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Home Daycare License Requirements in Missouri (2026)

Opening a home daycare in Missouri means getting a family child care home license from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Office of Childhood (Section for Child Care Regulation). 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 Missouri

MISSOURI SORTS HOME-BASED CHILD CARE INTO FOUR LEGAL BOXES, AND ONLY ONE OF THEM IS A LICENCE TO RUN A DAYCARE OUT OF THE HOUSE YOU LIVE IN. The four are: (1) the unlicensed caregiver who stays under the statutory exemption ceiling in section 210.211.1(1) RSMo; (2) the "registered child care provider" who takes state or federal subsidy money for four or fewer unrelated children under 5 CSR 25-200.070; (3) the LICENSED FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME under 5 CSR 25-400, which is the actual home daycare licence and the subject of this entry; and (4) the GROUP CHILD CARE HOME under 5 CSR 25-500, which despite its name is defined by Missouri law as NOT being in your residence. Getting these four apart is the single most useful thing a Missouri applicant can do before spending any money, because three of them are commonly described online as if they were the same product. BOX ONE — THE EXEMPTION, AND IT IS SIX CHILDREN, NOT FOUR. Section 210.211.1 RSMo opens with the prohibition: "It shall be unlawful for any person to establish, maintain or operate a child-care facility for children, or to advertise or hold himself or herself out as being able to perform any of the services as defined in section 210.201, without having in effect a written license granted by the department of elementary and secondary education; except that nothing in sections 210.203 to 210.245 shall apply to:" — and then subdivision (1) reads, in the text effective 28 August 2024: "Any person who is caring for six or fewer children, including a maximum of three children under the age of two, at the same physical address.

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 Missouri

TEN CHILDREN IS THE CEILING ON THE LICENCE — BUT THE NUMBER PRINTED ON YOUR LICENCE IS DECIDED BY SQUARE FOOTAGE, BY THE RATIO TABLE, AND BY THE FIRE INSPECTOR, AND IT WILL USUALLY BE LOWER THAN TEN. THE HEADLINE NUMBER, IN TWO PLACES. The definition first: 5 CSR 25-400.010(11) says a family child care home is "a child care program where care is given by a person licensed as a family child care home provider for no more than ten (10) children for any part of the twenty-four- (24-) hour day." The operative rule second: 5 CSR 25-400.105(2)(A) opens "A family child care home may be licensed for up to ten (10) children. The following staff/child ratios must be maintained at all times and shall not be exceeded except as permitted under these rules". Ten is a maximum on what the department MAY licence, not an entitlement. What you actually get is fixed on the licence itself: 5 CSR 25-400.045(18) provides that "The number and ages of children a family child care home is authorized to have in care at any one time shall be specified on the license and shall not be exceeded except as permitted within these rules", and section 210.221.1(1) RSMo requires the same at statutory level — "Each license shall specify the effective date and whether the license is temporary, the kind of child-care services the licensee is authorized to perform, the number of children that can be received or maintained, and their ages".

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

Adult-to-child ratios

MISSOURI DOES NOT RATION FAMILY-HOME STAFF BY AGE BAND. IT RATIONS BY HEADCOUNT AND BY A SINGLE AGE LINE — UNDER TWO — AND THE WHOLE TABLE FITS ON FIVE ROWS. THE TABLE, VERBATIM. 5 CSR 25-400.105(2)(A) reads: "A family child care home may be licensed for up to ten (10) children. The following staff/child ratios must be maintained at all times and shall not be exceeded except as permitted under these rules". The three columns are headed "Number of caregivers present", "Number of children present" and "Maximum number of children under age two (2)", and the five rows are: One caregiver present — up to 4 children present — maximum 4 children under age two. One caregiver present — 5 to 6 children present — maximum 3 children under age two. One caregiver present — 7 to 10 children present — maximum 2 children under age two. Two caregivers present — up to 8 children present — maximum 8 children under age two. Two caregivers present — up to 10 children present — maximum 4 children under age two. That is the entire staffing arithmetic for a Missouri family child care home. There is no separate preschool ratio, no separate school-age ratio, no mixed-age formula, and no group size.

