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Home Daycare License Requirements in Maryland (2026)

Opening a home daycare in Maryland means getting a family child care home license from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), Office of Child Care (OCC). 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 Maryland

'Family child care' takes its meaning from statute: COMAR 13A.15.01.02B(14) says it 'has the same meaning as family child care as defined in Education Article, section 9.5-301(d), Annotated Code of Maryland, and means the care given to a child younger than 13 years old or to a developmentally disabled person younger than 21 years old in place of parental care for less than 24 hours a day, in a residence other than the child's residence, for which the provider is paid in cash or in kind.' The 'family child care home' is then defined with maximum economy as 'the residence in which child care is given' (13A.15.01.02B(16)), and the 'family child care provider' as 'the adult who has primary responsibility for the provision of child care in the family child care home and who meets the requirements of this subtitle' (13A.15.01.02B(17)). Maryland does have a second home-based tier, and this is where a summary can go badly wrong. Education Article section 9.5-301 defines a family child care home as a residence in which family child care is provided for up to eight children, and separately defines a large family child care home as one serving 9 to 12 children; the large home has its own subtitle, COMAR 13A.18, whose 13A.18.01.02B(24) reads: 'Large family child care home means a child care home approved by the office to operate with a maximum child care capacity of 9 to 12 children.'

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 Maryland

Eight children, with a hard sublimit on infants and a newer, lower sublimit if you run a nursery school. COMAR 13A.15.04.03 now has six lettered paragraphs and each one bites. Paragraph A is the operative rule day to day: 'The number of children present in care at any one time may not exceed the child capacity number stated on the certificate of registration' - eight is the statutory ceiling, but your certificate may say less, and the certificate is what you are inspected against. Paragraph D sets the ceiling: 'Except as provided in section E of this regulation, the maximum total capacity of a family child care home may not exceed eight children, of whom not more than four may be younger than 2 years old.' Paragraph E is new and is the paragraph most likely to be missing from any summary written before July 2026: 'The maximum total capacity of a family child care home in which the provider also operates an educational program may not exceed eight children, of whom not more than two may be younger than 2 years old.' In other words, taking approval to run a nonpublic nursery school in the home under COMAR 13A.15.16 halves your infant allowance from four to two.

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

Adult-to-child ratios

COMAR 13A.15 sets no adult-to-child ratio table. It regulates by capacity, by an infant sublimit and by a single staffing trigger, and everything else is handled through the supervision chapter. The staffing trigger is 13A.15.04.03C: 'Whenever more than two children younger than 2 years old are present in care, an additional adult shall be present who has met the applicable requirements of COMAR 13A.15.06.04.' The 'additional adult' is a defined role, not a warm body: an individual 18 or older who assists the provider in caring for children younger than 24 months (13A.15.01.02B(3)), who may not be used until the office has approved them (13A.15.06.04B), and who must first attend an OCC information session on the care of children under 2, file an application form, notarized abuse-and-neglect releases, substitute information and a 12-month medical report, apply for federal, State and any out-of-state criminal background checks, hold first aid and CPR applicable to children under 2, and show approved SIDS training within the previous 5 years (13A.15.06.04A(1)-(7)). The additional adult must maintain first aid and CPR at all times, exactly as the provider must (13A.15.06.02D).

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

COMAR 13A.15.06.02A lists what an applicant for initial registration must already hold or must complete, and one item is explicitly deferred. First, a current certificate in approved basic first aid through the American Red Cross or a program with equivalent standards, and in CPR through the American Heart Association or an equivalent program, 'appropriate for each age group approved for care in the home' (13A.15.06.02A(1)). Second, documentation of one of seven qualifying credentials - and note the time limit attached to the first option, which is easy to miss: 'within 2 years before the application for initial registration is filed, at least 24 clock hours of approved training that includes 4 clock hours in each of the six core of knowledge competencies' (A(2)(a)); or one of six alternatives listed at A(2)(b)-(g): the 90 clock hour course or approved equivalent for a child care teacher or center director under COMAR 13A.16.06; Department of Defense training modules; the Child Development Associate Credential from the Council for Professional Recognition; an associate's degree including at least 15 semester hours of early childhood or elementary education coursework; a bachelor's or higher degree in early childhood education, elementary education or another discipline approved by the office; or other coursework approved by the office.

