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Home Daycare License Requirements in Michigan (2026)

Opening a home daycare in Michigan means getting a family child care home license from the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), Office of Early Childhood Education, Child Care Licensing Bureau (CCLB). 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 Michigan

Both types are a "private home", defined at MCL 722.111(1)(v) as a private residence in which the licensee permanently resides, that residency not being contingent on caring for children, repeated at R 400.1902(1)(c) and defined again at R 400.1901(1)(ee). You cannot rent a house, staff it and call it a family home; that is a child care center, a facility OTHER THAN a private residence (MCL 722.111(1)(i)). A FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME is a private home in which 1 but fewer than 7 minor children are received for care and supervision for compensation for periods of less than 24 hours a day, unattended by a parent or legal guardian, except children related to an adult member of the household (MCL 722.111(1)(v)(iii)). A GROUP CHILD CARE HOME is the same with more than 6 but not more than 12 minor children (MCL 722.111(1)(v)(iv)). The rules cover both as "child care home" (R 400.1901(1)(i)). What triggers the license: both definitions expressly include a home in which care is given to an unrelated minor child for more than 4 weeks during a calendar year. What does not: babysitting for another individual, defined by statute as care whose annual compensation does not equal or exceed $600.00, or an amount that would oblige the parent to issue a form 1099-MISC — above that, the exclusion stops protecting you. "Member of the household" is broader than people who sleep there: anyone residing in the home on an ongoing basis OR having a recurrent presence, including overnight stays (MCL 722.111(1)(aa)) — that is what pulls a partner or a regularly present relative into the background check net.

How many children you can care for in Michigan

Six unrelated children at any one time for a family child care home, twelve for a group child care home: the licensee shall ensure the actual number of unrelated children in care at any one time does not exceed the licensed number (R 400.1925(1)). Two things people get wrong. FIRST, capacity and ratio count different children: capacity counts only UNRELATED children, and children related to the licensee, to any adult household member, or to personnel while that person is present do not count toward it (Technical Assistance Manual, R 400.1925). But your own children DO count in the RATIO if they are under school age (R 400.1927(1)(b), R 400.1928(1)(b)) — a licensed capacity of 6 is not 6 children in the room when you have a four-year-old of your own. Visiting children are the classic citation: one under 6 counts against capacity unless accompanied by an adult; one aged 6 or over does not count only if the child needs no direct care and a responsible person is at home and immediately available. SECOND, the 7 and 14 figures are real but earned. MCL 722.111(1)(u) defines "increased capacity" as one additional child in a family home and two in a group home, and MCL 722.111(2) makes a home eligible once it holds a current license, has been licensed at least 29 consecutive months, has received one or more unrelated minor children in that period, and has received a RENEWED REGULAR license after those 29 months.

The statute says the home is then "automatically eligible" while R 400.1925(2) says the licensee may REQUEST the increase; the Technical Assistance Manual resolves it as a modification request in CCHIRP. Capacity is one of only two rules that cannot be varied: R 400.1925(3) and R 400.1942(6) exclude themselves from the variance of R 400.1908. Going over is not a paperwork problem: violating the act or rules is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of $100.00 to $1,000.00, up to 90 days in jail, or both, and an intentional rule violation causing a child's death is second degree child abuse under MCL 750.136b with permanent revocation (MCL 722.125(1)(b), (2)).

Adult-to-child ratios

One staff member to six children, everywhere, including in the vehicle: the ratio of staff to children present in the home AND during transportation at any one time must be not less than 1 to 6, counting all children in care not related to any staff member PLUS any child under school age related to the licensee, a child care staff member, a child care assistant, an unsupervised volunteer or a member of the household by blood, marriage or adoption (R 400.1927(1) family homes, R 400.1928(1) group homes). "School age" is statutory: eligible for kindergarten or higher but under 13, and the child becomes school age on the FIRST DAY OF THE SCHOOL YEAR in which they are eligible (MCL 722.111(1)(kk)) — your own child leaves the ratio on that date, not on a birthday. One narrow escape: the Technical Assistance Manual states that the licensee's own children, foster children (treated as your own) or other resident children under school age are not counted IF another household member gives them direct supervision in a SEPARATE AREA of the home. The infant sub-cap sits inside the 1:6 and is what really limits most homes: for each staff member, not more than 4 children shall be under 24 months, with not more than 2 of those 4 under 12 months (R 400.1927(3), R 400.1928(4)) — a lone provider cannot take a third under-one however much room is left under the six.