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

MISSOURI HAS NO PRE-SERVICE CLOCK-HOUR NUMBER FOR A FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME PROVIDER. IT HAS FOUR SEPARATE GATES, EACH WITH ITS OWN TRIGGER AND ITS OWN DEADLINE, AND ONLY THREE OF THEM HAVE TO BE CLEARED BEFORE THE LICENCE ISSUES. ANYONE WHO ANSWERS "HOW MANY PRE-SERVICE HOURS DOES MISSOURI REQUIRE?" WITH A NUMBER IS ANSWERING A QUESTION MISSOURI DOES NOT ASK. Read Chapter 400 end to end and there is no rule that says "before licensure the provider shall complete N hours of training". There is no equivalent of Texas's twenty-four pre-service hours, Colorado's Early Childhood Education credential, or North Carolina's Early Childhood Credential. What there is instead is: an orientation with no stated duration; a facility orientation with a seven-day clock and a content list; a certification requirement in first aid and CPR; and a safe sleep course with a three-year renewal cycle and a conditional trigger. Below, each gate in the order it actually bites. GATE ONE — THE DEPARTMENT'S LICENSING ORIENTATION, WHICH IS THE FIRST STEP IN THE ENTIRE PROCESS AND HAS NO STATED LENGTH. 5 CSR 25-400.045(1) is the opening subsection of the licensing process rule, and it reads in full: "AN APPLICANT SHALL COMPLETE THE LICENSING ORIENTATION AVAILABLE ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE TO LEARN ABOUT THE LICENSING PROCESS AND RULES."

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

Ongoing (annual) training

TWELVE CLOCK HOURS PER CALENDAR YEAR, FOR THE PROVIDER AND FOR ANY ASSISTANT WHO WORKS OR VOLUNTEERS MORE THAN FIVE HOURS A WEEK — AND THE WORD "CALENDAR" IS DOING MORE WORK THAN ANY OTHER WORD IN THE RULE. THE CORE OBLIGATION, VERBATIM. 5 CSR 25-400.105(4)(A): "THE PROVIDER SHALL OBTAIN AT LEAST TWELVE (12) CLOCK HOURS OF CHILD CARE-RELATED TRAINING DURING EACH CALENDAR YEAR. ANY ASSISTANT WHO WORKS OR VOLUNTEERS MORE THAN FIVE (5) HOURS PER WEEK SHALL MEET THE SAME TRAINING REQUIREMENTS. CLOCK HOUR TRAINING SHALL BE APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT." 5 CSR 25-400.105(4)(B) defines the unit: "A clock hour shall be a minimum of one (1) hour." 5 CSR 25-400.105(4)(C) prorates for partial years: "Caregivers who were employed less than the full year shall obtain ONE (1) CLOCK HOUR OF TRAINING FOR EACH ONE (1) MONTH OF EMPLOYMENT, REGARDLESS OF THE DATE EMPLOYMENT BEGAN." THE CALENDAR YEAR IS THE MEASURING PERIOD, NOT THE LICENCE YEAR — AND THIS DESYNCHRONISES THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT DEADLINES IN THE CHAPTER. Missouri renews by annual declaration keyed to the licence anniversary: 5 CSR 25-400.055(1) requires the declaration "at least thirty (30) calendar days prior to the ANNIVERSARY DATE as printed on the license", and 5 CSR 25-400.055(2)(C) requires the Family Care Safety Registry sweep "within thirty (30) days prior to the ANNIVERSARY DATE as printed on the license".

