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Home Daycare License Requirements in Kansas (2026)

Opening a home daycare in Kansas means getting a family child care home license from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), Child Care Licensing 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 Kansas

ONE DEFINITION, THREE INTERCHANGEABLE NAMES. K.A.R. 28-4-113(i), as amended effective August 2, 2024 and published in the Kansas Register Vol. 43, No. 29 (July 18, 2024) at p. 1083: '"Family child care home," "day care home," or "group day care home" means the premises on which care is provided for a maximum of 12 children under 16 years of age, with a limited number of children under five years of age as specified in K.A.R. 28-4-114(e).' Read that carefully: the quotation marks enclose THREE terms and the verb is singular - the regulation is telling you the three names mean the same thing. K.A.R. 28-4-113(h) then defines the licensed object: '"Facility" means a family child care home, a day care home, or a group day care home.' KOEC's public-facing description agrees: 'Family Child Care Home - A child care facility in which care is provided for a maximum of 12 children under 16 years of age and includes children under 10 years of age related to the provider. This could require 2 providers depending on the total number and ages of children in care.' CORRECTION TO THE PRIOR ENTRY, ITEM BY ITEM.

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 Kansas

12 CHILDREN UNDER 16 YEARS OF AGE - THE ABSOLUTE CEILING, AND IT IS REACHABLE ONLY UNDER CONDITIONS. K.A.R. 28-4-113(i): a family child care home is 'the premises on which care is provided for a maximum of 12 children under 16 years of age, with a limited number of children under five years of age as specified in K.A.R. 28-4-114(e).' Twelve is the ceiling of the whole license type. There is no longer any Kansas home license with a lower statutory ceiling. BUT THE OPERATIVE NUMBER IS 'MAXIMUM GROUP SIZE', NOT 'LICENSE CAPACITY', AND THE TWO ARE DIFFERENT THINGS. K.A.R. 28-4-113(l) still defines the old concept: '"License capacity" means the maximum number of children who are authorized to be on the premises at any one time.' But the August 2, 2024 amendment retitled the controlling subsection K.A.R. 28-4-114(e) as 'MAXIMUM GROUP SIZE FOR FAMILY CHILD CARE HOMES' and put every table under that heading. The practical meaning: your licensed number is a ceiling, and the age mix present at any given moment sets a second, usually lower, ceiling that moves during the day. K.A.R. 28-4-114(h)(2): 'The total number of children on the premises, including children under 10 years of age related to the applicant with a temporary permit, the licensee, or any other provider, does not exceed the maximum group size based on the age of the youngest child present and the number of providers present as specified in subsection (e).'

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

Adult-to-child ratios

KANSAS DOES NOT PUBLISH AN ADULT:CHILD RATIO FOR HOME-BASED CARE. It publishes AGE-COMPOSITION TABLES. This much of the prior entry was right and is confirmed: there is no '1:4 for infants' style rule for a family child care home anywhere in K.A.R. Article 28-4. The governing instrument is K.A.R. 28-4-114(e), retitled effective August 2, 2024 as 'Maximum group size for family child care homes', reproduced below verbatim from the adopted text published in the Kansas Register, Vol. 43, No. 29, July 18, 2024, p. 1084. K.A.R. 28-4-114(e)(1): 'The maximum group size for a family child care home shall be the following:' TABLE I - MAXIMUM GROUP SIZE, ONE PROVIDER. Columns: 'Maximum Number of Children Under 12 Months' | 'Maximum Number of Children at Least 12 Months but Under 5 Years of Age' | 'Maximum Number of Children at Least 5 Years but Under 10 Years of Age' | 'Maximum Group Size'. Rows: 0 | 8 | 2 | 10. 1 | 6 | 3 | 10. 2 | 5 | 2 | 9. 3 | 3 | 2 | 8. TABLE II - MAXIMUM GROUP SIZE, ONE PROVIDER. Columns: 'Ages of Children Enrolled' | 'Maximum Group Size'. Rows: 'At Least 2.5 Years but Under 10 Years of Age' | 10. 'At Least 3 Years but Under 10 Years of Age' | 11. 'At Least 5 Years but Under 10 Years of Age' | 12. TABLE III - MAXIMUM GROUP SIZE, TWO PROVIDERS*.