The ratio moves to 1:7 only if the licensee has been APPROVED for the increased capacity of R 400.1925(2) (R 400.1927(2), R 400.1928(2)); it follows the 29-month track record and is not an option on day one. Group homes get one time-boxed allowance: during, before and after school hours only, a group home may take up to 3 school-age children at 1 staff to 9 children, or 1 to 10 with approved increased capacity (R 400.1928(3)) — the Technical Assistance Manual limits this to in-session school days and excludes summer care and closure days. An unsupervised volunteer determined eligible by the department may be counted in ratio; a supervised volunteer may not (R 400.1901(1)(vv), (rr)); a child care assistant, aged 14 to 15, must be supervised at all times and may not substitute for the licensee (R 400.1921). Supervision is a duty distinct from ratio: a licensee or child care staff member must be present whenever children are in care, up and awake except during nighttime care, and must know each child's location (R 400.1929); infants must be monitored for breathing, sleep position and signs of distress, which baby monitors may not replace (R 400.1930(5), (6)).

Training you must complete before licensure

The applicant's qualifications are conditions of the license, not deadlines after it. An applicant and licensee shall be 18 or older; hold a high school diploma, a GED, or an approved training track and hours for child care home providers through MiRegistry; permanently reside in the home as a member of the household; have proof of certification in pediatric first aid AND pediatric, infant, child and adult CPR; have documentation of completed training in BOTH the recognition and reporting of child abuse and neglect AND the prevention and control of infectious disease including immunizations; and attend an orientation provided by the department (R 400.1902(1)(a) to (f)). The statute requires the department to make that orientation available and to license a person who completes it (MCL 722.115m(6)); it is 6 clock hours and may count toward annual training. CPR and first aid must come from a certified Red Cross instructor or another department-approved organization, and online training counts only with an in-person skills test. Two further items are required before issuance though they sit outside R 400.1902: safe sleep training, and a written statement signed by a licensed physician or their designee within 1 year before issuance attesting to the applicant's mental and physical health, renewed at each renewal (R 400.1933(1)). Note what is NO LONGER required: MiLEAP's May 8, 2026 announcement states the update eliminated outdated requirements such as tuberculosis testing, and no TB test appears anywhere in the 2026 rules.

For the federal health and safety requirements the Resource Guide directs everyone to complete Health and Safety for Licensed Child Care Providers Modules A, B and C on MiRegistry. Everyone else is on the new hire training of R 400.1923: all staff shall participate within 90 days after being present at the home AND before caring for children unsupervised. It covers fourteen areas listed at R 400.1923(2), from shaken baby syndrome, safe sleep and abusive head trauma through infectious disease control, emergency preparedness, medication, food allergy emergencies, premises safety, hazardous materials, transportation and child development. A child care staff member must hold valid CPR and pediatric first aid BEFORE caring for children; a child care assistant has 90 days from hire (R 400.1920(3), R 400.1921(3)).