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

Background checks

MISSOURI RUNS TWO SEPARATE, SIMULTANEOUS SCREENING SYSTEMS ON A FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME, ADMINISTERED BY TWO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS, ON TWO DIFFERENT CLOCKS. CONFLATING THEM IS THE COMMONEST MISTAKE IN MISSOURI CHILD CARE COMPLIANCE, AND IT IS A MISTAKE THAT COSTS LICENCES. SYSTEM ONE IS THE COMPREHENSIVE BACKGROUND SCREENING under section 210.1080 RSMo and 5 CSR 25-600, administered by the DESE Office of Childhood, run every FIVE years, and it is the one that determines eligibility to be present at the facility. SYSTEM TWO is the FAMILY CARE SAFETY REGISTRY under sections 210.900 to 210.936 RSMo — the Family Care Safety Act — administered by the DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SENIOR SERVICES, checked ANNUALLY by the provider against every staff member, and separately triggered on every new hire. They overlap in content (the FCSR is one of the databases the comprehensive check searches) but they are not the same obligation and neither substitutes for the other. THE STATUTORY VERSION IN FORCE ON 26 AUGUST 2026 IS THE 2022 TEXT, NOT THE 2026 TEXT. This matters for precision. Section 210.1080 RSMo has five enacted versions; the version effective 28 August 2022 (A.L. 2022 S.B. 683) is the operative one on the verification date, and a NEW version enacted by A.L. 2026 H.B. 2273 takes effect on 28 AUGUST 2026 — two days later.