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

FIVE THINGS BEFORE A CHILD IS EVER ALONE WITH YOU, IN THIS ORDER: (0) be 18 and a high school graduate; (1) ORIENTATION, which must happen BEFORE you apply; (2) HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING, within 30 calendar days after applying; (3) PEDIATRIC FIRST AID AND PEDIATRIC CPR CERTIFICATION, within 30 calendar days after applying; (4) HEALTH STATUS ATTESTATION AND A TUBERCULOSIS TEST. All four training items sit in K.A.R. 28-4-114a, 'Initial and ongoing professional development training', as amended effective August 2, 2024 (Kansas Register Vol. 43, No. 29, July 18, 2024, pp. 1085-1086). The regulation opens with a rule for entity applicants: 'If an applicant, an applicant with a temporary permit, or a licensee is not an individual, the applicant, applicant with a temporary permit, or licensee shall designate an individual to meet the requirements of this regulation.' (0) THRESHOLD ELIGIBILITY. K.A.R. 28-4-114(b)(1): the applicant/licensee shall 'Be at least 18 years of age'. K.S.A. 75-7719(k): 'No person shall maintain a day care facility unless such person is a high school graduate or the equivalent thereof, except that, if extraordinary circumstances exist, the director of the Kansas office of early childhood may exercise discretion to make exceptions from this requirement.' (Grandfather clause for anyone maintaining a facility immediately prior to July 1, 2010.) (1) ORIENTATION - BEFORE APPLICATION, NOT AFTER. K.A.R. 28-4-114a(a)(1): 'Each person shall, before applying for a license, complete an orientation program on the requirements for operating a facility, provided by the secretary's designee that serves the county in which the facility will be located.'

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

Ongoing (annual) training

10 CLOCK-HOURS PER LICENSURE YEAR - NOT 16. This is the second-largest correction in this entry, and it is the textbook case of the codified regulation being the thing that lies. WHAT THE STATUTE SAYS, AND IT IS THE NEWER TEXT. K.S.A. 65-538(a)(1) (2025 HB 2045, New Sec. 2(a)(1), L. 2025, ch. 118, sec. 2, effective July 1, 2025): 'For each licensure year beginning after July 1, 2025, each person who provides care to children in a licensed child care home shall complete professional development training in an amount determined by the secretary of health and environment of up to 10 clock hours per licensure year.' The words are 'UP TO 10' - a statutory CEILING on what the agency may demand. K.S.A. 65-538(a)(2): 'Such training shall consist of a minimum of eight hours of training specified by the secretary.' K.S.A. 65-538(a)(3): 'As part of the professional development training required under this subsection: (A) Each person who provides care to children in a licensed child care home shall submit to the secretary proof of completion of up to four hours of such outside training in child care or any related subject.

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

Background checks

REQUIRED, LAYERED, AND BLOCKING - NOBODY WORKS, VOLUNTEERS OR LIVES IN THE HOME UNTIL THE RESULT CLEARS. The regulation is K.A.R. 28-4-125, 'Background checks', effective June 7, 2018 (adopted via Kansas Register Vol. 37, No. 20A, May 23, 2018). It was NOT amended on August 2, 2024 and is NOT on the July 13, 2026 hearing docket, so the 2018 text is the current text. The statute behind it, for day care facilities from July 1, 2026, is K.S.A. 75-7719 (2025 HB 2045, New Sec. 27); the older parallel provision K.S.A. 65-516 still governs 'child care facilities' that are not day care facilities and is the section KOEC's own public materials still cite. THE FULL TEXT OF K.A.R. 28-4-125, verbatim from the compiled Family Child Care Home Regulations Book served by KOEC: 'Each applicant, applicant with a temporary permit, and licensee shall meet the following requirements: (a) Submit to the department the identifying information necessary to complete background checks for each individual who works or regularly volunteers in the facility, each individual at least 10 years of age who resides in the facility, and any other individual in the facility whose activities involve either supervised or unsupervised access to children.

