 and December 1 of each year." Section 1597.54(b)(5) folds this into the application as "evidence of current immunity or exemption from immunity, as described in Section 1597.622, for the applicant and any other person who provides care and supervision to the children." The only belief-based exemption is for…
10. STEP 10 -- IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR A LARGE HOME, OBTAIN THE FIRE CLEARANCE. YOUR APPLICATION IS NOT "COMPLETE" WITHOUT IT. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102371(a): "A fire safety clearance approved by the city or county fire department, the district providing fire protection services, or the State Fire Marshal shall be required for a large family child care home." Section 102371(b): "A fire clearance shall not be required for a small family child care home." And section 102352(c)(6) makes the clearance part of the definition of a filed-and-complete application: "'Completed Application' means that all required information and documentation has been provided to the…
11. STEP 10A -- IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR A SMALL HOME, KNOW WHAT YOU ARE EXEMPT FROM AND WHAT YOU ARE NOT. Health and Safety Code section 1597.455(a), added by SB 234: "A small family daycare home shall not be subject to Article 1 (commencing with Section 13100) or Article 2 (commencing with Section 13140) of Chapter 1 of Part 2 of Division 12, EXCEPT that a small family daycare home shall contain a fire extinguisher and smoke detector device that meet standards established by the State Fire Marshal." Those two articles are the state fire-safety inspection and building-standards provisions; a small home sits outside them. Section 1597.455(b) adds the carbon monoxide requirement: "A small family…
12. STEP 11 -- SETTLE THE LIABILITY QUESTION BEFORE THE INSPECTION, BECAUSE IT IS CHECKED AT EVERY INSPECTION. Health and Safety Code section 1597.531(a) gives three mutually exclusive options: "liability insurance covering injury to clients and guests in the amount of at least one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) per occurrence and three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) in the total annual aggregate, sustained on account of the negligence of the licensee or its employees, or a bond in the aggregate amount of three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000). In lieu of the liability insurance or the bond, the family day care home may maintain a file of affidavits signed by each parent with a…
13. STEP 12 -- ASSEMBLE PROOF OF CONTROL OF PROPERTY AND, IF YOU WANT EIGHT OR FOURTEEN CHILDREN AND YOU RENT, THE LANDLORD'S WRITTEN CONSENT. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102417(o): "The licensee shall maintain documentation of proof of control of property at the Family Child Care Home for review by the Department. (1) If the licensee owns or is buying the home, 'proof of control of property' is a copy of the property deed, the property tax statement, or a payment coupon from the mortgage company or bank. (2) If the licensee is operating on rented or leased property, 'proof of control of property' is a copy of the rental agreement or lease." Separately, if you intend to…
14. STEP 13 -- PREPARE THE HOME TO SECTION 102417, WHICH IS THE OPERATIVE PHYSICAL-PREMISES RULE (ARTICLE 7 IS RESERVED AND EMPTY).
15. STEP 14 -- WRITE THE EMERGENCY AND DISASTER PLAN. IN 2026 THIS IS TWO OVERLAPPING REQUIREMENTS, AND THE NEWER ONE MUST BE FILED WITH THE APPLICATION. The old requirement: California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102417(g)(9), "Each family child care home shall have a written disaster plan of action prepared on a form approved by the Department. All children, age and ability permitting, and the provider, the assistant provider, and other members of the household, shall be instructed in their duties under the disaster plan. As their age and ability permit, newly enrolled children shall be informed promptly of their duties as required in the plan," with subdivision (g)(9)(A)…
16. STEP 15 -- FILE THE APPLICATION AND PAY THE STATUTORY FEE. Health and Safety Code section 1597.54(b) lists what the application must contain: a brief statement confirming financial security to operate, with the express limit that "[t]he department shall not require any other specific or detailed financial disclosure"; evidence of the fire extinguisher and smoke detector (small) or of the State Fire Marshal standards (large); evidence of a fire escape and emergency and disaster plan; fingerprints under section 1596.871(b); current tuberculosis clearance; immunization evidence under section 1597.622; "[e]vidence satisfactory to the department of the ability of the applicant to comply with…
17. STEP 16 -- PASS THE ANNOUNCED PRE-LICENSING SITE INSPECTION, WHICH MUST HAPPEN WITHIN 30 DAYS. Health and Safety Code section 1597.55a(b): "The department shall conduct an announced site inspection prior to the initial licensing of the applicant." Health and Safety Code section 1597.59 sets both clocks: "The department shall conduct an initial site visit within 30 days after the receipt of all appropriate licensing application materials," and the department "shall grant or deny a license to a family day care home for children within 30 days after receipt of all appropriate licensing application materials as determined by the department, provided both of the following conditions are met:…
18. STEP 17 -- IF DENIED, KNOW THE CLOCK. Health and Safety Code section 1596.879: "Immediately upon the denial of any application for a license or for a special permit, the department shall notify the applicant in writing. Within 15 days after the department mails the notice, the applicant may present his or her written petition for a hearing to the department. Upon receipt by the department of the petition, the petition shall be set for hearing," conducted under the Administrative Procedure Act (Government Code section 11500 et seq.). Health and Safety Code section 1596.854 warns that withdrawing an application does not stop a denial proceeding "unless the department consents in writing to…
19. STEP 18 -- BEFORE THE FIRST CHILD ARRIVES: PUT UP THE POSTINGS, ASSEMBLE THE CHILD FILES, AND BUILD THE INFANT SLEEP SYSTEM. The postings are set out in required_postings.
20. STEP 19 -- UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENS AFTER YOU OPEN, BECAUSE THE INSPECTION REGIME IS UNANNOUNCED AND CONTINUOUS. Health and Safety Code section 1597.55a(a): "Every family day care home shall be subject to unannounced inspections by the department ... The department shall inspect these facilities as often as necessary to ensure the quality of care provided." Subdivision (c) requires an annual unannounced inspection when a license is on probation, when a facility compliance plan requires one, when an accusation is pending, or "[i]n order to verify that a person who has been ordered out of a family day care home by the department is no longer at the facility." Subdivision (d)(1) requires…