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

The application, step by step

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

1. STEP ONE — COMPLETE THE DESE LICENSING ORIENTATION BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE, BECAUSE THE RULE PUTS IT AT SUBSECTION (1) AND MEANS IT. The licensing process rule opens with a single sentence: 5 CSR 25-400.045(1), "An applicant shall complete the licensing orientation available on the department's website to learn about the licensing process and rules." That is the whole text — no stated duration, no examination, no certificate, no currency period, and, unlike the seven forms that Chapter 400 formally incorporates by reference with a publisher, a postal address and a "This rule does not incorporate any subsequent amendment or additions" clause, the orientation is not incorporated at all. Its…
2. STEP TWO — DECIDE THE NUMBER AND THE AGE RANGE YOU WILL ASK FOR, BECAUSE THE LICENCE CARRIES BOTH AND EVERY DOWNSTREAM OBLIGATION FLOWS FROM THEM. Section 210.221.1(1) RSMo, in the version effective 28 August 2025, requires that "Each license shall specify the effective date and whether the license is temporary, the kind of child-care services the licensee is authorized to perform, THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN THAT CAN BE RECEIVED OR MAINTAINED, AND THEIR AGES", and 5 CSR 25-400.045(18) repeats it: "The number and ages of children a family child care home is authorized to have in care at any one time shall be specified on the license and shall not be exceeded except as permitted within these…
3. STEP THREE — CHECK ZONING, DEED RESTRICTIONS AND THE LOCAL GOVERNING BODY YOURSELF, BECAUSE THE STATE WILL NOT DO IT FOR YOU AND A LOCAL FINDING IS A MANDATORY GROUND OF REVOCATION. 5 CSR 25-400.085(1)(C) allocates the burden in one sentence: "IT SHALL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CHILD CARE PROVIDER TO DETERMINE ANY APPLICABLE LOCAL ZONING REGULATIONS." The department does not check, does not advise, and does not warn. What it does do is act on a later local finding, and it has no discretion when it does: section 210.221.4 RSMo provides that "The department SHALL DENY, SUSPEND, PLACE ON PROBATION OR REVOKE A LICENSE IF IT RECEIVES OFFICIAL WRITTEN NOTICE THAT THE LOCAL GOVERNING BODY HAS…
4. STEP FOUR — SUBMIT THE APPLICATION FOR LICENSE TO OPERATE A CHILD CARE FACILITY, AND START THE SIX-MONTH CLOCK THAT KILLS MORE MISSOURI APPLICATIONS THAN ANY OTHER PROVISION. 5 CSR 25-400.045(2): "Upon receipt of a completed Application for License to Operate a Child Care Facility form, a licensing inspection shall be made. See Application for License to Operate a Child Care Facility form, REVISED 2021, incorporated by reference in this rule, as published by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, PO Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480 and available by the department at https://dese.mo.gov/childhood/forms. This rule does not incorporate any subsequent amendment or…
5. STEP FIVE — GET COMPREHENSIVE BACKGROUND SCREENING RESULTS ON FILE FOR YOURSELF AND FOR EVERY ADULT WHO LIVES IN THE HOUSE, NOT MERELY FOR PEOPLE WHO WORK IN THE DAYCARE. 5 CSR 25-400.045(6): "The child care provider and child care staff members, AS DEFINED BY 5 CSR 25-600.010 Definitions, shall have qualifying background screening results on file as required by 5 CSR 25-600.020 General Requirements, PRIOR TO INITIAL ISSUANCE OF THE LICENSE." The definition is the trap. 5 CSR 25-600.010(2) and section 210.1080.1(2) RSMo define "child care staff member" to include "individuals residing in a family child care home who are eighteen (18) years of age and older" and "individuals residing in a…
6. STEP SIX — OBTAIN MEDICAL EXAMINATION REPORTS AND CLEAR THE TUBERCULOSIS LIMB, WHICH TAKES LONGER THAN APPLICANTS EXPECT. 5 CSR 25-400.045(8): "Medical examination reports for the provider and child care assistant(s), as required by 5 CSR 25-400.125 Medical Examination Reports, shall be on file at the home and available for review." The detail is in 5 CSR 25-400.125(1). Subsection (B): "The provider shall have a medical examination report ON FILE AT THE TIME OF INITIAL LICENSURE." Subsection (D): "Assistants who are employed or volunteer MORE THAN FIVE (5) HOURS PER WEEK shall have a medical examination report on file within thirty (30) days of beginning work in the home." Subsection (F):…
7. STEP SEVEN — PASS THE MISSOURI DIVISION OF FIRE SAFETY INSPECTION, WHICH IS A STATUTORY PRECONDITION AND THE STEP MOST LIKELY TO REQUIRE CONSTRUCTION. 5 CSR 25-400.045(5): "PRIOR TO THE GRANTING OF A LICENSE, THE PROVIDER SHALL MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF 5 CSR 25-400.086 FIRE SAFETY." Section 210.252.1 RSMo supplies the statutory frame: all buildings and premises used by a child-care facility to care for more than six children "shall be inspected ANNUALLY for fire and safety by the state fire marshal, the marshal's designee or officials of a local fire district and for health and sanitation by the department of elementary and secondary education or the department's designee". 5 CSR…
8. STEP EIGHT — ASSEMBLE EVIDENCE OF SANITATION COMPLIANCE, AND SETTLE THE KITCHEN QUESTION. 5 CSR 25-400.045(4)(J) requires, prior to the granting of a licence, "Evidence of compliance with local or state, or both, sanitation requirements." Section 210.252.1 RSMo puts health and sanitation inspection with "the department of elementary and secondary education or the department's designee, including officials of the department of health and senior services, or officials of the local health department", and section 210.252.6 RSMo preserves a DHSS rulemaking power over sanitation. Which body actually inspects therefore varies by county and city, and section 210.252.2 RSMo authorises local…