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

Ongoing (annual) training

Three separate obligations, on two different clocks. First, health and safety: the provider shall successfully complete 'the health and safety training, as required by the office, by the end of each 12-month period measured each calendar year' (COMAR 13A.15.06.02B(1)) - note the calendar-year measure, which does not track your registration anniversary. The recordkeeping rule uses a different yardstick again, requiring the provider to document that the health and safety training specified at 13A.15.06.02A(4) and B(1) 'was completed by the end of each 12-month period, measured from the date of initial registration' (13A.15.03.03G). Second, the front-loaded year: 'during the first year of registration, 18 clock hours of approved training specified by the office' (13A.15.06.02B(2)). Third, the steady state: 'by the end of each 12-month period after the first full year of registration, a total of 12 clock hours of approved continued training that consists of at least 6 clock hours of core of knowledge training and not more than 6 clock hours of elective training' (13A.15.06.02B(3)). Elective training is defined as training at a conference, seminar or other event approved by the office but not in a core of knowledge competency area (13A.15.01.02B(12)), so the 6-and-6 split is a real constraint on how you spend the hours, not a formality.

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

Background checks

Fingerprint-based federal and State criminal background checks, plus a records-of-abuse-and-neglect review, and the net is cast over the household rather than over employees. Under COMAR 13A.15.02.02B(5) the applicant shall 'apply for a federal and State criminal background check at a designated office in the State', and under B(6) shall ensure that such an application is made by each resident in the home who is 18 or older, each individual to serve as the provider's substitute, and each employee or volunteer of the home who is 18 or older. B(7) requires a signed and notarized release form giving the office permission to examine records of abuse and neglect of children and adults for the applicant, each resident 18 or older, each designated substitute, the additional adult if applicable, and, if the office requires it, any other individual with regular access to the child care area during approved hours. Out-of-state history is not optional: an individual who currently resides or has resided outside Maryland within the 5 years before application shall apply for a criminal background check by a duly authorized entity in that state and request that entity to transmit the result directly to the Agency (13A.15.02.02C).