Ongoing (annual) training

Ten clock hours a year for the licensee, five for other personnel, one for unsupervised volunteers and drivers — and, unusually, CPR and first aid count toward them. A licensee shall complete not less than 10 clock hours of professional development each CALENDAR year on child development, caring for children, program planning, administrative management for a child care business, or updates to the R 400.1923 topics (R 400.1924(1)). Personnel other than the licensee shall complete not less than 5 clock hours on child development, caring for children, or those updates (R 400.1924(2)). An unsupervised volunteer and a driver each need not less than 1 hour (R 400.1924(3), (4)), and a driver counted in ratio must meet R 400.1923 and R 400.1924 in full (R 400.1951(10)). Staff MAY count CPR and first aid certification hours toward professional development in the year taken (R 400.1924(5)) — a reversal of the earlier Michigan rule — while the certifications must be kept current to the expiration dates on the cards (R 400.1924(8)); the 6-hour department orientation may also be applied. Two years after the effective date of the rules, verification moves entirely into MiRegistry and ALL training used to meet the requirement must be approved there (R 400.1924(7), (10)); the same switch applies to staff qualifications (R 400.1922(3)) and new hire training records (R 400.1923(4)). Outside the hour count, staff must read and acknowledge each new health and safety update MiLEAP publishes on MiRegistry within the stated timeframe (R 400.1924(11)), and the department may impose additional training after a violation (R 400.1924(9)).

Background checks

A comprehensive background check with fingerprints, run by the department rather than by the provider. Before any unsupervised contact with children the department must determine the eligibility of the licensee, every adult member of the household, every child care staff member and every unsupervised volunteer (R 400.1919(1); MCL 722.115n, 722.115q). Four components under MCL 722.115n(1): the department's database of previous disciplinary action; the national sex offender registry; a search of ALL state criminal registries for every state of residence in the past 5 years; and a fingerprint-based Michigan State Police and FBI check.

Separately, MCL 722.115q(1) forbids contact with a child until the department obtains MDHHS documentation that the person is not named in a central registry case as a perpetrator of child abuse or neglect; anyone so named is ineligible, and someone who lived outside Michigan as an adult in the past 5 years needs the equivalent clearance from each state (MCL 722.115q(2)). The licensee must have each individual sign the department form from www.michigan.gov/ccbc BEFORE the fingerprinting appointment, enroll them in the child care background check system, and immediately disconnect anyone no longer connected to the license (R 400.1919(2)). A person may serve as a child care staff member pending the determination only if supervised at all times, and anyone found ineligible must immediately be barred from the premises and from contact with children (R 400.1919(3), (4)). The department must state eligibility within 45 days without naming the disqualifying item, and clearances are renewed at least every 5 years (MCL 722.115n(7), (16)). Two checks the LICENSEE runs personally: a public sex offender registry clearance for every supervised volunteer and child care assistant before any contact with a child, copy on file (R 400.1903(1)(r));

and a written screening and supervision policy for personnel and volunteers, including parent volunteers, stating that anyone on either registry is barred from contact with children (R 400.1903(1)(s), MCL 722.115q(3)). Within 3 BUSINESS DAYS the licensee must report any change in household composition and any arrest, conviction, disqualifying arraignment, MDHHS abuse or neglect investigation, parole or probation, or admission to or release from a correctional or treatment facility, for any household member or staff (R 400.1903(1)(f)); drivers with unsupervised access need the full check (R 400.1951(4)). Absolute statutory bars: no presence in the home and no contact with children where the person was convicted of child abuse under MCL 750.136b or neglect under MCL 750.145, or of a felony involving harm or threatened harm within the preceding 10 years (MCL 722.119(1), (2)).