9. STEP NINE — MEASURE THE HOUSE AND THE YARD JOINTLY WITH THE LICENSING REPRESENTATIVE AND PRODUCE TWO SCALE DIAGRAMS. 5 CSR 25-400.045(4)(A): "A sketch or diagram of the home showing the arrangement of the rooms, including the location of toilet and handwashing facilities, the kitchen, and the doors. THE LICENSING REPRESENTATIVE AND THE APPLICANT SHALL MEASURE THE HOME JOINTLY." 5 CSR 25-400.045(4)(B): "A sketch or diagram of the outdoor play area and placement of equipment, INDICATING IF THE AREA IS FENCED. The licensing representative and the applicant shall measure the area jointly." The joint-measurement requirement is unusual and it is the moment your licensed capacity is actually…
10. STEP TEN — WRITE THE PARENT POLICY SET, WHICH IS FOUR SEPARATE WRITTEN POLICIES AND NOT ONE HANDBOOK. 5 CSR 25-400.045(4)(C) requires, prior to the granting of a licence, "Written policies provided to parents shall include: 1. PROGRAM GOALS; 2. ADMISSION, CARE, AND DISCHARGE OF CHILDREN; 3. NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION OF CHILD CARE PRACTICES AND CONCEPTS; and 4. DISCIPLINE AND GUIDANCE POLICIES." 5 CSR 25-400.135(1) restates the obligation from the operational side and adds the safe sleep limb: "The provider shall establish, implement, and maintain written policies pertaining to the program goals, admission, SAFE SLEEP PRACTICES FOR CHILDREN LESS THAN ONE (1) YEAR OF AGE, care and discharge of…
11. STEP ELEVEN — BUY AND INVENTORY THE EQUIPMENT, BECAUSE MISSOURI COUNTS IT AND THE COUNT IS FORTY ITEMS PLUS FOUR PER INFANT AND TODDLER. This is the step applicants dismiss as trivial and then fail. 5 CSR 25-400.095(2)(B)2. requires, for children twenty-four months and older, that "A MINIMUM OF FORTY (40) APPROVED ITEMS SHALL BE REQUIRED. The forty (40) items shall include AT LEAST FOUR (4) ITEMS FROM EACH OF THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES: A. Blocks, construction and transportation toys; B. Manipulatives; C. Creative arts; D. Large muscle activities; E. Library and language activities; F. Music and rhythm activities; G. Dramatic and housekeeping play; and H. Science activities or sensory…
12. STEP TWELVE — WRITE THE DISASTER AND EMERGENCY PLAN, WHICH IS A LONG, PRESCRIBED DOCUMENT AND NOT A ONE-PAGE EVACUATION MAP. 5 CSR 25-400.045(4)(M) makes "A written disaster and emergency plan" a pre-licensure deliverable, and 5 CSR 25-400.090 specifies its contents at length. Subsection (1)(A) requires written procedures for four scenario families: "Medical and non-medical emergencies and disaster situations that could pose a hazard to staff and children, such as a fire, tornado, flood, chemical spill, exposure to carbon monoxide, power failure, bomb threat, person coming to the facility whose health or behavior may be harmful to a child or staff member, or kidnapping"; evacuation;…
13. STEP THIRTEEN — IF THE LICENCE WILL COVER INFANTS UNDER ONE, WRITE THE SAFE SLEEP POLICY AND COMPLETE THE AAP SAFE SLEEP TRAINING FOR EVERY ADULT IN THE OPERATION, BEFORE LICENSURE. Two obligations, both conditional on the age range you chose in step two. First the policy: 5 CSR 25-400.045(4)(N) requires "A written safe sleep policy, if licensed to care for children under twelve (12) months of age", and 5 CSR 25-400.135(2) prescribes its contents in eleven mandated elements. It "shall comply with section 210.223, RSMo" and shall "list the licensee's expectations regarding how and when caregivers are to be trained on safe sleep"; require "that children less than one (1) year of age be…
14. STEP FOURTEEN — PREPARE A SAFETY PLAN IF A REGISTERED SEX OFFENDER LIVES WITHIN ONE THOUSAND FEET, AND UNDERSTAND THAT THE RULE DOES NOT TELL YOU WHAT ONE LOOKS LIKE. 5 CSR 25-400.045(4)(O) makes it a pre-licensure deliverable: "A COMPLETED SAFETY PLAN, IF A SEX OFFENDER RESIDES WITHIN ONE THOUSAND FEET (1,000') OF THE FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME." 5 CSR 25-400.055(1)(D) makes it an annual one, with a carry-forward: "A completed safety plan if a sex offender resides within one thousand feet (1,000') of the facility. If the provider has an existing safety plan, a new plan is not required." Nowhere in Chapter 400 is the safety plan defined, given a content list, given a template, or given an…
15. STEP FIFTEEN — FILE THE REMAINING PAPERWORK BUNDLE, WHICH IS SIX MORE ITEMS THAT DO NOT FIT ANYWHERE ELSE. 5 CSR 25-400.045(4) lists sixteen pre-licensure submissions in total; steps nine to fourteen above cover the diagrams, the policies, the schedule, the menu, the equipment list, the disaster plan, the safe sleep policy and the safety plan.
16. STEP SIXTEEN — PUT THE CHILD-LEVEL RECORDS IN PLACE BEFORE THE FIRST CHILD ARRIVES, BECAUSE TWO OF THEM ARE PRE-LICENSURE ITEMS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. 5 CSR 25-400.045(10): "ENROLLMENT INFORMATION FOR EACH CHILD SHALL BE ON FILE AT THE HOME as required by 5 CSR 25-400.135 Admission Policies and Procedures." 5 CSR 25-400.045(9): "Medical examination reports shall be on file at the home WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS FOLLOWING THE ADMISSION of each infant, toddler, or preschool child ... A health report for school-age children shall be on file as required by 5 CSR 25-400.125." The admission procedure at 5 CSR 25-400.135(6) is prescriptive: it requires "A personal interview with the parent(s) and child…

