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Home Daycare License Requirements in Kentucky (2026)

Opening a home daycare in Kentucky means getting a family child care home license from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS). 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 Kentucky

The statutory definition is the outer wall. KRS 199.894(5) (effective July 15, 2020): "'Family child-care home' means a private home that is the primary residence of an individual who provides full or part-time care day or night for six (6) or fewer children who are not the children, siblings, stepchildren, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or children in legal custody of the provider." Three elements do the work: a private home, which is that individual's PRIMARY RESIDENCE, and six or fewer UNRELATED children. 922 KAR 2:100 Section 1(9) narrows "Home" the same way - "the private primary residence of the certified family child-care home provider and contiguous property" - and Section 1(14) defines "Premises" as "the building and contiguous property in which child care is certified." Relatedness is a closed list, not a family-feeling test. 922 KAR 2:100 Section 1(17) defines "Related" as having one of the following relationships with the provider: child; grandchild; niece; nephew; sibling; step-child; or child in legal custody of the provider. A cousin, a godchild, a neighbour's child and a friend's child are all UNRELATED and occupy one of your six slots.

Kentucky recognises exactly one certified home category - there is no small/large tier inside 922 KAR 2:100 - but it is wrong to say the certified home is the only home-based option in the Commonwealth. The step up is also a home. 922 KAR 2:090 Section 2(2) (child-care center licensure, current version eff. 2-13-2025): "A Type II child-care center.

This child-care center shall be the primary residence of the licensee in which child care is regularly provided for seven (7), but not more than twelve (12), children including children related to the licensee." A Type I center by contrast is either four or more children in a nonresidential setting or thirteen or more "in a designated space separate from the primary residence of a licensee" (Section 2(1)). So the Kentucky home ladder is: fewer than four unrelated children, certification optional (KRS 199.8982(1)(a)); four to six unrelated, certification mandatory under 922 KAR 2:100; seven to twelve children counting your own, Type II center LICENCE under 922 KAR 2:090 and 922 KAR 2:120, still in your own house but under the centre rule book with a director qualification (922 KAR 2:090 Section 10(3)), staff records and a qualified substitute (Section 11). Certification attaches to a named person at a named address, not to a business: 922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(10)(a)3. provides the certificate "shall be valid for only the name of the individual authorized on the certificate to operate a family child-care home" and "the residential address printed on the certificate." A separate registered-relative track exists for relatives paid through the subsidy (922 KAR 2:180) and a set of settings is exempt from licensure entirely (922 KAR 2:090 Section 3, twelve categories including armed-forces base programs, religious services, and care while parents are on the premises).

How many children you can care for in Kentucky

Six unrelated, ten total, and both numbers appear in one sentence. 922 KAR 2:100 Section 10(4): "The maximum number of unrelated children in the care of a certified family child-care home provider shall not exceed six (6) at any one (1) time. A provider may care for four (4) related children in addition to six (6) unrelated children for a maximum child care capacity of ten (10) at any one (1) time." Read the qualifier "at any one time" literally: it is a simultaneous-presence ceiling, not an enrolment figure, so a shift overlap in which a seventh unrelated child is in the house while a sixth has not yet left is a breach on its face. The regulation adds a second, tighter ceiling that is personal to your certificate. Section 10(2): "A provider shall not provide care for more unrelated children than the number authorized on the certificate of operation." The certificate is required to state that figure - Section 2(10)(a)2.b. requires the certificate to contain "the maximum number of unrelated children who may be served," alongside the provider's name and address (2.a.), the identification number (2.c.), and the effective and expiration dates (2.d.).

If your certificate says four, four is your ceiling regardless of what Section 10(4) permits in the abstract. The related-child allowance is capped at four and is not a floating credit: it does not convert into unrelated slots, and the statutory definition of the home in KRS 199.894(5) is written entirely in terms of the six unrelated children, with related children invisible to it. Related children are, however, fully visible to the staffing thresholds - see the ratios field, where Section 10(3) counts "the provider's own or related" infants and children under six. Space can hold you below ten. 922 KAR 2:100 Section 12(12): "Exclusive of the bathroom and storage area, an indoor area, including furnishings, used for child care shall contain at least thirty-five (35) square feet per child" for play and for activities meeting developmental needs. At ten children that is 350 square feet of qualifying indoor space, furniture included, bathrooms and storage excluded. Two further structural limits bear on how many children you can actually hold: each floor level used for child care must have at least one unblocked exit to the outside, a smoke detector (including in the kitchen and in children's sleeping areas), a properly maintained fire extinguisher including in the kitchen area, and a carbon monoxide detector if the home uses fuel-burning appliances or has an attached garage (Section 12(2)); and each level used for child care must have at least one accessible working telephone while a child is present on that level (Section 12(8)(a)).