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. Complete an orientation to family child care regulations that is offered or approved by the office (COMAR 13A.15.02.02B(1)). MSDE publishes a self-paced online orientation at https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/child-care-providers/licensing/orientations/family-child-care-orientation, which states on its face that the module 'does not replace the face-to-face orientation session you are required to attend at your regional Office of Child Care' and that completing orientation is mandatory before an application may be submitted.
2. Confirm the home qualifies before spending money. The office may not approve a residence that is not the applicant's primary residence, and the registration is revocable if the home stops being the primary residence (COMAR 13A.15.02.01H). The same residence may not also run a second family child care program or a program under COMAR 13A.16, 13A.17 or 13A.18, absent a pre-July 1, 2008 concurrent approval (13A.15.02.01F and G).
3. File the completed application form supplied by the office for initial registration (COMAR 13A.15.02.02B(2)) - form OCC 1230, Family Child Care Home Application - together with OCC 1267, Provider Information and Plan of Operation, as required by the OCC Application for Family Child Care Registration Checklist (rev. 01/2022). If the office has not received documentation that every requirement of 13A.15.02.02B has been met within 6 months after the application form is submitted, it may consider the application void (13A.15.02.02D).
4. Apply in person for federal and State criminal background checks at a designated office in the State, for yourself (COMAR 13A.15.02.02B(5)) and for every resident 18 or older, every designated substitute, and every employee or volunteer 18 or older (B(6)); anyone who has lived outside Maryland within the past 5 years must also apply in that state and have the result transmitted directly to the Agency (13A.15.02.02C).
5. Submit signed and notarized releases (OCC 1260; OCC 1260A for out-of-state) permitting the office to examine records of abuse and neglect of children and adults for the applicant, each resident 18 or older, each substitute, the additional adult if any, and any other individual the office designates as having regular access to the child care area during operating hours (COMAR 13A.15.02.02B(7)).
6. Obtain medical evaluations (OCC 1204) completed within the 12 months before application, conducted by a practicing physician, certified nurse practitioner or registered physician's assistant, verifying freedom from communicable tuberculosis if indicated and, for the applicant, capability of performing the duties - for the applicant and each resident in the home, plus the additional adult, all substitutes, and volunteers present more than once a week (COMAR 13A.15.02.02B(3); 13A.15.03.03D(2)(b)).
7. Complete the preservice training package and record it on OCC 101: first aid and CPR for each approved age group; the 24 clock hours with 4 hours in each of the six core of knowledge areas, taken within the 2 years before filing, or an approved equivalent; emergency and disaster planning; medication administration; 3 clock hours of ADA training; supporting breastfeeding practices; SIDS training within 5 years if any child under 24 months will be served; and 45 clock hours or 3 semester hours of infant-toddler training for more than two children under 2 (COMAR 13A.15.06.02A, E; 13A.15.02.02B(9)).
8. Designate at least one substitute available on short notice (COMAR 13A.15.06.03A) using OCC 1229, and, if you intend to serve three or four children under 2, file the Additional Adult Application (OCC 1275) with the additional adult's OCC information session attendance, medical report, releases, background checks, infant-appropriate first aid and CPR and SIDS training within 5 years (13A.15.06.04A).
9. Assemble the property compliance file: documentation that the home meets State and local fire, health and zoning requirements (a use and occupancy permit and a fire inspection report per the OCC checklist), and, if the home is in a condominium or requires homeowners' association membership, proof of homeowner's liability insurance as required by Maryland law (COMAR 13A.15.02.02B(8)). Complete the Environmental Health Survey (OCC 1268) and, if applicable, rabies certificates for pets.
10. Document the lead-safe environment required by COMAR 13A.15.05.02 (13A.15.02.02B(10)): for a pre-1978 residential rental that is an affected property under Environment Article, section 6-801(b), submit a current lead risk reduction or lead-free certificate; for any pre-1978 home not certified lead-free, ensure no chipping, peeling, flaking, chalking or deteriorated paint in child care areas and obtain a passing lead-dust test with verification if a surface deteriorates or a renovation disturbs paint.
11. Pass the office's evaluation, which by regulation consists of evaluating the application and documentation, interviewing the applicant, inspecting the home proposed for use, and evaluating the criminal background and abuse-and-neglect information (COMAR 13A.15.02.06A). The office shall inspect each home on an announced basis before issuing an initial or continuing certificate (13A.15.13.01A(1)).
12. Receive the decision within 30 days of the completed procedures: the office shall issue the certificate, deny it, or issue a provisional certificate (COMAR 13A.15.02.06B). A provisional registration lasts up to 120 days, renewable but never beyond 24 months from the first provisional period, and may never issue before background clearances are in hand (13A.15.02.04A). Display the certificate conspicuously (13A.15.02.01D), then keep the registration alive on the annual training and 24-month medical cycle (13A.15.02.03B).

