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Home Daycare License Requirements in Connecticut (2026)

Opening a home daycare in Connecticut means getting a family child care home license from the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), Division of Licensing. 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 Connecticut

CGS sec. 19a-77(a)(3): a 'family child care home' 'consists of a private family home providing care (A) for (i) not more than six children, including the provider's own children not in school full time, without the presence or assistance of an assistant or substitute staff member approved by the Commissioner of Early Childhood, pursuant to section 19a-87b, present and assisting the provider, or (ii) not more than nine children, including the provider's own children, with the presence and assistance of such approved assistant or substitute staff member, and (B) for not less than three or more than twelve hours during a twenty-four-hour period and where care is given on a regularly recurring basis except that care may be provided in excess of twelve hours but not more than seventy-two consecutive hours to accommodate a need for extended care or intermittent short-term overnight care.' The home must be a residence in the strict sense: RCSA sec. 19a-87b-2(34) defines 'Residence' as 'a home occupied by the provider or approved for occupancy as a home as evidenced by a valid certificate of occupancy', and OEC application question 5 tells an applicant who does not live there to 'attach a valid certificate of occupancy'.

RCSA sec. 19a-87b-3(a) adds 'Only one license shall be issued per residence', and sec. 19a-87b-5(c) that an applicant 'may apply for a license only in the applicant's own name and only for the premises indicated on the application, which premises shall be a residence.' Who is exempt is defined twice, not identically. CGS sec. 19a-77(b)(4) exempts 'arrangements among relatives in their own homes, provided the relative is limited to any of the following degrees of kinship by blood, marriage or court order to the child being cared for: Grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, aunt or uncle.' RCSA sec. 19a-87b-3(b) states it as an inclusion and lists a wider family: a person caring for children who are not 'the person's grandchild(ren), great grandchild(ren), foster child(ren), niece(s), nephews(s), sibling(s), son(s) or daughter(s) by blood, adoption, marriage or court decree is required to be licensed', The neighbouring category: CGS sec. 19a-77(a)(2) defines a 'group child care home' as supplementary care '(A) to not less than seven or more than twelve related or unrelated children on a regular basis, or (B) that meets the definition of a family child care home except that it operates in a facility other than a private family home.' Subparagraph (B) is the trap: move a six-child operation out of your house and it stops being a family child care home.

How many children you can care for in Connecticut

Connecticut writes two numbers on the licence: 'The license capacity of the family child care home shall be indicated on the license' (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-5(d)(1)). REGULAR CAPACITY, subparagraph (A): 'the maximum number of children that a provider may care for together at any one time during the year, including the provider's own children not in school full time ... The regular capacity of a family child care home shall not exceed six children.' Children who are not your own and get three or more hours before or after school count here. SCHOOL AGE CAPACITY, subparagraph (B): 'the maximum number of additional children attending school full time that a provider may care for together before and after school, including the provider's own school age children ... The school age capacity shall not apply during the summer school vacation unless all of the children counted in the school age capacity are the provider's own children or an assistant or substitute staff member approved by the Commissioner is present and assisting the provider. The school age capacity ... shall not exceed three children unless all of the school age children are the provider's own children.'

CGS sec. 19a-77(a)(3) carries the parallel summer rule. So the ordinary licence reads 6 + 3, which is how OEC describes it: 'those with a traditional family child care home license are limited to 6 (regular) plus 3 (school age)'. Nine, not six, is available with staff: CGS sec. 19a-77(a)(3)(A)(ii) permits 'not more than nine children, including the provider's own children, with the presence and assistance of such approved assistant or substitute staff member'. 'Approved' is load-bearing - RCSA sec. 19a-87b-8 allows staff 'only after ... approved in writing by the commissioner.' Four counting rules decide the disputes, all in sec. 19a-87b-5(d). (2) Full-day kindergarten counts in the school age capacity; half-day kindergarten counts 'as preschoolers in the regular capacity until graduation from kindergarten'. (3) 'Staff members' children present at the facility shall be counted in the capacity like the other children receiving care.' (4) 'Foster children and children who reside at the facility shall be counted as household members in the same manner as the provider's own children.' (5) 'The provider's own children twelve years of age and older shall not count in the capacity.'