Capacity is also tied to the building. A move is not a notification, it is a re-application: Section 2(11) requires a ten calendar day notice, a completed OIG-DRCC-03, an inspection of the new home, and continued compliance. Exceeding the ceiling, or operating outside the terms of the certificate, runs through the enforcement ladder of Sections 4 through 8: statement of deficiency, corrective action plan within fifteen calendar days, directed plan of correction, suspension by emergency order under KRS 13B.125, revocation. Note that the civil monetary penalty scheme in 922 KAR 2:190 is written for CENTRES - Section 1(3) defines "Licensee" as the owner or operator of a child-care center and Section 2 keys Type A and Type B violations to 922 KAR 2:090, 2:120 and 2:280 - so a certified home faces the certificate ladder rather than a fine schedule. To go past ten you leave 922 KAR 2:100: seven to twelve children including your own is a Type II child-care center licence under 922 KAR 2:090 Section 2(2).

Adult-to-child ratios

Kentucky publishes no age-banded adult-to-child grid for certified homes. KRS 199.8982(1)(f) instructs that "The cabinet shall promulgate administrative regulations to impose minimum staff-to-child ratios," and what the cabinet promulgated is a pair of trigger thresholds plus a total-capacity cap. The whole ratio rule for ordinary operation is 922 KAR 2:100 Section 10(3): "A provider shall have an assistant present if the provider cares for more than: (a) Four (4) infants, including the provider's own or related infants; or (b) Six (6) children under the age of six (6) years old, including the provider's own or related children." Two observations decide most real cases. First, the trigger is MORE THAN, so four infants alone is a one-adult home and the fifth infant compels a second adult; six children under six is one adult and the seventh compels a second. Second, the count is inclusive of your own family - the parenthetical "including the provider's own or related" means your toddler and your niece are counted for the threshold even though they do not consume an unrelated slot under Section 10(4). The age words are defined: "Infant" means a child less than twelve months of age (Section 1(10)); "Toddler" means a child between twelve and thirty-six months (Section 1(19)); "School-age child" means a child who meets the age requirements of KRS 158.030 or attends kindergarten, elementary or secondary education (Section 1(18)); "Preschool-age" means older than a toddler and younger than school-age (Section 1(15)). Adding an assistant never raises the ceiling.

Section 10(4) is absolute at six unrelated and ten total, so the second adult buys compliance with Section 10(3), not headroom. Who may be the assistant is regulated. Section 10(7): an assistant shall be eighteen years of age or older, under the supervision of a provider, used for providing care in a certified family child-care home, and used in the absence of the certified provider. Section 10(6): "Prior to being left alone with a child, an assistant shall be certified by a cabinet-approved agency in infant, child, and adult" CPR and first aid. Section 10(8): an assistant shall complete the Section 2(9) training within the timeframes established there. Section 2(5) puts the assistant through the same background checks under 922 KAR 2:280 and the same tuberculosis clearance as an adult household member. Section 10(11) closes the substitution loop: "During a provider's absence, an assistant shall be physically present with a child in care during hours of operation."

Contract substitute staff are a separate species with their own rule - Section 1(4) and Section 11 - requiring an outside-agency employment relationship, documentation of the contract, a hard-copy staff file kept on-site for five years, and entry in the cabinet-designated database under 922 KAR 2:240. There is exactly one true numeric ratio in the regulation, and it is about water. A swimming pool on the premises shall "be supervised when in use, with a ratio of one (1) adult to one (1) infant or toddler" (Section 12(19)(c)), and an above-ground pool carries the identical 1:1 requirement plus a stationary wall no less than four feet tall and hand or foot holds inaccessible when not in use (Section 12(20)). Around any other body of water, "Constant and active supervision shall be maintained... and shall be inaccessible to children by secured physical or natural barriers of adequate height and appropriately secured" (Section 12(18)). Outdoors, "Each child in an outdoor play area shall be under the direct supervision of the provider or assistant" (Section 12(14)) and children outside "shall have constant and active supervision" with barriers against traffic, gullies and other hazards (Section 12(17)). Long-day and overnight operation has its own staffing arithmetic.

Section 10(5): if the provider operates the in-home business for twenty-four consecutive hours, the provider shall receive an eight-hour period of respite after working sixteen consecutive hours in a twenty-four hour period, and shall employ an assistant during the respite. Section 13(12): if overnight care is provided, a provider or assistant shall remain awake until every child in care is asleep, and shall sleep on the same floor level of the home as an infant or toddler. Section 10(12)(a) forbids outside employment during regular hours of operation, which is the functional equivalent of an attention rule. Finally the ratios are consumer-facing: Section 20(8)(a) requires the provider to make available to a parent on request "the staff to child ratios described in Section 10 of this administrative regulation."