What you must post on your walls

• THE PARENTS' RIGHTS POSTER -- PUB 394 (8/02), "FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME NOTIFICATION OF PARENTS' RIGHTS POSTER." This is the one true, named, always-up posting in the California family child care chapter, and it carries its own penalty ladder. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102419(b): "The licensee shall post the PUB 394 (8/02), Family Child Care Home Notification of Parents' Rights Poster in a prominent, publicly accessible area in the family child care home AT ALL TIMES CHILDREN ARE IN CARE." The rights it announces are enumerated in section 102419(a): to enter and inspect the home under Health and Safety Code section 1596.857; to file a complaint with the local…
• THE STATUTORY PARENT-INSPECTION AND MEGAN'S LAW NOTICE -- PERMANENT. Health and Safety Code section 1596.857(d): "Each child day care facility shall PERMANENTLY POST in a facility location accessible to parents and guardians a written notice, available from the department, of the right to make an inspection pursuant to this section and the prohibition against retaliation and the right to file a complaint. In addition, this notice shall include information stating that the specified registered sex offender database is available to the public via an Internet Web site maintained by the Department of Justice as www.meganslaw.ca.gov. The department shall make this written notice available to…
• THE LICENSING-AGENCY AND COMPLAINT-NUMBER NOTICE. Health and Safety Code section 1596.874(a): "The State Department of Social Services shall furnish each licensed child day care facility with a notice that shall be posted at the facility where it can be easily seen by employees and consumers. The required notice shall contain information which does all of the following: (1) Identifies the licensing agency and how licensing regulations may be obtained. (2) Gives local telephone numbers where complaints may be made. (3) Contains the nonretaliation provision in Section 1596.881." Subdivision (b) adds a related availability duty rather than a posting: "The licensee of the child day care…
• THE SITE-VISIT NOTICE -- 30 CONSECUTIVE DAYS, 14-POINT TYPE, BUT ONLY WHILE CLIENTS ARE PRESENT. Health and Safety Code section 1596.817(a) requires the DEPARTMENT, when it conducts a site visit, to post "on, or immediately adjacent to, the interior side of the main door into the facility and adjacent to the postings required pursuant to Section 1596.8595, a notice, written in at least 14-point type," stating the date of the site visit; whether the facility was cited and in which of two categories -- "(A) A violation that, if not corrected, will have a direct and immediate risk to the health, safety, or personal rights of children in care. (B) A violation that, if not corrected, could…
• THE IMMEDIATE-RISK LICENSING REPORT -- 30 CONSECUTIVE DAYS, SAME DOOR. Health and Safety Code section 1596.8595(a)(1): "Each licensed child day care facility shall post a copy of any licensing report pertaining to the facility that documents either a facility inspection or a complaint investigation that results in a citation for a violation that, if not corrected, will create a direct and immediate risk to the health, safety, or personal rights of the children in care. The licensing report provided by the department shall be posted immediately upon receipt, adjacent to the postings required pursuant to Section 1596.817 and on, or immediately adjacent to, the interior side of the main door…
• AVAILABLE-ON-SITE RATHER THAN POSTED: THE LICENSE ITSELF. This is where most summaries get California wrong. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102368(a) does not require the license to be displayed; it says: "The license shall be AVAILABLE IN THE FACILITY UPON REQUEST." Section 102368(b) adds: "The license shall not be transferred to other individuals or locations." One document must be physically attached to that license, however: California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102417(q)(1) requires the original signed LIC 9149 (Rev. 8/14) Property Owner/Landlord Consent to be kept "attached to the Family Child Care Home's license on file in the home" when the home…