And (6) leaves the final number to OEC: capacity 'shall be determined at the commissioner's discretion taking into account the indoor and outdoor space and other accommodations available for child care at the facility and the qualifications of the applicant or provider.' Six is a ceiling, not an entitlement. TWELVE, for a narrow class. CGS sec. 19a-87b(m) (P.A. 25-82 sec. 7, effective July 1, 2025) permits an endorsement to care 'for up to twelve children, including the licensee's own children', only for a licensee licensed before June 30, 2025, only 'in the case when such licensee is providing care for over nine children, with the presence and assistance of an additional assistant or substitute staff member approved by the commissioner', and only where the home 'shall have a minimum of thirty-five square feet of useable indoor space and seventy-five square feet per child of outdoor space'. OEC renders it as '6+3+3' and warns that below 420 usable square feet 'a reduced licensed capacity may be issued (eg. 6+3+2)'. Thirty endorsements a year, all expiring June 30, 2029.

Adult-to-child ratios

Connecticut publishes no adult-to-child ratio table for family child care. It publishes a capacity ceiling, one age-based restriction and a supervision standard; those three do the work a ratio grid does elsewhere. THE CEILING. Six children at one time with the provider alone, including the provider's own children not in school full time, plus up to three additional full-time-school children before and after school (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-5(d)(1)(A) and (B)); nine in total only 'with the presence and assistance of such approved assistant or substitute staff member' (CGS sec. 19a-77(a)(3)(A)(ii)). A school age child who is not your own and gets three or more hours before or after school is counted in the regular six, not the school age tier. THE INFANT RESTRICTION. RCSA sec. 19a-87b-5(e): 'The provider shall care for no more than two children under the age of eighteen months at one time, including the provider's own children, except that the provider may care for up to six children under the age of eighteen months when an assistant is present and assisting the provider.' Mirrored at sec. 19a-87b-8(b): 'An assistant shall be present to assist the provider or substitute when more than two children under eighteen months receive family child care services at the same time.'

Eighteen months, not two years - the 2021 amendment lowered it - and the infant rule names an assistant, not a substitute. WHO MAY BE THAT SECOND ADULT. A 'Substitute' is a person twenty or older approved in writing by the commissioner 'who may assume the provider's responsibilities in the provider's absence, and who meets the same qualifications as a provider' (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-2(39)); an 'Assistant' is a person eighteen or older approved in writing 'who assists the provider or substitute ... while the provider or substitute is present' (sec. 19a-87b-2(6)). Under sec. 19a-87b-8(e) substitutes must meet every provider qualification in sec. 19a-87b-6; assistants all but subsection (c), the first aid and CPR training. THE SUBSTITUTE LIMIT. RCSA sec. 19a-87b-5(c)(1) bars using 'a substitute for more than one hour per day on a regularly, recurring basis which effectively franchises or transfers the family child care services to the substitute'; CGS sec. 19a-87b(b)(2) excepts a licensee 'attending a medical appointment, receiving medical treatment or completing education or training', on advance notice to parents.

THE SUPERVISION STANDARD. RCSA sec. 19a-87b-10(i): 'The provider shall be responsible for the supervision of the children at all times, indoors, outdoors and on excursions. The provider shall be either indoors or outdoors with all children in care unless an approved staff is present to provide supervision ... It is done by a provider who is within effective sight or sound of the children. Monitoring devices shall not replace supervision by the provider.' Subdivision (2) bars other employment, hobbies and heavy phone, computer or television use while on duty; (4) forbids leaving until the substitute or emergency caregiver 'is actually present with the children in care'. THE ONE PLACE CONNECTICUT DOES PUBLISH RATIOS is the large family endorsement, and it is agency guidance, not regulation. OEC's Large Family FAQ (updated December 12, 2025) states that with 10-12 children present, 'A provider and 1 approved staff member (assistant or substitute) may care for no more than 4 children under 24 months of age at any one time' and 'A provider and 2 approved staff members may care for no more than 6 children under 24 months of age at any one time' - the age band moves from 18 to 24 months for endorsed homes.