Training you must complete before licensure

Kentucky asks little before the door opens and pushes most of the learning into the first ninety days, but four gates are genuinely pre-certification. Age and identity: 922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(2)(a) requires the applicant to "show proof by photo identification or birth certificate that the individual is at least eighteen (18) years of age." Education: Section 2(3) requires an applicant to have "a high school diploma, general equivalency diploma (GED), or documentation from a comparable educational entity; or a Commonwealth Child Care Credential in accordance with 922 KAR 2:250." That credential is not a shortcut - 922 KAR 2:250 Section 2 requires the candidate to be at least eighteen, to be employed as an early child care provider in a licensed or certified Kentucky facility, and to have completed sixty hours of a planned program of instruction within two years of applying, broken into fourteen hours of child growth and development, fifteen of learning environments, curriculum and social-emotional development, nine of health, safety and nutrition, seven of family and community partnerships, four of child assessment, six of professional development and professionalism, and five of program management and evaluation.

Life support: Section 2(4) requires the applicant to be "currently certified by an agency approved in accordance with 922 KAR 2:240 in infant, child, and adult" cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid - all three age bands, both disciplines, current at the time of application. The cabinet's published approved-provider list (Commonwealth of Kentucky, CHFS, Department for Community Based Services, Division of Child Care, "Approved First Aid and CPR", rev. 8/21/24, hosted on the ECE-TRIS site at ece.trc.ky.gov) states that face-to-face training is what qualifies and that "Online only training that does not include the demonstration of competency will not satisfy certification requirements," and lists the American Red Cross (excluding "Provisional" and "Online Only" courses), the American Heart Association Heartsaver family, and others. Insurance, which Kentucky treats as a condition of certification rather than a business decision: Section 2(2)(b) requires the applicant to "obtain commercial liability insurance of at least $50,000 per occurrence." Then the ninety-day and three-month clocks.

Section 2(2)(c) requires the applicant to submit, WITHIN NINETY (90) DAYS OF INITIATION OF THE APPLICATION PROCESS, the completed OIG-DRCC-03, the ten dollar nonrefundable fee, written documentation from the local authority showing zoning compliance, documentation of the requirements of KRS 199.8982(1)(a)1. through 3. and 5., background checks under 922 KAR 2:280, and a physician's statement that the provider's health is satisfactory including that the provider is free of active tuberculosis. Section 2(9)(a) then requires, within three months of submission of a complete OIG-DRCC-03, six hours of cabinet-approved pre-service orientation training - the statutory six of KRS 199.8982(1)(a)6. - covering the federal minimum health and safety topics of 45 C.F.R. 98.41 (infectious disease and immunization; SIDS prevention and safe sleep; medication administration; food and allergic reactions; building and premises safety including hazards, bodies of water and vehicular traffic; shaken baby syndrome, abusive head trauma and child maltreatment; emergency preparedness for natural disaster or human-caused event; hazardous materials and biological contaminants; and precautions in transporting children), plus recognising and reporting child abuse, plus developmentally appropriate practices.

One anti-recycling rule applies from the start: under Section 10(13) a provider and an assistant shall not repeat online training courses, including pre-service orientation, unless five years have passed since the online training was completed or they are required to as part of a disciplinary directive by a state agency.

Ongoing (annual) training

Three layers, and as of July 2026 the statute now sits above the regulation on one point. Layer one, the first year. 922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(9)(b)1. requires the applicant to develop and implement a written plan for obtaining "three (3) hours of cabinet-approved training within the first year of operation, including one and one-half (1 1/2) hours of cabinet-approved pediatric abusive head trauma training in accordance with KRS 199.8982(2)." Layer two, every year after. Section 2(9)(b)2. plans for it and Section 10(1)(a) commands it: "Between July 1 and June 30 of each subsequent year of operation, a provider shall complete at least nine (9) hours of cabinet-approved early care and education training, including one and one-half (1 1/2) hours of cabinet-approved pediatric abusive head trauma training completed once every five (5) years in accordance with KRS 199.8982(2)." The training year is therefore July 1 to June 30, not your certificate anniversary and not the calendar year; the abusive-head-trauma module is a once-every-five-years item counted inside the nine, not an addition to them. "Pediatric abusive head trauma" is defined by KRS 620.020(8) (922 KAR 2:100 Section 1(13)). Layer three, the statutory floor and its 2026 addition.

KRS 199.8982(2) provides that family child-care providers "shall annually demonstrate to the department completion of at least six (6) hours of training in child development," and that those hours "shall include but are not limited to: (a) One and one-half (1.5) hours one (1) time every five (5) years of continuing education in the recognition and prevention of pediatric abusive head trauma, as defined in KRS 620.020; and (b) One (1) hour one (1) time every three (3) years of continuing education in the recognition and prevention of pediatric ingestion or inhalation of controlled substances," with the closing instruction that "The continuing education required under this subsection shall be included in the current number of required continuing education hours." Paragraph (b) is new: it was inserted by 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 68 (HB 778), sec. 19, effective July 15, 2026, and the same Act rewrote the closing sentence from "The one and one-half (1.5) hours of continuing education required under this section" to "The continuing education required under this subsection." 922 KAR 2:100, whose current text took effect 3-14-2024, has not yet been amended to carry that module, so the operative rule today is nine hours per training year under the regulation, inside which the statute embeds 1.5 hours of pediatric abusive head trauma once every five years and 1 hour of pediatric ingestion or inhalation of controlled substances once every three years.