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 0 - CONFIRM YOU ACTUALLY NEED A LICENCE, AND THAT YOU MAY HOLD ONE. Kansas exempts a narrow band of home care from licensure and the band is now statutory: K.S.A. 65-538(b) directs that rules 'not require licensure for an individual who provides care for less than 35 hours, unless otherwise increased by the secretary, to four or fewer children, not more than two of whom may be infants who are not related to the individual by blood, marriage or legal adoption, nor to individuals who provide care for children in such child's own home or when care is arranged between friends and neighbors on an irregular basis.' KOEC's 'Types of Licensed Care' page restates it as four bullets under…
2. STEP 1 - DECIDE THE LICENCE TYPE, AND KNOW THAT 'FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME' NOW COVERS COMMERCIAL PREMISES TOO. KOEC's Step 1: 'Regulated care includes home care, center or school age programs. Understanding what type of care you want to offer is your first step in this journey!' A family child care home is capped at 12 children under 16 (K.A.R. 28-4-113(i)); at 13 or more you are in child-care-center territory, and CCL 008 warns that a program with fewer than 13 children may still have to be licensed as a centre 'if the program and building meet child care center regulations'. Since K.S.A. 65-540(a) - 'The secretary of health and environment shall not require as a condition of licensure for…
3. STEP 2 - ATTEND ORIENTATION WITH YOUR LOCAL LICENSING SPECIALIST, BEFORE YOU APPLY. K.A.R. 28-4-114a(a)(1): 'Each person shall, before applying for a license, complete an orientation program on the requirements for operating a facility, provided by the secretary's designee that serves the county in which the facility will be located.' KOEC: 'Orientation is conducted by the local licensing surveyor ... Contact your Local Licensing Specialist (PDF) to schedule your orientation. Do not apply for a license until you have attended a required orientation.' Topics per KOEC: licensing regulations, emergency procedures, behavior management and discipline practices, schedule of daily activities,…
4. STEP 3 - SUBMIT THE APPLICATION TO KOEC, ONLINE OR ON PAPER, AND SEND NO LICENCE FEE. K.A.R. 28-4-114(a)(1): 'Any person desiring to operate a facility shall apply for a license on forms provided by the department.' The forms are CCL 201, 'Application for New Family Child Care Home' (which expressly 'includes commercial settings'), with CCL 201a as the completion instructions and CCL 201b as the checklist for a non-residential or commercial building. KOEC: 'Create an account and submit an application online or submit a paper application.' Submit early - KOEC's bulletin: 'a reminder that applications for summer and fall programs should be submitted at least 90 days prior to your anticipated…
5. STEP 4 - SUBMIT BACKGROUND-CHECK INFORMATION FOR EVERY ADULT AND EVERY RESIDENT AGED 10 OR OVER, AND WAIT FOR 'CLEARED'. K.A.R. 28-4-125(a) requires the identifying information at application, at renewal, and before any new person works, volunteers or moves in. Fingerprint-based checks for you, any provider, and every resident aged 18 or over (28-4-125(b)); name-based KBI + DCF child-abuse-and-neglect-registry checks for every resident aged 10 or over and for supervised volunteers and school-placed students 16+ without unsupervised access (28-4-125(d)). Five years of residence history is required for anyone in the fingerprint tier (28-4-125(c)), and KOEC will not issue a 'Cleared' status…