Infants have their own observation interval: RCSA sec. 19a-87b-10(f)(6), 'Infants under twelve months of age shall be physically observed at least every fifteen minutes to assess the infant's breathing, color, temperature and comfort.'

Training you must complete before licensure

Connecticut sets no clock-hour pre-service curriculum. What RCSA sec. 19a-87b-6 imposes before a licence issues is a certification, a medical clearance, a reading obligation and three references - and only the certification is training. FIRST AID AND CPR, RCSA sec. 19a-87b-6(c)(1): the application 'shall, before final approval of the application is given, include verification of the applicant's current certification in first aid by the American Red Cross, the American Heart Association, the National Safety Council, American Safety and Health Institute, or Medic First Aid International, Inc. or a current certification based on a first aid course approved on or before March 17, 2018 by the Office under section 19a-79-4a(e)', plus 'verification of the applicant's current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation in accordance with section 19a-79 of the Connecticut General Statutes, appropriate for all of the children served'. Both 'shall be based on a hands-on demonstration'. Online-only cards do not satisfy the hands-on clause, and CPR must cover every age band served. AGE AND HEALTH.

The applicant must be twenty years of age or older, by definition: RCSA sec. 19a-87b-2(4) defines 'Applicant' as 'a person, twenty years of age or older, who has completed, signed and submitted an application to the Office'. Under sec. 19a-87b-6(b)(1) the applicant furnishes 'at the time of initial application, a medical statement signed by a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse within the past twelve months'. READING THE RULE IS A LICENSING CONDITION. RCSA sec. 19a-87b-6(a): the applicant or provider 'shall have a copy of sections 19a-87b-1 to 19a-87b-18, inclusive ... at the family child care home and shall have read and understood' them; sec. 19a-87b-3(c) makes the application form carry a certification to that effect. REFERENCES, sec. 19a-87b-6(d): 'The applicant shall submit at least three current references from individuals who have known the applicant for at least three years ... Only one reference may be from a person related to the applicant by blood or marriage.' CONDITIONAL TRAININGS, required only if you take on the activity. Under RCSA sec. 19a-87b-17(b)(1)(A) a provider or substitute who will administer any medication other than a nonprescription topical 'shall first be trained by a pharmacist, physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse or registered nurse in the methods of administration of medications and shall receive written approval from the trainer'; sec. 19a-87b-17(b)(1)(B) lists ten required content areas.

Under sec. 19a-87b-18(b)(1) finger-stick blood glucose testing requires the first aid course plus additional training by a pharmacist, physician, PA, APRN, RN, certified EMT or the child's parent. Neither is required to obtain the licence; both are required before doing the thing.

Ongoing (annual) training

Zero. Connecticut's rule sets no annual continuing-education hour requirement. RCSA secs. 19a-87b-1 to 19a-87b-18 contain no clock-hour figure, no annual topic list and no renewal training condition; CGS sec. 19a-87b(d) conditions renewal only on the forty-dollar fee and 'a certification from the licensee that any child enrolled in the family child care home has received age-appropriate immunizations', and RCSA sec. 19a-87b-4(a) adds only a statement of compliance with the regulations. What continues is currency, not hours. RCSA sec. 19a-87b-6(c)(2): 'Thereafter, the provider shall maintain verification of current certification in first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation as described in subdivision (1) of this subsection and written verification of such training shall be kept on file at the family child care home.' The medical statement runs on a three-year cycle. RCSA sec. 19a-87b-6(b)(1): the maintained statement 'shall be signed within the past thirty-six months, or at any time upon the request of the commissioner, and made available for review upon request of the Office.' OEC's records sheet renders this as 'Adult Medical Health Record (updated every 3 years)'.