Assistants are on the same hook: Section 10(8) provides that "An assistant shall demonstrate completion of the training required by Section 2(9) of this administrative regulation within the timeframes established therein," and Section 11(1)(a) applies the Section 10 training requirements to contract substitute staff. Proof is by database, not by shoebox: Section 10(1)(b) provides that compliance "shall be verified through the cabinet-designed database maintained pursuant to 922 KAR 2:240," the regulation governing the Kentucky Early Care and Education Trainer's Credential and training approval, which repeatedly obliges credentialed trainers to enter training in "the cabinet-designated data system... within ten (10) days of the training." Two integrity rules: online courses may not be repeated for credit within five years absent a disciplinary directive (Section 10(13)), and under Section 11(2) an owner or employee of a contract agency holding a Kentucky Early Care and Education Trainer's Credential shall not train an employee of the same contract agency to satisfy the KRS 199.8982(1)(a)6. and (2) requirements (with an exception for Head Start programs under 42 U.S.C. 9831-9852).

Background checks

922 KAR 2:100 delegates the whole subject to 922 KAR 2:280, "Background checks for child care staff members, reporting requirements, and appeals" (current text eff. 2-20-2024, technical amendment eff. 3-11-2024). Section 2(2)(c)5. of 922 KAR 2:100 requires background checks completed in accordance with 922 KAR 2:280 as part of the application package, and Section 2(5)(a) extends them to "An adult living in the home of the applicant, present during the hours of operation or having unsupervised contact with a child in care, and the applicant's assistant." 922 KAR 2:280 Section 2 confirms the reach: the rule applies to owners, operators and employees, licensees and directors, "An adult household member of a Type II child-care center, family child-care home, or registered relative child care provider," any employee present while a child is receiving care, any person with supervisory or disciplinary control over a child in care, and any person having unsupervised contact with a child in care. The sequence is fixed. The provider requests photo identification and verifies the photograph matches (Section 4(1)(a)); the prospective staff member completes and signs DCC-500, Applicant Child Care Staff Member Waiver Agreement and Statement, and DCC-501, Disclosures to Be Provided to and Signed by the Applicant Child Care Staff Member (Section 4(1)(b)); the provider logs into the Kentucky National Background Check Program portal and enters demographic information so the cabinet can check the child abuse and neglect central registry under 922 KAR 1:470, the National Sex Offender Public Web site, and the Sex Offender Registry established under KRS 17.500 through 17.580 (Section 4(1)(c)).

Fingerprints follow: Section 4(2)(a), citing KRS 199.8965(8), KRS 336.220 and 45 C.F.R. 98.43(f), requires payment for "a state and national fingerprint-supported criminal history background check performed by the Department of Kentucky State Police (KSP) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including the rap back system," and adds that if a staff member's rap back has not expired a new fingerprint check is not needed. A provider enrolled in the NBCP pays "a fee not to exceed thirty (30) dollars" on top of the fingerprint fees (Section 4(2)(b)), and to the extent funds are available the cabinet absorbs fees in whole or in part (Section 4(3)). The applicant then has "no more than thirty (30) calendar days from the date of payment" to submit fingerprints at an authorized collection site (Section 4(4)(a)), presenting government photo identification (4(4)(b)). The cabinet notifies eligibility or ineligibility for hire within forty-five days (Section 4(5)(a)). Timing is absolute: Section 3(1) requires the checks to be complete and clear "prior to becoming a child care staff member."

Recurrence: once during each five-year period of employment (Section 3(3)), and a repeat before re-employment after 180 or more consecutive days separated from a Kentucky child care provider (Section 3(4)). Out-of-state history is chased: if the person resides or has resided in another state within the last five years the cabinet requests that state's fingerprint criminal records check, sex offender registry or repository check, and child abuse and neglect registry check (Section 5(1)), and processes the file if a state fails to answer within forty-five days (Section 5(3)). Disqualification is defined in Section 6 - the 45 C.F.R. 98.43(c) list, plus drug-related felonies where five years have not elapsed since full discharge from imprisonment, probation or parole, sex or violent crimes under KRS 17.165, and enumerated felonies across KRS Chapters 209, 506, 511, 515, 520 and 525 among others - and it disqualifies the HOME as well as the person: Section 6 makes a certified family child-care home ineligible where it "includes an adult household member who has a disqualifying background check result." A rehabilitative review exists under Section 9, requested in writing within fourteen calendar days of the notice, decided by a three-employee committee within thirty days, but it is unavailable for 45 C.F.R. 98.43(c) offences, disqualifying felonies less than ten years old, any offence related to abuse, neglect or exploitation of a child, sex offender registration, sex or violent crimes under KRS 17.165, and recent or severe substantiated abuse findings.