• AVAILABLE-ON-SITE RATHER THAN POSTED: THREE YEARS OF LICENSING REPORTS AND SUBSTANTIATED COMPLAINTS. Health and Safety Code section 1596.859(a)(1): "Each licensed child daycare facility shall make accessible to the public a copy of any licensing report or other public licensing document pertaining to the facility that documents a facility inspection, a substantiated complaint investigation, a conference with a local licensing agency management representative and the licensee in which issues of noncompliance are discussed, or a copy of an accusation indicating the department's intent to revoke the facility's license. An individual licensing report and other licensing documents shall not be…
• AVAILABLE-ON-SITE RATHER THAN POSTED: THE EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST. Health and Safety Code section 1596.867(a), as amended by Stats. 2026, Ch. 25, Sec. 22 (AB 150), effective June 29, 2026: "All child daycare facilities, as defined in Section 1596.750, shall include an Earthquake Preparedness Checklist as an attachment to the emergency and disaster plan prescribed by Section 1596.868. However, the Earthquake Preparedness Checklist shall not be considered a requirement for obtaining or maintaining a license for a child daycare facility. THE EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS CHECKLIST SHALL BE MADE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC AT THE CHILD DAYCARE FACILITY. The licensing agency shall not monitor…
• AVAILABLE-ON-SITE RATHER THAN POSTED: THE EMERGENCY AND DISASTER PLAN, ON REQUEST. Health and Safety Code section 1596.868(g), effective June 29, 2026 with compliance required from January 1, 2027: "A facility shall make the emergency and disaster plan available, upon request, to parents or legal guardians of children in care and local emergency response personnel." Subdivision (e) additionally requires four things to be "readily available during an emergency or disaster": "(1) A roster of children in care for that day. (2) A needs and services plan for each infant in care. (3) A medication list for children in care. (4) Contact information for the parent or legal guardian of each child in…
• KEPT AND PRODUCED ON REQUEST RATHER THAN POSTED -- THE FULL LIST. The current roster of children required by Health and Safety Code section 1596.841, containing "the name, address, and daytime telephone number of the child's parent or guardian, and the name and telephone number of the child's physician," which "shall be available to the licensing agency upon request" (see also California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102417(g)(8)). The written disaster plan of action on a department-approved form, with the log of fire and disaster drills "including the date and time of each drill," which "shall kept at the family child care home" (section 102417(g)(9), (g)(9)(A)(1)) -- superseded…
• A POSTING THAT DOES NOT EXIST IN CALIFORNIA. There is no requirement in Title 22, Division 12, Chapter 3 or in the California Child Day Care Facilities Act to post ratios, a menu, a daily schedule, a curriculum, a sanitation certificate, or the licensee's training certificates. Health and Safety Code section 1597.52(a) limits licensing review to health and safety and excludes "any reviews of the content of any educational or training programs of the facility," and California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102351.1 removes the entire center-oriented Chapter 1 from application to homes. What California posts instead is the parents' rights apparatus and the enforcement history -- who…