6. STEP 5 - COMPLETE HEALTH AND SAFETY TRAINING, PEDIATRIC FIRST AID AND PEDIATRIC CPR WITHIN 30 CALENDAR DAYS OF APPLYING. K.A.R. 28-4-114a(b)(1): the applicant 'shall complete the training not later than 30 calendar days after submitting an application for a license'; the ten subject areas run from recognising abuse and neglect through to medication administration at (b)(3)(J). K.A.R. 28-4-114a(c)(2): certifications in pediatric first aid and pediatric CPR 'not later than 30 calendar days after submitting an application', and per (c)(1) they must 'include a practical application component and be demonstrated in front of an instructor certified by a nationally recognized first aid and CPR…
7. STEP 6 - CLEAR THE ADULT HEALTH REQUIREMENTS FOR EVERYONE 16 AND OVER IN THE HOME. File a health status attestation on CCL 357 for each individual at least 16 who cares for children (K.A.R. 28-4-126(b)), updated annually or on any change or TB exposure. Obtain a record of a negative tuberculosis test or x-ray for each individual at least 16 'living, working, or regularly volunteering in the facility', dated not more than two years before the date of employment or initial application, or obtained not later than 30 days after (K.A.R. 28-4-126(c)(1)). Note: a family child care home provider does NOT need a physician-conducted health assessment - that requirement (K.A.R. 28-4-126(e)) applies…
8. STEP 7 - GET THE PREMISES FIRE-APPROVED AND PHYSICALLY READY. K.A.R. 28-4-115(d): 'Each facility shall be approved for fire safety by a fire inspector' - defined at 28-4-113(j) as 'a person approved by the state fire marshal to conduct fire safety inspections'. K.A.R. 28-4-115(e): any basement or second floor used for child care must be fire-approved before use; 'A third floor shall not be used for child care.' KOEC routes fire questions to the Kansas State Fire Marshal (firemarshal.ks.gov, 785-296-3401) and references a 'Fire and Life Safety Agreement'. Physical minimums to have in place before the surveyor arrives, from K.A.R. 28-4-115(c): 25 square feet of available play space per…
9. STEP 8 - WRITE THE PAPER THAT MUST EXIST BEFORE THE FIRST CHILD ARRIVES. A written emergency plan covering fire, weather, missing or runaway child, chemical release, utility failure, intruder, act of terrorism, lockdown and unscheduled closing, with a designated shelter-in-place area, an off-premises relocation site and evacuation routes, plus procedures for special needs, allergic reactions, parent notification, reunification, continuity of records and staff task assignment (K.A.R. 28-4-128(a)(1)); it must be kept on file on the premises, reviewed with parents, followed by every staff member, reviewed at least annually, practised at least annually, and backed by MONTHLY fire drills and…
10. STEP 9 - RECEIVE THE TEMPORARY PERMIT, THEN PASS THE INITIAL SURVEY. K.S.A. 75-7709(b): 'The director of the Kansas office of early childhood may issue a temporary permit to operate for a period of not to exceed 90 days upon receipt of an initial application for license. The director ... may extend the temporary permit to operate for an additional period of not to exceed 90 days if an applicant is not in full compliance with this act but has made efforts toward full compliance.' KOEC's Step 5 explains the sequencing difference that matters: 'Home programs in a residential setting where all background checks have been processed may receive a temporary permit from KOEC, This means you may…
11. STEP 10 - POST THE LICENCE, KEEP THE REGULATIONS ON SITE, AND START THE ANNUAL CYCLE. K.A.R. 28-4-114(k): 'Each applicant with a temporary permit and each licensee shall post any temporary permit or license conspicuously as required by K.S.A. 65-504 ... A copy of the current regulations governing facilities shall be kept on the premises and shall be available to all providers at all times.' The licence itself will carry a bold-print smoking prohibition (K.S.A. 75-7726(c)) and 'an expiration sticker stating the date of expiration' (K.S.A. 75-7709(a)). From there the recurring obligations are: annual professional development (10 clock hours per provider per licensure year - see…