Health screening sits alongside and is NOT part of 922 KAR 2:280: 922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(2)(c)6. requires "a physician's statement documenting that the family child-care home provider's health is satisfactory for operation of a family child-care home, including that the provider is free of active tuberculosis," and Section 2(5)(b) requires each adult household member and assistant to submit "a copy of negative tuberculin results or a health professional's statement documenting that the adult is free of active tuberculosis" ("Health professional" is defined in Section 1(8) as a licensed physician, physician assistant, advanced practice registered nurse, or registered nurse under supervision). New adults trigger a thirty-day clock: Section 2(6) requires an adult who begins living in the provider's home, is present during hours of operation, or has unsupervised contact with a child in care to submit to background and health checks within thirty calendar days of residence. Finally, an open child-protection matter removes people immediately: under Section 10(9), if a provider, assistant or household member is named as the alleged perpetrator in a child abuse or neglect report accepted under 922 KAR 1:330, the individual shall be removed from direct contact with a child in care for the duration of the investigation and pending completion of the administrative appeal under 922 KAR 1:320 or 922 KAR 1:480.

The application, step by step

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

1. Decide whether certification is compulsory or elective for you. Under KRS 199.8982(1)(a), a family child-care provider SHALL apply for certification if caring for four (4) to six (6) children unrelated to the provider, and a provider caring for three (3) or fewer children MAY apply at the provider's discretion. Confirm too that your house is your primary residence, because KRS 199.894(5) defines the home as "a private home that is the primary residence of an individual."
2. Check the ceiling against your plan before spending anything. 922 KAR 2:100 Section 10(4) caps you at six unrelated children at any one time plus up to four related children, ten total. If you need seven to twelve including your own children, you are not on this track at all: that is a Type II child-care center licence in your primary residence under 922 KAR 2:090 Section 2(2), with a director qualification under 922 KAR 2:090 Section 10(3).
3. Confirm you meet the personal gates. Be at least eighteen and able to prove it by photo identification or birth certificate (922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(2)(a)); hold a high school diploma, GED, documentation from a comparable educational entity, or a Commonwealth Child Care Credential under 922 KAR 2:250 (Section 2(3)); and be free of any cabinet or court finding of child abuse or neglect (KRS 199.8982(1)(a)).
4. Obtain commercial liability insurance of at least $50,000 per occurrence. This is a certification condition, not an optional business protection: 922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(2)(b) requires the applicant to obtain it, and it is listed among the things an applicant "shall" do before certification.
5. Get current infant, child and adult CPR and first aid certification from an approved agency (922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(4), referencing 922 KAR 2:240). Use a face-to-face course: the cabinet's approved-provider list (CHFS/DCBS Division of Child Care, "Approved First Aid and CPR", rev. 8/21/24) states that online-only training without a demonstration of competency will not satisfy certification requirements, and excludes Red Cross "Provisional" and "Online Only" courses.
6. Obtain written documentation from the local authority showing the child-care home complies with local zoning requirements (922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(2)(c)3.). If your zoning office resists, cite KRS 199.8982(4)(c), which requires a local government with KRS Chapter 100 land use regulations to name family child-care homes in its zoning text so the board of adjustments can consider conditional use permit applications in residential zones, and KRS 199.8982(4)(b), which supersedes local ordinances imposing extra certification, licensure or training requirements.
7. Run background checks for yourself, your assistant, and every adult who lives in the home, is present during hours of operation, or has unsupervised contact with children (922 KAR 2:100 Sections 2(2)(c)5. and 2(5)(a); 922 KAR 2:280 Section 2). Sign DCC-500 and DCC-501, submit through the Kentucky National Background Check Program portal, pay the fee (NBCP surcharge not to exceed thirty dollars, 922 KAR 2:280 Section 4(2)(b)), and submit fingerprints within thirty calendar days of payment (Section 4(4)(a)).
8. Collect the health documentation. A physician's statement that your health is satisfactory for operating a family child-care home including that you are free of active tuberculosis (922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(2)(c)6.), and for each assistant and adult household member either negative tuberculin results or a health professional's statement of freedom from active tuberculosis (Section 2(5)(b)). The statute separately contemplates a tuberculosis risk assessment with appropriate follow-up within thirty days of application (KRS 199.8982(1)(a)5.).
9. Bring the house into compliance before the inspector arrives. Each floor level used for child care needs an unblocked exit to the outside, a smoke detector including in the kitchen and children's sleeping areas, a properly maintained fire extinguisher including in the kitchen, a carbon monoxide detector if there are fuel-burning appliances or an attached garage (Section 12(2)), and at least one accessible working telephone (Section 12(8)(a)). Provide at least thirty-five square feet of indoor child-care area per child excluding bathroom and storage (Section 12(12)), lock firearms and ammunition in separate locked containers per KRS 527.070(1) (Section 12(5)), cover unused outlets (Section 12(6)), block indoor stairs of more than two steps if an infant or toddler is in care (Section 12(11)), and remove trampolines from children's access (Section 12(16)).
10. Write the written evacuation plan required by 922 KAR 2:100 Section 19(7)(a) in accordance with KRS 199.895, covering fire, natural disaster or other threatening situation. The cabinet posts a free optional online template that satisfies KRS 199.895 (Section 19(7)(b)); the inspector reviews the plan at the certification inspection (Section 2(7)(b)).
11. Submit the completed OIG-DRCC-03, Initial Certification Application for Family Child-Care Home, with the ten dollar nonrefundable fee, the zoning documentation, documentation of KRS 199.8982(1)(a)1. through 3. and 5., the background checks and the physician's statement - all within NINETY (90) DAYS of initiating the application process (922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(2)(c), and Section 21(1)(a) for the form).
12. Pass the unannounced on-site inspection. Upon receipt of a completed application and the fee, cabinet staff shall review and process the application and "Conduct an unannounced inspection of the home pursuant to KRS 199.8982(1)(b), including review of the evacuation plan in accordance with Section 19(7)" (922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(7)). KRS 199.8982(1)(b) states flatly that "The inspection shall be unannounced."
13. Complete six hours of cabinet-approved pre-service orientation training within three months of submitting a complete OIG-DRCC-03, covering the 45 C.F.R. 98.41 federal health and safety topics, recognising and reporting child abuse, and developmentally appropriate practices (922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(9)(a); KRS 199.8982(1)(a)6.), and file the written plan for obtaining three hours of training plus 1.5 hours of pediatric abusive head trauma training in the first year (Section 2(9)(b)1.).
14. Post and open. Display the certificate in a prominent place (922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(10)(a)1.; KRS 199.8982(1)(c)), post the children's and parents' rights and give each parent a copy (Section 20(4); KRS 199.898(3)), post emergency numbers on each level used for child care (Section 12(8)(b)), make a copy of the certification standards available to each parent (Section 20(2)), give each parent the cabinet's name, address and telephone number for complaints (Section 20(3)), and put a written child care agreement in place with each parent naming everyone authorised to collect the child (Section 20(10)).
15. Diary the recurring obligations from day one: nine hours of cabinet-approved training each July 1 to June 30 (Section 10(1)(a)); monthly documented fire drills and quarterly documented earthquake, tornado, shelter-in-place and lockdown drills (Sections 12(21), 12(22), 19(5)); five-year record retention (Section 19(6)); and renewal on OIG-DRCC-04 with a ten dollar fee and a fresh physician's statement submitted ONE MONTH before the two-year certificate expires, since "A certificate that expires shall lapse and shall not be subject to appeal" (Sections 3(1) and 3(2)).