Enrollment forms for each child

• LIC 508 (Rev. 1/03) -- CRIMINAL RECORD STATEMENT. Named in California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102370(c): "All individuals subject to a criminal record review shall be fingerprinted and sign a Criminal Record Statement (LIC 508 [Rev. 1/03]) under penalty of perjury." The signer must declare any conviction other than a minor traffic violation "regardless of whether the individual was granted a pardon for the conviction, received an expungement pursuant to Penal Code 1203.4 or the individual's record was sealed as a result of a court order" (section 102370(c)(1)(A)), and must supply conviction details (section 102370(c)(1)(B)). A signed statement is required in every employee…
• LIC 9052 -- NOTICE OF EMPLOYEE RIGHTS. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102416(a): "The licensee shall provide each employee with a copy of the Notice of Employee Rights (LIC 9052 (4/88)) form furnished by the Department. (1) Each employee shall be requested to sign and date the notice form acknowledging receipt. (2) A copy of the signed notice form shall be retained in the employee's personnel record. (3) If the employee refuses to sign the notice form, a dated notation to that effect shall be retained in the employee's personnel record." Section 102417(r) repeats the retention rule. Section 102416.1(a)(10) cites the same instrument with a different revision -- "[LIC…
• LIC 995A (8/06) -- FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME NOTIFICATION OF PARENTS' RIGHTS. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102419(d): "At the time of acceptance of each child into care, the licensee shall provide the child's parent or authorized representative with a copy of the notice Family Child Care Home Notification of Parents' Rights, LIC 995A (8/06)," together with LIC 995E and LIC 9212. Section 102419(d)(1): "The licensee shall request the child's parent or authorized representative to sign and date the bottom portion of the notice form LIC 995A (8/06) ... The bottom portion of this form must be kept in the child's file as proof that the parent or authorized representative has…
• LIC 995E (6/05) -- CAREGIVER BACKGROUND CHECK PROCESS. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102419(c): "The licensee shall provide to the parent or authorized representative the LIC 995E (6/05), Caregiver Background Check Process form." Delivery is proved by the parent's signature on the LIC 995A (section 102419(d)(1)). Failure carries the $50-per-day escalating penalty in section 102419(d)(3).
• LIC 9212 (10/05) -- FAMILY CHILD CARE CONSUMER AWARENESS INFORMATION. Required at acceptance of each child alongside LIC 995A and LIC 995E (California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102419(d)), with receipt proved by the parent's signature on the LIC 995A (section 102419(d)(1)).
• LIC 995B (Rev. 05/03) -- ADDENDUM TO NOTIFICATION OF PARENT'S RIGHTS (REGARDING REMOVAL/EXCLUSION), AND LIC 995C (Rev. 03/01) -- THE REINSTATEMENT COUNTERPART. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102417(s)(2) requires the licensee, on notice from the department to remove or exclude an individual, to "[p]rovide a copy of the Addendum to Notification of Parent's Rights (Regarding Removal/Exclusion) (LIC 995B, Rev. 05/03) to one parent or authorized representative of every child currently in care within one day of receipt of the notice and addendum from the Department," with the LIC 995C on the same one-day clock when the person may return. Section 102419(h) extends the LIC 995B…
• LIC 995D (5/03) -- FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME EXPLANATION OF REMOVALS/EXCLUSIONS AND REINSTATEMENT. Optional, not mandatory: California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102419(h)(2), "The licensee MAY provide the parent or authorized representative with the Family Child Care Home Explanation of Removals/Exclusions and Reinstatement, LIC 995D (5/03)."
• LIC 9149 (Rev. 8/14) -- PROPERTY OWNER/LANDLORD CONSENT. Required only when the home operates on rented or leased property AND uses the stretch capacity. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102417(q): the licensee "shall obtain the written consent of the property owner/landlord to increase the home's capacity to eight or 14 children. (1) The licensee shall maintain the original of the completed and signed LIC 9149 (Rev. 8/14) Property Owner/Landlord Consent, WHICH IS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE, attached to the Family Child Care Home's license on file in the home." Incorporation by reference means the form itself is part of the regulation. The statutory sources are Health and…
• LIC 9150 (Rev. 8/14) -- PARENTAL NOTIFICATION ADDITIONAL CHILDREN IN CARE. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102421(d)(1): where the home uses the stretch capacity, "[t]he licensee shall maintain a completed and signed LIC 9150 (Rev. 8/14) Parental Notification Additional Children in Care, which is incorporated by reference, for this purpose," in each child's record. Section 102416.5(h) is the underlying duty, and the statutory sources are Health and Safety Code sections 1597.44(c) ("notifies each parent that the facility is caring for two additional schoolage children and that there may be up to seven or eight children in the home at one time") and 1597.465(c) (the…