The application, step by step

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

1. Apply online through MiLogin and CCHIRP with the non-refundable fee: $50.00 for an original family home license, $100.00 for a group home (renewals $25.00 and $50.00), no fee refunded if the license is denied, revoked or refused renewal (MCL 722.115m(11), (13)).
2. Group homes only: file Zoning Approval for Group Child Care Homes (CCL-3748) under the Zoning Enabling Act, 2006 PA 110 — apart from its subsection (4), a local ordinance cannot be more restrictive than 1973 PA 116. Family homes do not file it.
3. Have the Medical Clearance Request (CCL-3704) completed by your physician or their designee attesting to your mental and physical health, dated within 1 year before issuance; staff and assistants need the same within 1 year before caring for children (R 400.1933).
4. Complete safe sleep training and Health and Safety for Licensed Child Care Providers Modules A, B and C on MiRegistry, plus the two trainings the rules name — recognition and reporting of child abuse and neglect, and prevention and control of infectious disease (R 400.1902(1)(e)) — and hold valid pediatric first aid and pediatric, infant, child and adult CPR certification before the license is issued (R 400.1902(1)(d)); online courses count only with an in-person skills test.
5. Have the heating system, including wood stoves and any permanently installed heating device, and the fuel-fired water heater inspected and approved by a licensed contractor or mechanical inspector, before the initial license and every 4 years at renewal (R 400.1945(4), (5)).
6. Complete fingerprinting and the comprehensive background check for the applicant, child care staff members, child care assistants, unsupervised volunteers and adult household members (R 400.1919(1), MCL 722.115n); instructions follow the application and fee.
7. If the application shows a private well and/or septic system, obtain the environmental health inspection — water must come from a municipal supply or a locally approved well, sewage from a public system or a locally approved method (R 400.1914). You file the Environmental Health Inspection Request (CCL-1787-CC).
8. Test for radon and document that the lowest level does not exceed 4 picocuries per liter before the initial license, retesting every 4 years at renewal; if exceeded, notify parents and install a mitigation system within 12 months of the first measurement (R 400.1915(4) to (6)).
9. Attend the department orientation, released once your documentation is approved: a condition of licensure (R 400.1902(1)(f)) and a statutory duty of the department (MCL 722.115m(6)), 6 clock hours, countable toward annual training.
10. Pass the on-site inspection: before issuing or renewing, the department must investigate the applicant's activities and proposed standards of care and make an on-site visit (MCL 722.115m(2)). The consultant inspects the whole home and premises, reviews the emergency plans, discipline policy and daily schedule, and settles the terms of the license — ages served, hours, and the space approved for child use (R 400.1909(2)); non-compliance produces a corrective action plan (CCL-1894).
11. Receive a 6-month original license (MCL 722.117); after a complete renewal application, the fee and another on-site inspection, a REGULAR license valid 2 years is issued (MCL 722.118(1)). A home temporarily unable to conform may instead get a provisional license, valid 6 months and issuable not more than 3 times (MCL 722.117a).
12. Know the clock that runs against the department: it must issue or deny within 6 months of a completed application and flag an incomplete one within 30 days, the 6 months tolled while it awaits information or a corrective action plan; miss the deadline and it must refund the application fee and cut the next renewal fee by 15% (MCL 722.115m(7), (9)). After licensure, inspections are unannounced by default (MCL 722.113h).

What you must post on your walls

• The current license, in a conspicuous place within the home during the hours of operation (R 400.1903(1)(e))
• The current U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission list of recalled children's products, hard copy or electronic access, conspicuously posted, as required by the Children's Product Safety Act, 2000 PA 219 (R 400.1909(5))
• A notice that smoking and vaping are prohibited on the premises during hours of operation, visible to parents, personnel, volunteers and visitors (R 400.1918(2); MCL 722.113c)
• The written emergency response plans for fire, tornado watches and warnings, serious accident or injury, water emergencies and floods — hard copy, visible to personnel, volunteers and parents (R 400.1939(3)(a)). Kept accessible rather than posted: the plans for power outages, extreme weather, other disasters and bomb threats (R 400.1939(3)(b)); and the intruder or active shooter plan, accessible to personnel and volunteers only, not to parents (R 400.1939(3)(c))
• Each child's name and known food allergy, posted prominently on parent approval (R 400.1937(4)(b))
• The licensing notebook — every licensing inspection, special investigation report, corrective action plan and approval letter for the last 3 calendar years plus a summary sheet — accessible to parents and prospective parents during normal hours, or through the department's electronic database (R 400.1906(3), (4); MCL 722.113g)
• Not required in a home, contrary to a common assumption: the notice that a criminal history background check is required on employees or volunteers is imposed by MCL 722.113e only on a child care CENTER or a child caring institution