Two recurring re-validations attach to the conditional trainings. For medication, the provider or substitute 'shall have his or her skills and competency in the administration of oral, topical and inhalant medication reviewed and validated by a pharmacist, physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse or registered nurse every three years' (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-17(b)(1)(C)); same three-year cycle for rectal and for non-auto-injector injectable medication, while auto-injector competency is reviewed and validated ANNUALLY. For diabetes: 'The training shall be updated at least every three years, when a child with diabetes mellitus who requires finger stick blood glucose testing is present at the family child care home' (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-18(b)(2)). One quarterly obligation is often mistaken for training: RCSA sec. 19a-87b-9(d)(5), the provider and all staff 'shall practice at least quarterly an emergency evacuation drill which includes the demonstration of the provider, staff and children exiting the residence', with 'A written log of the practiced drills ... maintained at the family child care home for one year.'

Separately, a family child care provider is a mandated reporter by force of CGS sec. 17a-101(b)(32) ('any person paid to care for a child in any public or private facility, child care center, group child care home or family child care home licensed by the state'). CGS sec. 17a-101(c) directs DCF to develop a training and refresher program and to make it 'available' to mandated reporters; it does not command completion on a fixed cycle for this population, and OEC lists DCF mandated reporter training under 'Technical assistance and support', not under required training.

Background checks

The statute sets the perimeter, the regulation the content; both were rewritten in 2021 to meet 45 CFR 98.43. WHO. CGS sec. 19a-87b(c) requires 'each initial applicant or prospective employee of a family child care home in a position requiring the provision of care to a child, including an assistant or substitute staff member, and each household member who is eighteen years of age or older, to submit to comprehensive background checks'. The same subsection defines 'household member' as any person other than the licensee 'who resides in the family child care home, such as the licensee's spouse or children, tenants and any other occupant.' Tenants count. WHAT. RCSA sec. 19a-87b-8a(f): the check runs 'in accordance with the provisions of 45 CFR 98.43' and 'shall include: (1) A search of state criminal records in any state of residency for the past five years; (2) A search of abuse and neglect registry or database in any state of residency for the past five years; (3) A search of the sex offender registry or repository in any state of residency for the past five years; (4) A Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint check using Next Generation Identification; and (5) A search of the National Crime Information Center National Sex Offender Registry.'

The five-year residency look-back makes out-of-state checks ordinary; the criminal history checks run under CGS sec. 29-17a and the registry check under CGS sec. 17a-101k. THE DISQUALIFIER LIST SITS IN THE ENFORCEMENT STATUTE, NOT THE CHECK STATUTE, and uses a lower age. CGS sec. 19a-87e(a) lets the commissioner refuse, suspend or revoke where the licensee, an assistant or substitute, an employee connected with care, 'or a household member ... who is sixteen years of age or older and resides therein', has been convicted of a felony involving physical force, or of cruelty to persons (sec. 53-20), injury or risk of injury to children (sec. 53-21), abandonment of a child under six (sec. 53-23), any felony where the victim is a child under eighteen, specified sexual assault offences (secs. 53a-70, 53a-70a, 53a-71, 53a-72a, 53a-72b, 53a-73a), or drug offences under secs. 21a-277, 21a-278 or 21a-279 - or has 'a criminal record in this state or any other state that the commissioner reasonably believes renders the person unsuitable'. Refusals must be rendered under CGS secs. 46a-79 to 46a-81, and a revoked person is barred from reapplying for one year.

ONGOING DUTIES. RCSA sec. 19a-87b-8a(b) bars employing staff 'who have a record the commissioner reasonably believes renders such staff ineligible'; (c) evidence of compliance must be kept at the home - in practice the BCIS roster; (d) and (e) require disclosure on request, and failure to respond to Office correspondence in time 'shall constitute sufficient grounds for denial, suspension, or revocation of the license.' Refusal to cooperate at the application stage is fatal under RCSA sec. 19a-87b-3(d). TIMING. Application question 10 requires a fresh check where the applicant has never been a Connecticut child care staff member, has been separated from child care work or held an inactive licence or approval for more than 180 consecutive days, or 'completed a comprehensive background check through the OEC more than five years ago'. A new household member is a reportable change due in writing within five working days (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-5(j)).