• LIC 9151 (Rev. 8/14) -- PROPERTY OWNER/LANDLORD NOTIFICATION. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102417(p)(1): "The licensee shall provide the landlord or owner of the rental property with a completed LIC 9151 (Rev. 8/14) Property Owner/Landlord Notification, which is incorporated by reference, for this purpose and maintain a copy of the completed form at the Family Child Care Home for review by the Department." This is the instrument for the 30-day pre-operation notice now located at Health and Safety Code section 1597.41(d)(1). Note that section 102417(p) still cites the repealed "Section 1597.40(d)."; the form duty survives the dead citation.
• LIC 624B (8/06) -- UNUSUAL INCIDENT/INJURY REPORT, FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102416.2(e): "The written report shall be either Form LIC 624B (8/06) Unusual Incident/Injury Report--Family Child Care Home, or a letter that includes the following information, in addition to that required by Health and Safety Code Sections 1597.467(b)(2)(A) through (b)(2)(D): (1) Child's date of birth. (2) Child's or parent's primary language, (e.g. English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian). (3) Time the incident or injury happened. (4) Date that the parent or authorized representative was notified their child was injured or subjected to any act of violence. (5)…
• LIC 9227 (3/20) -- INDIVIDUAL INFANT SLEEPING PLAN. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102425(c): "An Individual Infant Sleeping Plan [LIC 9227 (3/20)] shall be completed for each infant up to 12 months of age the provider has in care and included in the infant's file at the facility. (1) This plan shall be signed and dated by the infant's authorized representative. (2) The Individual Infant Sleeping Plan ... shall be maintained in the infant's file and shall be available to the Department for review." The form drives the substantive rule: section 102425(d)(4) provides that "[a]n infant with an Individual Infant Sleeping Plan ... that has SECTION C of the form completed and…
• LIC 9182 (Rev. 4/02) -- CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CLEARANCE TRANSFER REQUEST, AND BCII 9002 -- SUBSTITUTE AGENCY NOTIFICATION REQUEST. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102370(i) requires "[a] signed Criminal Background Clearance Transfer Request, LIC 9182 (Rev. 4/02)" plus a driver's license, DMV identification card or other government photo identification, plus "[a]ny other documentation required by the Department (e.g., LIC 508 ... and job description)," to transfer a clearance from one state-licensed facility to another or "from TrustLine to a state licensed facility." Section 102370(j) governs agency-to-agency transfers: the individual and the transferring agency submit a…
• LIC 809 -- THE LICENSING REPORT. Not a form the provider files, but the form she signs and can dispute. Health and Safety Code section 1596.842(a)(8) gives the provider "[t]he right to use the licensing report (LIC 809) as a means to agree or disagree with cited deficiencies," (a)(9) "[t]he right to an exit interview upon completion of the visit and to receive a signed copy of the LIC 809," and (a)(10) "[t]he right to be informed on the LIC 809 of the evaluator's supervisor and his or her telephone number." Section 1596.842(a)(4) sets the content standard: each deficiency separately numbered, keyed to "a section of law or licensing regulation," with "a description of the evaluator's…
• PM 286 (6/95) -- CALIFORNIA SCHOOL IMMUNIZATION RECORD, USED FOR FAMILY DAY CARE HOMES. California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section 102418(g): "The licensee shall document each child's immunizations as required by the California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Section 6070, and shall maintain such documentation for as long as the child is enrolled. (1) This requirement includes updating each child's PM 286 (6/95) when the child is due to receive required immunizations after enrollment." Section 102418(a) requires immunization against the diseases listed in Title 17 beginning at section 6000 prior to admission; section 102418(f) provides that a child who does not meet the requirements…
• FORMS COMMONLY LISTED FOR THE APPLICATION PACKET THAT ARE NOT NAMED ANYWHERE IN TITLE 22 CHAPTER 3 OR THE ACT. Secondary sources routinely list "LIC 279 Application for a Family Child Care Home License," "LIC 279B Current Children In Your Home," "LIC 999A Facility Sketch: Floor Plan and Yard," "LIC 610A Emergency Care and Disaster Plan," and "LIC 9108 Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Suspected Child Abuse." None of these numbers appears in Title 22, Division 12, Chapter 3, nor in Health and Safety Code Chapter 3.4 or 3.6. What the law requires is CONTENT, not those numbers: Health and Safety Code section 1597.54(b) and California Code of Regulations, Title 22, section…