Enrollment forms for each child

• Child Care Family and Group Home Application — Original, filed online through MiLogin and CCHIRP with the fee; a paper Renewal version exists for payment by check or money order (MCL 722.115m(2), (11))
• Zoning Approval for Group Child Care Homes — CCL-3748 (group homes only); Environmental Health Inspection Request — CCL-1787-CC, where the home has a private well or septic system (R 400.1914)
• Medical Clearance Request — CCL-3704, for the applicant and for every child care staff member and child care assistant (R 400.1933)
• Child Information Record — CCL-3731, obtained before initial attendance and kept AS A HARD COPY at the home (R 400.1907(1)(a)); a copy also goes to any driver transporting that child (R 400.1951(8))
• Child in Care Statement/Receipt — CCL-3900, signed by the parent before initial attendance: receipt of the disciplinary policy, the child's health condition, the offer of a copy of the rules, agreement on who provides food, acknowledgement of firearms on the premises if applicable, notice of potential lead-based paint if the home was built before 1978, and notice of the licensing notebook (R 400.1907(1)(b); MCL 722.113g(3))
• Immunization documentation for each child — completed, in progress, or waived in writing by the parent — kept 2 years after the child leaves, and a daily attendance record with each child's name and arrival and departure times (R 400.1907(1)(c), (3), (5))
• Medication Permission and Instructions — CCL-1243: prior written parent permission plus a log of date, time and amount kept 2 years, sunscreen, insect repellent and diaper rash ointment exempt from the log (R 400.1931)
• Home Fire and Tornado Drill Record — CCL-4593: fire drills using the smoke detectors as the alarm at least every 3 months with children in care, at least 2 tornado drills between March and November, other emergency drills annually (R 400.1939(7) to (10))
• Incident Report — CCL-4605: written report within 72 hours of the verbal report, itself due within 24 hours of a child lost or left unsupervised, an allegation of inappropriate contact, a serious injury, a fire requiring suppression equipment, or an evacuation (R 400.1941)
• Report of Actual or Suspected Child Abuse or Neglect — DHS-3200, within 72 hours of the immediate verbal report to MDHHS Children's Protective Services at 1-855-444-3911, plus the signed mandated-reporter statement for personnel, volunteers and adult household members (R 400.1903(1)(q))
• Training Record — CCL-4590 and Staff Member and Assistant Certifications — CCL-4595 (R 400.1923(4), R 400.1924(7)); Driver Verification — CCL-5039 (R 400.1951(2)); Notification of Changes in Status — CCL-1485 (R 400.1903(1)(f))
• Request for Modification of the Terms of the License — CCL-5054, required before any space not previously approved is used by children, including a basement or second floor (R 400.1909(2)); Family and Group Home Increased Capacity and Ratio Request, filed in CCHIRP once the four criteria of R 400.1925(2) are met; Licensing Notebook Summary Sheet — CCL-5052; Corrective Action Plan — CCL-1894; Provisional Waiver — CCL-1004
• Written documents with no state form, checked at inspection: the discipline policy (R 400.1942(1)); the screening and supervision policy carrying the sex offender registry prohibition (R 400.1903(1)(s)); the food allergy plan and each child's care plan, which must go on field trips (R 400.1937); the emergency response plan (R 400.1939); water activity permission (R 400.1934(10)); radon documentation (R 400.1915(5)); and a file for each staff member and driver kept 2 years after they leave (R 400.1906)

What's specific about getting licensed in Michigan

Michigan counts your capacity two different ways, and that gap is where most first-timers stumble: the license caps UNRELATED children at 6, but the supervision ratio separately folds in your own and household children under age 6, then layers strict infant sub-caps (max 2 under 18 months, max 4 under 30 months per caregiver). On top of that, Michigan requires the licensee to permanently reside in the home, be present daily, cap personal/vacation absence at 20 days a year, and NOT hold another job during operating hours — and it tracks every training hour through MiRegistry. This dual-count capacity math plus the live-in, no-outside-job rule is distinctly Michigan and rarely spelled out plainly elsewhere. (Rules cited are the current effective 2019/2020 Licensing Rules for Family and Group Child Care Homes; MiLEAP has a 2025 draft revision in progress, so verify against the latest set before you rely on a specific number.)