The application, step by step

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

1. Confirm the setting qualifies. It must be a private family home meeting CGS sec. 19a-77(a)(3) and a 'residence' under RCSA sec. 19a-87b-2(34) - 'a home occupied by the provider or approved for occupancy as a home as evidenced by a valid certificate of occupancy'. Only one license issues per residence (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-3(a)). Application question 6 tells you to confirm residential zoning with the local zoning official: a special zoning permit or exception 'may be required to operate in other than a residential zone.' You must be twenty years of age or older (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-2(4)).
2. Read RCSA secs. 19a-87b-1 to 19a-87b-18 before you file. Sec. 19a-87b-6(a) requires you to have a copy at the home and to have read and understood it, and the application packet says 'Please read and be familiar with the Regulations before your appointment.' OEC will mail a paper copy on request at 800-282-6063.
3. Obtain current hands-on First Aid certification from the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, National Safety Council, American Safety and Health Institute or Medic First Aid International, Inc. (or a course approved by the Office on or before March 17, 2018), and current CPR certification appropriate for every age served, both 'based on a hands-on demonstration' (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-6(c)(1)). Copies of both certificates go in the application packet.
4. Get the Adult Medical Statement for Child Care completed by a physician, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse, examination within the past twelve months (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-6(b)(1)), for yourself AND for each household member eighteen or older (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-7(a)(1)). For household members under eighteen, submit the CT Early Childhood Health Assessment Record (birth to 5) or the school-age Health Assessment Record, with immunizations up to date.
5. Collect three Request for Reference Forms, 'complete, current and signed by individuals (no more than one relative) who have known you for at least three years' (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-6(d); OEC Coordinating Check List). References are read for interest in and affection for children, understanding of developmental needs, judgment about supervision and safety, competence, emotional stability and dependability.
6. Have the water tested. RCSA sec. 19a-87b-9(i): 'At least one water sample from a sink used for drinking, beverage and food preparation shall be tested for lead, and the results of such sample shall be submitted to the Office at the time of initial application. The water sample shall have been standing in plumbing pipes at least six hours and the test must be conducted not more than twelve months prior to the date of application.' If the home is on a private well, add bacteria, physical parameters and sanitary chemistry tests; the laboratory must be registered by DPH under CGS sec. 19a-29a.
7. If the home has an auxiliary heating device - wood stove, pellet stove or gas insert - enclose written proof it was inspected and approved for proper and safe installation by an authorized licensed professional (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-9(d)(9)(A); application question 23).
8. Name an emergency caregiver on the application - 'a responsible adult (at least 20 years of age) who is able to arrive at the facility within fifteen (15) minutes' (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-8(c)(1) and (2)). OEC may disallow anyone with a revoked licence, a substantiated abuse or neglect claim or a disqualifying conviction.
9. Sign the Statement of Compliance: you certify you have read and understand secs. 19a-87b-1 to 19a-87b-18 and will abide by them, that you will allow the Office immediate access during customary business hours (failure being 'substantial noncompliance and ... an automatic ground for the commissioner to initiate license suspension or revocation proceedings', RCSA sec. 19a-87b-13(a)), and that enrolled children are immunised. False statements are punishable under CGS sec. 53a-157b.
10. Mail the packet with a $40 check or money order payable to 'Treasurer State of Connecticut' to OEC Division of Licensing, 450 Columbus Boulevard, Suite 302, Hartford, CT 06103 (CGS sec. 19a-87b(d)). The fee is non-refundable. The packet is the Coordinating Check List, fee form, Initial Application for Licensure, Foster Care Verification Form, Adult Medical Statement, health assessment records, three references and the lead water test.
11. Complete the comprehensive background check when OEC invites you. After the Licensing Division accepts the application you receive an email from the Legal Division with a link into the Background Check Information System. You, every household member eighteen or older and every proposed assistant or substitute must clear state and national criminal history checks under CGS sec. 29-17a, a child abuse and neglect registry check under CGS sec. 17a-101k, sex offender registry checks and an FBI Next Generation Identification fingerprint check (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-8a(f)).
12. File a separate Family Child Care Home Staff application, with a $15 fee, for each assistant or substitute BEFORE they work: RCSA sec. 19a-87b-8 allows staff 'only after the intended staff member has submitted a staff approval application and accompanying fee to the Office and it has been approved in writing by the commissioner.' You need an approved assistant before caring for more than two children under eighteen months, and approved staff before going above six children.
13. Pass the inspection. CGS sec. 19a-87b(a): 'Before a family child care home license is granted, the office shall make an inquiry and investigation which shall include a visit and inspection of the premises ... Any inspection conducted by the office shall include an inspection for evident sources of lead poisoning. The office shall provide for a chemical analysis of any paint chips.' The application warns that peeling paint chips will be collected at the initial inspection if the home was built before 1978. RCSA sec. 19a-87b-3(e) also requires an interview of the applicant.
14. Receive the license, post it, and keep the postings current. The license names the provider, the address, the license capacity, the license number and the expiration date, runs four years, must be 'displayed conspicuously in a location visible to the Office staff and to parents', and its number 'shall be used in any advertisement of services' (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-5(f)). Expect at least one unannounced inspection every year (CGS sec. 19a-87b(a); RCSA sec. 19a-87b-13(e)).