What you must post on your walls

• THE LICENCE OR TEMPORARY PERMIT, CONSPICUOUSLY, ON THE PREMISES. K.A.R. 28-4-114(k): 'Posting of temporary permit or license and availability of regulations. Each applicant with a temporary permit and each licensee shall post any temporary permit or license conspicuously as required by K.S.A. 65-504, and amendments thereto.' The statutory command now applicable to a day care facility is K.S.A. 75-7709(a): 'The license shall be kept posted in a conspicuous place on such premises, where the business is conducted. A license granted to maintain a day care facility shall have on its face an expiration sticker stating the date of expiration of the license.'
• THE BOLD-PRINT SMOKING PROHIBITION, WHICH IS PRINTED ON THE LICENCE ITSELF. K.S.A. 75-7726(c): 'Each day care license shall contain a statement in bold print that smoking is prohibited within a room, enclosed area or other enclosed space of the facility or facilities of the day care home under the conditions specified in subsection (b). The statement shall be phrased in substantially the same language as subsection (b). The license shall be posted in a conspicuous place in the facility or facilities.' Subsection (b) prohibits smoking indoors 'during a time when children who are not related by blood, marriage or legal adoption to the person who maintains the home are being cared for', while…
• A CURRENT COPY OF THE REGULATIONS, ON SITE AND AVAILABLE TO EVERY PROVIDER AT ALL TIMES. K.A.R. 28-4-114(k), second sentence: 'A copy of the current regulations governing facilities shall be kept on the premises and shall be available to all providers at all times.' (Kept and available rather than posted, but it is an on-premises document obligation of the same family, and it is inspected.) KOEC serves the compiled 'Family Child Care Home Regulations Book' for this purpose.
• EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS, READILY ACCESSIBLE OR POSTED NEXT TO THE TELEPHONE. K.A.R. 28-4-127(a): 'Telephone. A working telephone shall be on the premises and available for use at all times. Emergency telephone numbers shall be readily accessible or be posted next to the telephone for the police, fire department, ambulance, hospital or hospitals, and poison control center.' Note the regulation's own alternative - 'readily accessible OR ... posted' - so a posted list is one compliant option rather than the only one. The prior entry stated this as a flat posting requirement; that is a slight over-statement of the rule as written.
• DIAPERING PROCEDURES, POSTED IN EVERY DIAPER-CHANGING AREA. K.A.R. 28-4-132(g)(1)-(2): 'Each applicant, each applicant with a temporary permit, each licensee, and each individual caring for children shall follow the diapering procedures provided by the department. (2) A copy of the procedures shall be posted in each diaper-changing area.' The department-provided procedures are KOEC form CCL 025, 'Diapering of Children in Child Care' (Spanish version also published).
• POOL SAFETY RULES, POSTED IN A CLEARLY VISIBLE LOCATION NEAR THE POOL. K.A.R. 28-4-129: 'Legible safety rules for the use of each pool shall be posted in a clearly visible location near the pool area.' 'Pool' is defined broadly at K.A.R. 28-4-122(b)(8): 'any fixture or structure designed or utilized to hold water for swimming, wading, recreation, exercise, therapeutics, bathing, or any other purpose', excluding indoor bathtubs and fully enclosed water-storage containers. KOEC publishes a standing 'Pool Policy Exception' and 'Pool Visual Guidance'.
• VEHICLE SAFETY RULES, POSTED IN EACH VEHICLE (or given to each driver). K.A.R. 28-4-130(n): 'A copy of the requirements in subsection (m) shall be posted in each vehicle or given to each driver.' Subsection (m) is the ten-point transport rule: doors locked in motion; discipline maintained; all parts of each child's body inside the vehicle; no child entering or exiting into a lane of traffic; no child left unattended; the driver checking the vehicle when vacated; no tobacco product use while transporting; no cell phone or electronic device use by the driver in motion except hands-free navigation; applicable staff-child ratios maintained in the vehicle; and (for residential centers and group…
• WELL-CHILD HEALTH INFORMATION - POSTED CONSPICUOUSLY, OR GIVEN TO EACH PARENT AT ENROLMENT. K.A.R. 28-4-117(g): the licensee 'shall provide information to parents of children about the benefits of annual well-child health assessments for children under the age of six years and biennial health assessments for children six years of age and older ... This information shall be given on a form provided by the department to the parent when the child is enrolled or be posted in a conspicuous place, with copies of the form available to parents on request.' The department form is CCL 011, 'Well-Child Health Information'.
• ANY GRANTED REGULATORY EXCEPTION, POSTED WITH THE LICENCE. K.A.R. 28-4-119b(b): 'Written notice from the Kansas department of health and environment stating the nature of the exception and its duration shall be posted with the license.' (Read 'department' as KOEC per K.S.A. 75-7705(a)(5).) Exceptions are requested on CCL 031.
• NOT A POSTING, BUT AN ACCESS RIGHT THAT IS ROUTINELY MISFILED AS ONE - PARENTAL ACCESS. K.A.R. 28-4-123(a): 'Each parent and each legal guardian of a child enrolled in a facility shall have access to the premises during all hours of operation.' The prior entry listed this under required postings; nothing is posted. If video cameras are used, however, there IS a written-notice duty: K.A.R. 28-4-123(b)(1) 'The parent or legal guardian of each child in care shall be informed in writing that cameras are used in the facility,' and (b)(2) 'All staff members shall be informed if cameras are used.'
• KEPT ON FILE ON THE PREMISES RATHER THAN POSTED - LISTED HERE BECAUSE SURVEYORS ASK FOR THEM AT THE DOOR: the written emergency plan (K.A.R. 28-4-128(a)(2)); dated records of monthly fire drills and monthly tornado drills, kept one year (28-4-128(a)(6)(A)-(B)); the annual shelter-in-place / relocation practice record (28-4-128(a)(5)); the written discipline policy, with parents informed (28-4-132(b)(3)); each individual's orientation, training and certification documentation (28-4-114a(e)); health status forms and TB records (28-4-126(d)); each child's file and medical record (28-4-117(h)); water-test results and well approval where a non-public water source is used (28-4-115(a)); and each…