How long it takes and what it costs in Michigan

Timeline: Michigan's Child Care Licensing Bureau states the home licensing process takes 3 to 6 months on average. The clock is driven by fingerprint-based background checks for the applicant and every adult in the household, the on-site licensing inspection, and finishing orientation plus the required trainings. Providers who book their department orientation and CPR/First Aid classes immediately (rather than waiting for the inspector to ask) land at the 3-month end; those who complete trainings piecemeal drift toward 6 months or longer.

Cost: The application fee is $50.00 for a family child care home (1-6 children) or $100.00 for a group home (7-12), paid at application and NON-refundable. Beyond that, budget for a CPR/First Aid class (typically a modest per-person fee through a local provider), while the department's orientation is provided by the state and many of the required courses on MiRegistry (Michigan's official training registry) are free. MiLEAP also publishes an 'approximated home start-up costs' worksheet — use it to plan for safety equipment, cribs, and gates, since those real costs dwarf the license fee itself.

Source: RULE TEXT, read in full and directly, no proxy: MiLEAP, Child Care Licensing Bureau, "Licensing Family and Group Child Care Homes", final rules filed with the Secretary of State April 27, 2026, R 400.1901 to R 400.1951, read rule by rule — https://ars.apps.lara.state.mi.us/Transaction/DownloadFile?FileName=FinalRule%28s%29.pdf&FileType=FinalRule&TransactionID=1519&EffectiveDate=4%2F27%2F2026&ReturnHTML=True . MiLEAP publishes the same rules as New-Child-Care-Home-rules-2026-5262026.pdf, not opened because michigan.gov returns 403 to automated access. STATUTE: Child Care Organizations Act, 1973 PA 116, MCL 722.111 to 722.128, official compilation "Complete Through PA 91 of 2026" — https://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/mcl/pdf/mcl-Act-116-of-1973.pdf (read: 722.111; 722.113a, 722.113c, 722.113e, 722.113g, 722.113h; 722.115, whose subsection (1) expressly excludes homes; 722.115m; 722.115n, 722.115q, 722.115r; 722.117, 722.117a, 722.118; 722.119; 722.120; 722.125), through the r.jina.ai reader because legislature.mi.gov blocks automated requests; the family child care home definition cross-checked at https://codes.findlaw.com/mi/chapter-722-children/mi-comp-laws-722-111/ .

AGENCY GUIDANCE, all on michigan.gov and read through the same reader: "Technical Assistance and Consultation Manual, Family and Group Child Care Homes", 242 pages, May 21, 2026 (read on R 400.1902 and the orientation, .1909 child-use space, .1925 capacity, .1927 and .1928 ratios); "Resource Guide to Child Care Home Licensure in Michigan", revised May 11, 2026, source of the step-by-step sequence; "Apply for a Child Care Home License" at https://www.michigan.gov/mileap/early-childhood-education/cclb/apply-child-care-home-license (3-to-6-month timeline, MiLogin and CCHIRP, non-refundable fees); "Child Care Licensing Forms" at https://www.michigan.gov/mileap/early-childhood-education/cclb/provider-resources/forms (exact form numbers, $25/$50 paper renewal fees); and the press release "New Child Care Home Licensing Rules Strengthen Safety, Clarity, and Access for Michigan Families", May 8, 2026 (adoption on April 27, 2026, at least 90 days to comply, removal of tuberculosis testing, ratio change for school-age children). Portals: https://www.michigan.gov/ccbc , https://www.miregistry.org , https://milogin.michigan.gov , https://www.michigan.gov/mileap/early-childhood-education/cclb .

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