What you must post on your walls

• The Office of Early Childhood license itself, 'displayed conspicuously in a location visible to the Office staff and to parents whose children are in care or who are considering placing their children in the provider's care' (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-5(f)(2); listed first on OEC's 'Records to be Maintained on Premises' sheet under 'ITEMS TO BE POSTED ON SITE').
• The OEC telephone number, per OEC's Records to be Maintained on Premises sheet; the underlying duty is RCSA sec. 19a-87b-5(g): 'When a child is enrolled, the provider shall furnish the parent(s) with the telephone number of the Office. The provider shall explain that any person with good cause and in good faith may file a complaint about a licensed or unlicensed provider with the Office.'
• Emergency telephone numbers - fire, ambulance, police or 911, parents, emergency caregivers and poison control - 'posted in an area where family child care services are provided and that is readily accessible and known to the provider and staff' (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-9(k)). OEC's sheet specifies the posting must include the emergency caregiver's name, phone and address.
• The Child Developmental Milestones document created by OEC. CGS sec. 10-514(b): 'On and after February 1, 2020, each operator of a child care center, group child care home or family child care home ... shall post a copy of the document developed pursuant to subsection (a) of this section in a conspicuous place on the premises.'
• The infant safe-sleep requirements. RCSA sec. 19a-87b-10(f)(8): 'The provider shall post in a conspicuous place in the family child care home the requirements of this subsection pertaining to sleep arrangements and discuss with the child's parent(s) the requirements ... prior to enrollment and reviewed as needed during the period of the child's enrollment.'
• The OEC complaint procedure - listed by OEC as an inspection item for endorsed large family child care homes (Large Family Child Care Home FAQ, section 4); the general-licence analogue is the oral explanation and phone number required by RCSA sec. 19a-87b-5(g).
• Not posted but must be furnished to each parent, and cited the same way: notice of toxic level(s) of lead identified on defective surfaces (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-10(h)(11)).
• Not posted but must be shown on request: the provider's copy of the last inspection form completed by Office staff, which the provider 'shall allow the parents of all children receiving family child care services or wishing to place a child in the family child care home to see' (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-10(h)(9)).
• Not posted but must be disclosed to parents: the names of substitutes, assistants, emergency caregivers and household members who have contact with the children, and the dates and times staff will be used (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-10(h)(6) and (7)).
• Not posted but must be kept at the home and produced on inspection: a copy of RCSA secs. 19a-87b-1 to 19a-87b-18 (sec. 19a-87b-6(a)), the written emergency plan and the quarterly drill log kept one year (sec. 19a-87b-9(d)(5)), and the written daily schedule (sec. 19a-87b-10(c)(4)).