Enrollment forms for each child

• CCL 201 - 'Application for New Family Child Care Home' (KOEC notes it 'includes commercial settings'). The initial application. Regulatory hook: K.A.R. 28-4-114(a)(1), 'Any person desiring to operate a facility shall apply for a license on forms provided by the department.' Served at https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/314/639098668759670000 . NOTE: KDHE's legacy library titled the equivalent document 'CCL 201 Application for a NEW LDCH and GDCH' (Rev. 06/2025) - 'LDCH/GDCH' meaning Licensed Day Care Home / Group Day Care Home. KOEC has retitled it to 'Family Child Care Home'. If you encounter the LDCH/GDCH wording you are looking at the pre-consolidation naming.
• CCL 201a - 'Instructions for Completing the Application for a New Family Child Care Home'. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/316/639098668761700000
• CCL 201b - 'Application Checklist for a Family Child Care Home In a Non-Residential or Commercial Building' (KOEC: 'excludes home settings'). The commercial-premises track opened by K.S.A. 65-540(a). https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/318/639098668764070000
• CCL 201c - 'Site Review and Program Consultation'. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/322/639098668768270000
• CCL 202 - 'Renewal Application for a Family Child Care Home'. Renewal triggers a fresh background-check submission under K.A.R. 28-4-125(a)(2). https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/320/639098668766330000
• CCL 205 - 'Family Child Care Home Schedule of Enrollment'. The instrument on which the home's actual daily age mix is tested against the K.A.R. 28-4-114(e) maximum group size tables. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/324/639098668771970000
• CCL 002 - 'Background and Registry Checks for Child Care Facilities'. The submission vehicle for K.A.R. 28-4-125(a) identifying information. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/328/639098689624200000
• CCL 002a - 'Affiliate Roles for Family Child Care Home'. Maps each household member, employee, substitute and volunteer to a role, and therefore to the fingerprint tier vs the name-based tier and to whether the $48 fee applies. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/330/639098689626230000
• CCL 601 - 'Fingerprint Waiver and FBI Privacy Form'. The paper alternative to KOEC's digital fingerprint waiver (hosted on ArcGIS Survey123). https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/74/639098536966430000
• CCL 031 - 'Request for Exception Application'. The route provided by K.A.R. 28-4-119b(a)(1) for an exception to a regulation; if granted, the written notice must be posted with the licence per 28-4-119b(b). https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/234/639098610722830000
• CCL 032 - 'Request for Licensing Amendment'. Used to change the licensed number of children or the premises described on the licence (K.S.A. 75-7709(a); amendment fee not to exceed $35 under K.S.A. 75-7710(d)). https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/236/639098610724870000
• CCL 303 - 'Closure Notification' (published in both printable PDF and digital form-centre versions). Backs K.A.R. 28-4-114(l): 'Any applicant with a temporary permit and any licensee may submit, at any time, a request to close the facility.' https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/232/639098610719100000
• CCL 039 - 'Request for Exception to Provide Foster Care Application', with a companion 'Provider Guidance for Family Foster Home Exceptions'. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/312/639098668757500000
• CCL 400 - 'Family Child Care Home Orientation Checklist'. Documents the pre-application orientation required by K.A.R. 28-4-114a(a)(1). https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/334/639098691883070000
• CCL 208 - 'Family Child Care Home / Guidelines for Orientation and Professional Development Training', Rev. 07/2025. THE most consequential single form in this entry: it is where KOEC states the annual figure as '10 clock-hours' against a regulation that still reads 16, and where the 'approved by the secretary' training sources are enumerated. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/332/639098691881100000
• CCL 210 - 'Organizing Business Records and Staff Trainings'. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/348/639098691898170000
• CCL 357 - 'Health Status Form'. The self-attestation required of every individual at least 16 caring for children, K.A.R. 28-4-126(b), updated annually. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/274/639098642669600000
• CCL 029 - 'Medical Record' (per child) and CCL 029a - 'Child Health Assessment'. Required by K.A.R. 28-4-117(a): the health assessment must be 'conducted not more than twelve months before and obtained not later than 60 calendar days after the child's initial enrollment'. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/244/639098642632270000 and https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/246/639098642634630000