What you must post on your walls

• The certificate of registration itself: 'the provider shall display conspicuously the certificate of registration in a location where it can easily be seen and read by parents whose children are in the provider's care or who are considering placing their children in the provider's care' (COMAR 13A.15.02.01D).
• A revised certificate showing conditional status replaces the original on display immediately on receipt, and the original certificate must be removed from display; the original goes back up only when the office lifts the conditional status and notifies the provider to redisplay it (COMAR 13A.15.02.04B(3) and (4)).
• The emergency escape route floor plan, posted conspicuously in or near the approved child care area, and, if overnight care is provided, in each room where a child in care sleeps (COMAR 13A.15.10.01B). OCC 1261, Emergency Escape Plan, is the form supplied for this.
• The written schedule of daily activities: 'the provider shall prepare, post, and follow a written schedule of daily activities' meeting the content requirements of COMAR 13A.15.09.01A.
• Emergency forms for the children currently in care must be kept 'in a readily accessible location, including taking the forms when taking the children away from the home' (COMAR 13A.15.03.04A(2)) - OCC 1214, Emergency Form. During an evacuation or drill the provider must take attendance records and emergency cards out of the home and verify each child's presence (13A.15.10.01F).
• The written emergency and disaster plan must be prepared and maintained and must contain the name of and contact information for the local emergency operations center, a list of local emergency services numbers, and the radio station call sign and frequency for the local Emergency Alert System; it is practiced monthly for fire, twice yearly for other emergencies, four times yearly if overnight care is given, and updated at least annually (COMAR 13A.15.10.01A).
• A written screen time policy addressing the use of passive and interactive technology during child care hours must be given to the parent of each enrolled child (COMAR 13A.15.09.01B(6)).
• Consumer education on child care and information on how to file a complaint with the office against a child care provider must be given to, or the parent advised how to obtain from the office, on or before the child's admission - and the provider must document that it was done (COMAR 13A.15.03.03E).
• Information about the Maryland Infant and Toddlers Program and contact information for the local lead agency must be given at least once each calendar year to the parent of each child under 3, by personal message including e-mail, by a document the parent acknowledges receiving, or by text message (COMAR 13A.15.03.03H and J).
• Written notice of a contaminated drinking water supply, identifying the contaminants and their levels and describing how uncontaminated drinking water will be furnished, must be sent to each enrolled child's parent within 10 business days of the provider receiving notice (COMAR 13A.15.03.05G).
• Any advertisement of the service must specify that the family child care home is registered and include the registration number issued by the office; advertising without a current certificate is prohibited outright (COMAR 13A.15.03.01).

Enrollment forms for each child

• OCC 1230, Family Child Care Home Application - the 'completed application form, supplied by the office, for initial registration' required by COMAR 13A.15.02.02B(2). https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/1230-familychildcarehomeapplication-032015.pdf (live 24/08/2026).
• OCC 1267, Provider Information and Plan of Operation - filed with the initial application per the OCC Application for Family Child Care Registration Checklist (rev. 01/2022, items B and O); it carries the plan of operation the office reviews under COMAR 13A.15.02.06A. https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/1267fdcjun08.pdf
• OCC 673, Request for Continuing Family Child Care Home Registration - the 'completed request, on a form supplied by the office, for continued registration' under COMAR 13A.15.02.03A(1). https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/673-familyhomerequestforcontinuingregistration.pdf
• OCC 1204, Medical Report for Child Care - the medical evaluation for the applicant and each resident required by COMAR 13A.15.02.02B(3), and again for the provider, residents with child care responsibilities and the additional adult on the continuing cycle (13A.15.02.03A(3)). https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/1204alljun08.pdf
• OCC 1260, Release of Information (and OCC 1260A for out-of-state releases) - the 'signed and notarized release form giving the office permission to examine records of abuse and neglect of children and adults' required by COMAR 13A.15.02.02B(7), by 13A.15.02.03A(4) at renewal, and by 13A.15.03.05D(1) within 5 working days of a resident turning 18 or moving in. https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/occ_1260releaseinformationall-112015.pdf
• OCC 101, Record of Pre-Service Training for Family Child Care Applicants - the vehicle for the documentation of training required by COMAR 13A.15.02.02B(9) and 13A.15.06.02A; the OCC checklist directs applicants to record training on OCC 101 and attach the certificates. https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/101-recordofpre-servicetrainingforfamilychildcareapplicants.pdf
• OCC 1229, Substitute Form - for each designated substitute, who may not be used until approved by the office (COMAR 13A.15.06.03B(1)) and who must submit a medical evaluation and abuse/neglect permission (13A.15.06.03D(3)). OCC 1228, Family Child Care Substitute Record, documents each day a substitute provides care as required by 13A.15.03.03C. https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/1229fdcjun08.pdf
• OCC 1275, Additional Adult Application - the 'completed additional adult application form' required by COMAR 13A.15.06.04A(3)(a) before an individual may assist with three or four children under 2. https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/1275_addadultfcc_oct08.pdf
• OCC 1214, Emergency Form - 'emergency information for each child on a form supplied or approved by the office', kept readily accessible and updated and signed by the parent at least annually (COMAR 13A.15.03.04A). https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/occ-1214-emergencyform.pdf
• OCC 1261, Emergency Escape Plan, and OCC 1262, Fire and Disaster Drill Log - the posted escape route floor plan of COMAR 13A.15.10.01B and the record of the date and time of each fire evacuation and emergency drill required by 13A.15.03.03F. https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/1261fdcjun08.pdf
• OCC 1213, Variance Request - the 'completed request for a variance' the office must answer within 30 calendar days under COMAR 13A.15.03.06C. https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/1213-variance_request-062015.pdf
• OCC 200, Application to Operate an Educational Program - Nonpublic Nursery School - the application made 'in a manner and form and according to timelines established by the office' under COMAR 13A.15.16.04A, which if approved caps the home at two children under 2 (13A.15.04.03E). https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/200-applicationtooperateaneducationalprogram-nonpublicnurseryschool.pdf