Enrollment forms for each child

• Family Child Care Home Initial Application for Licensure (OEC Division of Licensing; packet revised 7/22/2025) - the licence application, filed once with a $40 non-refundable fee for a four-year licence (CGS sec. 19a-87b(d); RCSA sec. 19a-87b-3(c)), and containing the Initial Application Fee Form and Statement of Compliance. https://www.ctoec.org/forms-documents/dcfh-initial-application.pdf
• Statement of Compliance - inside the application packet; the applicant certifies familiarity with and agreement to abide by RCSA secs. 19a-87b-1 to 19a-87b-18, consents to immediate access for inspections, and certifies enrolled children are immunised or exempt (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-3(c) and (e); false statements punishable under CGS sec. 53a-157b).
• Adult Medical Statement for Child Care (OEC, October 2024) - completed by a physician, PA or APRN for the applicant, for each staff assistant or substitute applicant and for each adult household member; initially within the past twelve months, thereafter signed within the past thirty-six months (RCSA secs. 19a-87b-6(b)(1) and 19a-87b-7(a)(1)).
• Request for Reference Forms - three of them, from people who have known the applicant at least three years, no more than one a relative (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-6(d)). https://www.ctoec.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Request-for-Reference-Forms.pdf
• Family Child Care Home Staff Initial Application (assistant or substitute) - $15 with the application, approval good for two years, renewable for $15 (CGS sec. 19a-87b(b) and (e); RCSA sec. 19a-87b-8(f)). Must be approved in writing BEFORE the person works. https://www.ctoec.org/forms-documents/family-day-care-home-staff.pdf
• Background check submission through the OEC Background Check Information System (BCIS) - initiated by an email invitation from the OEC Legal Division after the application is accepted; covers the applicant, each household member eighteen or older and each proposed assistant or substitute (CGS sec. 19a-87b(c); RCSA sec. 19a-87b-8a). https://www.ctoec.org/background-checks/
• Child Enrollment Form / Child Enrollment Packet and Written Permission Form (OEC) - the enrolment record and parental permissions required by RCSA sec. 19a-87b-10(b)(1) and (3); the enrolment form is kept one year after the child leaves.
• Incident Log (OEC) - one per enrolled child, recording accidents, incidents reported to DCF, injuries, illnesses or unusual behaviours, shared with the parent no later than the next business day (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-10(b)(4)); CGS sec. 19a-87b(f)(6)(C) requires it kept not less than two years.
• Authorization for Administration of Medication, Parent Authorization for Administration of Non-Prescription Topical Medications, and the Medication Administration Record (MAR) - required whenever medications are given, with written policies and procedures (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-17); the trainer's Written Approval for Administration of Medication Training Certificate evidences the sec. 19a-87b-17(b)(1)(A) training.
• DCF-136, Report of Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect (or the DCF online reporting portal) - the mandated-reporter instrument; a paid family child care provider is a mandated reporter under CGS sec. 17a-101(b)(32) and must report under RCSA sec. 19a-87b-10(k)(3) and CGS secs. 17a-101 to 17a-101e.
• OEC Family Child Care Self Report and the 'Notify Licensing About Changes to Your Program' online forms - used for the next-business-day notification of a child's death or serious injury (RCSA sec. 19a-87b-10(k)(2)) and the five-working-day notification of any change of circumstances (sec. 19a-87b-5(j)).
• Large Family Child Care Home Endorsement application - a JotForm published on the OEC website only during an open window (FY27: July 15-31, 2026), requiring indoor and outdoor space diagrams, verification of at least one approved staff member current on the BCIS roster, a fire marshal certificate of compliance and written verification of building, zoning and local health compliance (CGS sec. 19a-87b(m)).

What's specific about getting licensed in Connecticut

Connecticut licenses home child care through the Office of Early Childhood under the PUBLIC HEALTH title (CGS Chapter 368a / RCSA Title 19a) and, unlike most states, publishes NO adult:child ratio table — the license 'capacity' number IS the ratio. The trap most new providers miss is that the headline '9 children' and 'up to 6 infants' figures are unavailable until the Commissioner has approved a specific assistant or substitute IN WRITING through a separate staff-approval application (its own $15 fee and full background checks). Solo, you are capped at 6 children and, critically, only TWO children under 18 MONTHS at one time — a hard age band OEC watches closely, and narrower than the industry 'two under two.' The license is also address-locked and non-transferable, so moving your home voids it until you reapply, re-inspect, and get re-approved.