• CCL 010 - 'Authorization for Emergency Medical Care'. Backs K.A.R. 28-4-127(b)(1)(A). https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/338/639098691887230000
• CCL 026 - 'Authorization for Administering Medications to Children and Youth: Short-Term Medications'; CCL 027 - same, 'Long-Term Medications'. Backs the written-permission requirements at K.A.R. 28-4-132(i)(2)(A) and (i)(3)(A). https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/340/639098691889400000 and https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/342/639098691891530000
• CCL 034 - 'Permission Form for Children to go Off-Premises'; CCL 035 - 'Group Permission Form for Children to go Off-Premises'. Required by K.A.R. 28-4-124(b) and (e). https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/344/639098691893830000 and https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/346/639098691896100000
• CCL 028a - 'Critical Incident Report' (with a 'Reporting FAQs' companion). K.A.R. 28-4-133(b): a written report of any critical incident must be 'submitted by the next working day to the department ... on a form provided by the department', and a copy kept on file for at least one year. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/264/639098642657870000
• CCL 025 - 'Diapering of Children in Child Care' (English and Spanish). This is 'the diapering procedures provided by the department' that K.A.R. 28-4-132(g)(1) requires providers to follow and (g)(2) requires to be posted in each diaper-changing area. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/240/639098642625900000
• CCL 005 - 'Annual Mechanical Safety Check for Vehicles Used to Transport Children in a Child Care Facility'. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/256/639098642646830000
• CCL 040 - 'Corrective Action Plan'; CCL 203 - 'Family Child Care Homes Survey Instrument'; CCL 306b - 'The Survey Process'. CORRECTION: the prior entry described CCL 203 as the 'Licensed Group Day Care Homes Self-Audit Survey Tool' and flagged that 'exact current form numbers could not be independently confirmed'. The number is right; the title is not. KOEC's live forms library titles CCL 203 'Family Child Care Homes Survey Instrument' and files it under 'Facility Survey Information'. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/350/639098698795830000 , https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/58/639096180725100000 ,…
• CCL 008 - 'Licensing Child Care in Kansas', Rev. 10/2025. The agency's own one-page statement of what is and is not licensable, including the unregulated-care band. CORRECTION: the prior entry cited 'CCL-033 (Comparing Licensed Day Care Homes)'; no such form appears in KOEC's current Family Child Care Home library, and the comparison function is now served by CCL 008 plus the 'Types of Licensed Care' page. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/352/639098703433170000
• CCL 011 - 'Well-Child Health Information'. The department form referenced by K.A.R. 28-4-117(g), to be given at enrolment or posted conspicuously. https://www.koec.ks.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/354/639098703435130000
• CCL 006 - 'Reporting Suspected Abuse and Neglect' (English and Spanish); CCL 012 - 'Behavior and Guidance' (English and Spanish); CCL 037 - 'Guidelines for Exclusion' (English and Spanish); CCL 211 - 'Fencing Due to Hazards in Outdoor Area'. Guidance documents KOEC publishes for family child care homes alongside the mandatory forms.
• CCL 309 - 'Inquiry Regarding Licensure CCC/PS/Mother's Day Out' and CCL 360 - 'Inquiry Regarding Licensure: SAP'. KOEC's route for a programme that is unsure whether it needs a licence at all: 'The inquiry form should include detailed information about the program's purpose and a description of services offered for children or youth.'
• NON-CCL INSTRUMENTS THAT ARE NEVERTHELESS REQUIRED: the Kansas State Fire Marshal's 'Fire and Life Safety Agreement' and fire inspection (K.A.R. 28-4-115(d)-(e); KOEC routes providers to firemarshal.ks.gov / 785-296-3401); the KBI fingerprint card or LiveScan submission bearing KOEC ORI code KS920100Z and the individual's KOEC OCA number; the 'Required KBI Information form' (needed at law-enforcement fingerprinting locations); KOEC's online licensing application account and the Child Care Provider Portal (CLARIS) at claris.kdhe.state.ks.us; and CAPE registry (yourcape.org) records evidencing approved professional development.
• FORMS THAT NO LONGER EXIST AS SUCH: there is no separate application for a 'Group Day Care Home'. Since the August 2, 2024 consolidation of K.A.R. 28-4-113(i), one application - CCL 201 - covers the whole 12-child family child care home range, with the number of providers and the age mix determining the maximum group size rather than the licence type.