What's specific about getting licensed in California

California's defining quirk is its two-tier home license (Small Family Child Care Home vs. Large Family Child Care Home) combined with a capacity math that counts your own children under 10 against your limit and requires a second adult (assistant) to run a Large home. Layer on a very specific statutory training bundle: 15 hours of preventive health and safety training with pediatric CPR and first aid, PLUS a brand-new anaphylaxis/epinephrine training requirement that took effect January 1, 2026, and a 12-hour annual continuing-education mandate starting January 1, 2027. California also requires providers/staff to be immunized against influenza, pertussis (Tdap), and measles. That combination of own-children-count-toward-capacity, the Small/Large structure, and the freshly updated 2026-2027 training rules is what genuinely sets California apart from other states.

How long it takes and what it costs in California

Timeline: Plan for roughly two to four months from your mandatory CDSS licensing orientation to an issued license. The sequence is: attend orientation, submit your application packet, get every household adult fingerprinted (LiveScan) and TB-cleared, then pass an in-home pre-licensing inspection. The two things that most often stretch it past a couple of months are slow criminal-background clearances for household adults and scheduling the in-home inspection, so start those early. (California does not publish a guaranteed turnaround, so treat this as a realistic range, not a promise.)

Cost: Your biggest real costs are the required trainings and clearances, not the license itself. Budget for: LiveScan fingerprinting for every adult in the home (state + federal processing plus a rolling fee at the LiveScan site, commonly in the ~$50-90 range per adult and varying by location), the 15-hour health and safety course plus pediatric CPR/first aid certification (course fees vary, often roughly $50-150), a TB test, and any home safety fixes (smoke/CO detectors, a fire extinguisher, pool fencing). California also charges a licensing application fee and an annual fee set by CDSS, which are modest relative to the above; verify the current exact dollar amounts on the CDSS fee listing before you budget, as we could not confirm the latest figures from an official source here.

Source: Sources officielles consultées pour California :

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=HSC&division=2.&title=&part=&chapter=

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=HSC&division=2.&title=&part=&chapter=

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB150

https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/california/22-CCR-

https://govt.westlaw.com/calregs

https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/letters-regulations/legislation-and-regulations/community-care-licensing

https://www.cdss.ca.gov/ord/entres/getinfo/pdf/fccman.pdf

https://www.cdss.ca.gov/ord/entres/getinfo/pdf/fcc.pdf

Verified 2026-08-25. General information, not legal advice and not a guarantee of licensure — confirm with your state’s licensing agency before applying.