What you must post on your walls

• The family child-care home certificate, displayed in a prominent place, showing the provider's name and address, the maximum number of unrelated children who may be served, the identification number, and the effective and expiration dates - 922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(10)(a)1. and 2., implementing KRS 199.8982(1)(c) ("shall display the certificate of operation in a prominent place within the residence in which care is provided").
• A replacement certificate indicating the provider is under adverse action, posted in the same prominent place, whenever the certificate is suspended or revoked - 922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(10)(b)1. and 2.
• The children's and parents' rights, both posted and provided to each parent - 922 KAR 2:100 Section 20(4), implementing KRS 199.898(3) ("shall post these rights in a prominent place and shall provide a copy of these rights to the parent, custodian, or guardian of the child at the time of the child's enrollment"). The rights are enumerated in KRS 199.898(1) and (2).
• A list of emergency telephone numbers - police, fire station, emergency medical care and rescue squad, and poison control center - posted on each level used for child care, or maintained in the contacts of each telephone on that level - 922 KAR 2:100 Section 12(8)(b).
• Each child's food allergies or other allergy care plan, posted prominently where food is served, with the permission of the parent or guardian - 922 KAR 2:100 Section 20(5).
• The proper methods of diapering and hand-washing, available at each diaper changing area - 922 KAR 2:100 Section 14(8).
• The written evacuation plan for fire, natural disaster or other threatening situation, maintained in accordance with KRS 199.895 and reviewed by the cabinet at the certification inspection - 922 KAR 2:100 Sections 19(7)(a) and 2(7)(b); a free optional cabinet template is posted online under Section 19(7)(b).
• A copy of the certification standards, made available to each parent - 922 KAR 2:100 Section 20(2).
• The cabinet's name, address and telephone number for registering a complaint if a parent believes the provider is not meeting the standards, provided to each parent - 922 KAR 2:100 Section 20(3).
• The dated weekly menu, prepared and available to a parent or the cabinet on request and kept on file for thirty calendar days, with substitutions noted on the day the meal is served - 922 KAR 2:100 Sections 15(10) and 15(11).
• The daily planned program of activities, available to a parent or the cabinet on request - 922 KAR 2:100 Section 13(13)(a); and on request the staff-to-child ratios described in Section 10, each statement of deficiency issued during the current certification period, each plan of correction submitted during that period, and the daily schedule including trips outside the home - Section 20(8)(a) through (e).
• Written program information given to parents specifying the rate for child care, the expected frequency of payment, the hours of operation, and the policies on late fees, holidays, vacation, illness and emergency pick up - 922 KAR 2:100 Section 20(1).