What's specific about getting licensed in Maryland

Maryland's biggest trap is that it does NOT have a 'small' vs 'large/group' family-home tier the way California, New York, or Texas do — every registered family child care home is capped at exactly 8 children, full stop. Providers who plan to 'grow into' a larger home license are surprised there is no such thing: to exceed 8 you must become a child care CENTER under a completely different chapter (COMAR 13A.16). The second trap sits inside that 8 — even when your certificate allows up to 8, you may care for no more than TWO children under age 2 at one time unless the Office of Child Care specifically approves you for more (up to 4), and once more than two under-2 are present the regulation requires a SECOND qualified adult, so the extra infants come with a payroll cost, not just paperwork. Your OWN resident children under age 6 also count against the 8. And Maryland calls it 'registration,' not a 'license' — searching for a 'daycare license' or going to a county social-services department misses the correct MSDE Office of Child Care pathway entirely.

How long it takes and what it costs in Maryland

Timeline: Realistically 3–6 months from first orientation to an issued Certificate of Registration. Orientation and the application itself are quick, but the pre-service training block (24 clock hours plus CPR/first aid, emergency planning, breastfeeding, ADA, medication administration, and SIDS if serving infants), fingerprint-based federal and state background checks for the whole household, the medical evaluation, and passing the on-site inspection typically stretch across several months. Background-check turnaround is the most common delay; if you intend to serve more than two infants, also line up the OCC approval and a second qualified adult before opening.

Cost: Varies — confirm current amounts with the MSDE Office of Child Care Regional Office. Expect out-of-pocket costs for fingerprint-based criminal background checks (a per-person fingerprinting/CJIS fee that also applies to each household member 18+), CPR/first-aid certification, and required pre-service training courses (some offered free or low-cost through Maryland's training system). Any registration/application fee amount is not stated in the regulation text reviewed here — confirm with OCC rather than assuming a figure.

Source: Sources officielles consultées pour Maryland :

https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/13A.15/index.full.html

https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/13A.15.04.03

https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/13A.18/index.full.html

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=ged&section=9.5-301

https://www.marylandpublicschools.org/stateboard/Documents/2025/0729/COMAR-13A.15-et%20al-Educational-Programs

https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/child-care-providers/licensing/licensing-forms

https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/child-care-providers/licensing/orientations/family-child-care

https://earlychildhood.marylandpublicschools.org/system/files/filedepot/3/checklist-initial_application-family

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