What's specific about getting licensed in Kansas

Kansas has no adult:child ratio the way most states do and no lightweight 'registration' tier — every home is fully licensed by KDHE (the health department, not DCF), and capacity is governed by age-composition tables that pivot entirely on how many children are under 18 months. The single-provider Day Care Home number '10' holds only while you have at most one child under 18 months: one infant still allows 10 (Table I row 1/5/4=10), but a second infant ratchets the total to 9 and a third to 8. The Group Day Care Home number '12' is the real trap — one provider can run 12 only if every child is at least 5 years old (Table II); any younger mix legally forces a second qualified provider the instant enrollment exceeds the one-provider table. Providers routinely mis-plan their business around a flat '10' or '12' that their actual infant mix will not permit. A live 2026 wrinkle: a statutory restructuring effective July 1, 2026 (K.S.A. 65-503/65-505) may change the day-care-home license fee and definitional structure, so confirm the current fee and program name with KDHE before budgeting.

How long it takes and what it costs in Kansas

Timeline: Realistically about 6-12 weeks from orientation to an operating temporary permit, driven mainly by (a) scheduling the KDHE/local-health-department orientation and on-site survey and (b) background-check turnaround. You complete orientation and apply first; health & safety training, pediatric CPR/first aid, and medication training are due within 30 days of applying; a temporary permit (up to 90 days, extendable once) is issued once requirements and the inspection are met, with the full license following. Confirm current processing times with KDHE Child Care Licensing.

Cost: License fee per K.A.R. 28-4-92(d) = $75 + $1 per child of authorized capacity (about $85 for a 10-child home, $87 for a 12-child group home); nonrefundable, due at application and each renewal. IMPORTANT 2026 CAVEAT: current K.S.A. 65-505(a)(2) provides 'no annual fee' for child care facilities other than maternity centers / placement / referral agencies, and a July 1, 2026 definitional change (K.S.A. 65-503) may remove day care homes from that fee — so the $75+$1 figure may be superseded; confirm the current license fee with KDHE. Fingerprint-based background check = $48 per person (K.A.R. 28-4-95) — multiply by every provider and household member 18+. Out-of-pocket also for pediatric CPR/first aid certification (course fee varies) and any non-free training; several KDHE-approved health & safety and medication-administration trainings are offered online at no cost — confirm current fees with KDHE.

Source: Sources officielles consultées pour Kansas :

https://www.kslegislature.gov/li/b2025_26/measures/documents/hb2045_enrolled.pdf

https://www.kslegislature.gov/b2025_26/bills/HB2045/

https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch65/065_005_0003.html

https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch65/065_005_0004.html

https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch65/065_005_0016.html

https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch65/065_005_0038.html

https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch65/065_005_0040.html

https://www.ksrevisor.gov/statutes/chapters/ch65/065_005_0041.html

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