Enrollment forms for each child

• OIG-DRCC-03, Initial Certification Application for Family Child-Care Home (edition 11/2023) - the application itself, submitted with the ten dollar nonrefundable fee within ninety days of initiating the application process, and submitted AGAIN with a ten calendar day notice and a new inspection whenever you change location. 922 KAR 2:100 Sections 2(2)(c)1., 2(11)(b), and 21(1)(a).
• OIG-DRCC-04, Certified Family Child-Care Home Renewal Form (edition 11/2023) - submitted one month prior to expiration of the two-year certification, with the ten dollar renewal fee, a fresh physician's statement, and proof of continued compliance with Sections 2, 3 and 10 through 20. 922 KAR 2:100 Sections 3(2)(a) and 21(1)(b).
• OIG-DRCC-05, Certified Family Child-Care Home Request for Appeal (edition 2018) - used to appeal a denial, suspension or revocation, and it must be filed within twenty calendar days of receipt of the notice of adverse action. 922 KAR 2:100 Sections 8(3)(c), 9(1), and 21(1)(c).
• DCC-500, Applicant Child Care Staff Member Waiver Agreement and Statement (edition 01/2022) - completed and signed by the applicant, each assistant, and each adult household member before the background check is initiated through the NBCP portal. 922 KAR 2:280 Sections 4(1)(b)1. and 12(1)(a).
• DCC-501, Disclosures to Be Provided to and Signed by the Applicant Child Care Staff Member (edition 01/2022) - the companion disclosure, signed at the same moment as DCC-500. 922 KAR 2:280 Sections 4(1)(b)2. and 12(1)(b).
• Written documentation from the local authority showing the child-care home is in compliance with local zoning requirements - no form number is assigned; whatever the city or county issues. Submitted with the application under 922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(2)(c)3.
• Physician's statement of satisfactory health including freedom from active tuberculosis - required with the initial application (922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(2)(c)6.) and again at every two-year renewal in the form of "A physician's statement documenting that the family child-care home provider's health is satisfactory for continued operation" (Section 3(2)(c)).
• Tuberculosis documentation for each assistant and each adult household member: a copy of negative tuberculin results or a health professional's statement documenting freedom from active tuberculosis - 922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(5)(b), repeated within thirty calendar days for any adult who newly begins residing in the home (Section 2(6)).
• Proof of current infant, child and adult CPR and first aid certification from an approved agency, for the provider (922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(4)) and for each assistant before being left alone with a child (Section 10(6)).
• Certificate of commercial liability insurance of at least $50,000 per occurrence - 922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(2)(b).
• Proof of age and identity (photo identification or birth certificate) and proof of education (high school diploma, GED, comparable-entity documentation, or Commonwealth Child Care Credential under 922 KAR 2:250) - 922 KAR 2:100 Sections 2(2)(a) and 2(3).
• Written corrective action plan - not a numbered form but a mandatory written submission within fifteen calendar days of receiving a statement of deficiency, containing the specific action taken, the completion date, the action assuring ongoing compliance, supplemental documentation, and the provider's signature and date. 922 KAR 2:100 Sections 4(2) and 4(3)(a) through (e); no more than three plans will be reviewed for the same statement of deficiency (Section 4(8)).
• Written child care agreement with each parent, including the name of each person designated by the parent to pick up the child, plus the parent-completed written record for each child on file from the first day of attendance and a current immunization certificate within thirty days of enrollment - 922 KAR 2:100 Sections 20(10), 19(1)(b) and 19(1)(a).
• OIG-DRCC-01, Initial Child-Care Center License Application - not a certified-home form, but the one you file instead if you move up to seven to twelve children in your primary residence as a Type II child-care center. 922 KAR 2:090 Sections 4(1) and 2(2).

What's specific about getting licensed in Kentucky

Kentucky's defining trap is the word on the door: home providers are CERTIFIED, not licensed, and certification hard-caps you at six unrelated children (ten total counting your own/related kids) with no 'large family home' tier to grow into. Unlike California's small/large ladder, there is nowhere to expand within a home — the moment you want a seventh unrelated child you are no longer eligible for certification and must open a licensed child-care CENTER under an entirely different, far heavier rule set, typically requiring a commercial-grade facility, fire-marshal sign-off, and center staffing standards. Many aspiring providers build a business plan around eight to ten paying children and only discover late that the home track legally tops out at six unrelated. A second Kentucky-specific quirk: the state does not hand you a center-style ratio table for homes; compliance is driven by the capacity cap plus assistant-required thresholds (more than four infants, or more than six children under six). A third, easily-missed point: as of the current (11/2023) forms, certified family child-care homes are administered by the Cabinet's Office of Inspector General, Division of Regulated Child Care (OIG/DRCC) — older guidance still points to DCBS's Division of Child Care.