How long it takes and what it costs in Connecticut

Timeline: Typically several weeks to a few months. The pace is set by clearing fingerprint-based state AND national background checks (which must come back before licensure) for the provider and every household member 18+, plus scheduling the mandatory home inspection (including lead-source inspection) and obtaining hands-on First Aid/CPR certification and the physician/APRN medical statement. Once granted, the license runs for a four-year term.

Cost: OEC fees: $40 initial license (four-year term); $40 renewal; $15 per assistant/substitute staff approval (two-year term). Additional out-of-pocket, all variable: hands-on First Aid + CPR course (commonly ~$60–110), fingerprint-based state & national background-check fees (varies — confirm with OEC / CT State Police vendor), and the physician/APRN medical statement (varies by provider). Confirm current fee amounts with the Office of Early Childhood.

Source: Textes primaires effectivement lus. (1) Recueil officiel OEC Division of Licensing, 'Statutes and Regulations - Family Child Care Homes', May 2025, 69 pages, statuts revises au 01/01/2025 : https://www.ctoec.org/forms-documents/family-child-care-home-statutes-regulations-2023.pdf - source du TEXTE ADOPTE de RCSA secs. 19a-87b-1 a 19a-87b-18 utilise ici (en-tete 'Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies ... Revised: 2024-10-23'), et des textes reproduits de CGS secs. 19a-77, 19a-87b, 19a-87e, 10-514 et 17a-101. (2) Conn.

Gen. Stat. chapitre 368a, texte integral lu : https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_368a.htm - secs. 19a-77 ('Child care services' defined; exclusions) et 19a-87b (License required for family child care homes; comprehensive background checks; fees; regulations), y compris les subsections (a) a (l) et l'historique legislatif. (3) Public Act 25-82, 'An Act Concerning Early Childhood Care and Education' (HB 5003), texte de loi lu integralement, notamment la section 7 creant CGS sec. 19a-87b(m), 'Effective July 1, 2025' : https://www.cga.ct.gov/2025/act/Pa/pdf/2025PA-00082-R00HB-05003-PA.PDF (4) Connecticut eRegulations System, PR2017-046, 'Regulation of Office of Early Childhood Concerning Family Child Care Homes', 41 pages, poste le 14/07/2020 : https://eregulations.ct.gov/eRegsPortal/Search/getDocument?guid=%7B10C44E73-0000-C810-AB9F-2FC28E646896%7D - lu en entier ; utilise UNIQUEMENT pour identifier la migration DPH vers OEC et ce qui a change, jamais comme droit en vigueur (voir verify_flag). (5) OEC, packet 'Family Child Care Home Initial Application for Licensure', 21 pages, revise 7/22/2025 : https://www.ctoec.org/forms-documents/dcfh-initial-application.pdf - Coordinating Check List, questions 1 a 26, Statement of Compliance, Adult Medical Statement (October 2024). (6) OEC, 'Records to be Maintained on Premises as Required by Family Child Care Home Regulations', 1 page : https://www.ctoec.org/forms-documents/dcfh-records-to-be-maintained-on-premise.pdf - liste officielle des cinq elements a afficher. (7) Pages OEC lues (toutes en 403 pour un client automatise, lues via r.jina.ai) : https://www.ctoec.org/licensing/family-child-care-homes/ (maj 12/03/2026) ;

.../apply/ ; .../forms-resources/ (maj 12/08/2026) ; .../statutes-regulations/ (maj 29/05/2026) ; .../staff-substitutes-assistants/ (maj 15/07/2026) ; https://www.ctoec.org/licensing-for-family-child-care-homes/large-family-child-care/ (maj 06/07/2026) ; https://www.ctoec.org/large-family-child-care-home-frequently-asked-questions/ (maj 12/12/2025) ; https://www.ctoec.org/news/large-family-child-care-endorsement-application-opens-july-15-2026/ (memo du 02/07/2026).(8) Verifie et ecarte : eRegulations PR2022-026 (guid E0DBE683-0000-C417-812B-EDA95C745DD9) concerne RCSA secs. 19a-79-1a a 19a-79-13, soit les child care centers et group child care homes, pas les family child care homes.

Verified 2026-08-24. General information, not legal advice and not a guarantee of licensure — confirm with your state’s licensing agency before applying.