How long it takes and what it costs in Kentucky

Timeline: Realistically 2-4 months from starting the preservice orientation to holding a certificate: about a week for the 6-hour orientation and CPR/first-aid course, 2-6 weeks for fingerprint-based KSP/FBI checks and registry clearances to return for you and all adult household members, plus time to prepare the home and schedule and pass the on-site certification inspection. Delays cluster around background-check turnaround and inspection scheduling.

Cost: Kentucky generally does not charge a fee for family child-care home CERTIFICATION itself (unlike a center license) — confirm current fee status with the administering division (OIG/DRCC). Out-of-pocket costs are mainly the fingerprint-based background checks (roughly $30-$50 per adult, and every adult household member must be checked), a TB test, and CPR/first-aid certification (roughly $60-$100). Exact background-check and course fees vary — confirm with the Cabinet / Kentucky State Police.

Source: Primary texts actually read in full or in the cited part during this research, all on 2026-08-24: 1. 922 KAR 2:100, Certification of family child-care homes - full codified text, HISTORY ending "50 Ky.R. 1423, 1896; eff. 3-14-2024", FILED WITH LRC February 12, 2024, page generated 7/23/2026. https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/922/002/100/ (Sections 1 through 21 read in full, including the Section 21 incorporation by reference and the DCBS address). The superseded amendment draft carrying the promulgating-agency header "Department for Community Based Services / Division of Child Care (Amendment)" is at https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/922/002/100/14846/ . 2. KRS 199.8982, Family child-care home certification program - current version, "Effective: July 15, 2026", History: amended 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 68, sec. 19, effective July 15, 2026; and ch. 146, sec. 15, effective April 14, 2026. https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=57467 (PDF, 5 pages, read in full). Note that statute.aspx?id=7244 is the SUPERSEDED version and now returns an "Invalid Statute" redirect page. 3. KRS 199.894, Definitions for KRS 199.892 to 199.896 - "Effective: July 15, 2020". https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=50014 (subsections (3), (4) and (5) quoted above). 4. KRS 199.898, Rights for children in child-care programs and their parents, custodians, or guardians - "Effective: July 15, 1998". https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=7243 (read in full). 5. 2026 Ky.

Acts ch. 68 (HB 778), AN ACT relating to child welfare, Section 19 amending KRS 199.8982 - the source of the new one-hour pediatric ingestion/inhalation module. https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/26RS/documents/0068.pdf 6. 2026 Ky.

Acts ch. 146 (HB 6), AN ACT relating to child care and declaring an emergency, Section 15 amending KRS 199.8982 - the DOD military pilot. https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/26RS/documents/0146.pdf 7. 922 KAR 2:280, Background checks for child care staff members, reporting requirements, and appeals - HISTORY ending "50 Ky.R. 978; eff. 2-20-2024 TAm eff. 3-11-2024". https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/922/002/280/ (Sections 1 through 12 read). 8. 922 KAR 2:090, Child-care center licensure - HISTORY ending "51 Ky.R. 149; eff. 2-13-2025". https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/922/002/090/ (Sections 2, 3, 4(1), 10(3) and 11 read, for the Type I / Type II distinction). 9. 922 KAR 2:240, Kentucky Early Care and Education Trainer's Credential and training approval - HISTORY ending "47 Ky.R. 1304; eff. 6-16-2021". https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/922/002/240/ (read in full; contains no CPR or first-aid agency approval provision). 10. 922 KAR 2:250, Commonwealth Child Care Credential - HISTORY ending "47 Ky.R. 1310;

eff. 6-16-2021". https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/922/002/250/ (Sections 1 through 4 read). 11. 922 KAR 2:190, Civil penalties - HISTORY ending "Crt eff. 6-17-2025". https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/922/002/190/ (Sections 1 and 2 read; confirms the penalty scheme is written for centre licensees, and supplies the OIG definition). 12. 922 KAR Chapter 2 index ("Title 922 | Chapter 002 - Day Care") showing current, repealed and inactive status of every regulation in the chapter, including 922 KAR 2:210 (STARS for type II licensed and certified family child-care homes) as REPEALED and 922 KAR 2:270 (Kentucky All STARS) as current. https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/kar/titles/922/002/ 13. Commonwealth of Kentucky, CHFS, Department for Community Based Services, Division of Child Care, "Approved First Aid and CPR (incl.

EpiPens)", dated 6/12/2023, rev. 8/21/24 - fetched live (HTTP 200). https://ece.trc.ky.gov/pdfs/ApprovedFirstAidandCPRincl.EpiPensrev.8.21.24.pdf

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