What you must post on your walls

• THE LICENCE ITSELF IS THE ONLY DOCUMENT MISSOURI ORDERS YOU TO PUT ON THE WALL BY THE DOOR. 5 CSR 25-400.045(12) is one sentence long and it is the sentence every family child care home in Missouri is measured against: "Once granted, the license shall be posted near the entrance of the home where it may be seen easily by parents or others who visit." Read the three tests separately, because the inspector does. NEAR THE ENTRANCE — not in the playroom, not in the kitchen, not in the file box with the enrolment records; the fixed reference point is the door families come through, and in a home licensed for care in a basement or a walk-out level the entrance that counts is the one the children…
• A SECOND POSTING SITS BESIDE THE LICENCE, AND IT IS THE ONE APPLICANTS FORGET. 5 CSR 25-400.045(13) requires that "The name(s), address(es), and telephone number(s) shall be posted prominently near the license for all of the following, as applicable: (A) The child care provider(s); (B) Facility owner(s); (C) Board president or chairperson; or (D) All manager(s) and/or member(s)." This is a separate, freestanding display duty with its own adverb — PROMINENTLY — and its own location anchor, NEAR THE LICENSE. It is not discharged by the licence certificate itself, because the certificate carries the licensee's name and the licensed address but not a home address and telephone number for every…
• CAPACITY AND AGE RANGE ARE POSTED — BUT ONLY BECAUSE THEY ARE PRINTED ON THE LICENCE, AND MISSOURI DOES NOT REQUIRE A SEPARATE CAPACITY SIGN. 5 CSR 25-400.045(18) states that "The number and ages of children a family child care home is authorized to have in care at any one time shall be specified on the license and shall not be exceeded except as permitted within these rules", and section 210.221.1(1) RSMo requires each licence to specify "the number of children that can be received or maintained, and their ages". There is no rule in 5 CSR 25-400 directing you to hang a placard reading "LICENSED CAPACITY 10". The capacity posting duty is entirely parasitic on the licence-posting duty in 5…
• EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBERS ARE POSTED AT THE TELEPHONE, AND THE ANCHOR IS THE INSTRUMENT, NOT THE ROOM. 5 CSR 25-400.085(1)(A)11. reads in full: "Telephone numbers for the police, fire department, ambulance and other emergency telephone numbers shall be posted near the telephone." It sits inside the physical-requirements rule, in the same subparagraph list as the telephone requirement itself at 5 CSR 25-400.085(1)(A)10.: "A telephone in working order shall be available for incoming and outgoing calls. If a telephone answering machine is used, it must be turned on so incoming messages can be heard and parents' calls can be returned promptly." The two travel together, and they explain each…
• YOUR ASSISTANTS GO ON THE WALL WITH THE EMERGENCY NUMBERS — A POSTING DUTY THAT IS EASY TO MISS BECAUSE IT LIVES IN THE PERSONNEL RULE. 5 CSR 25-400.105(3) provides that "(A) The provider shall have at least one (1) assistant available. (B) The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all assistants shall be posted with other emergency numbers in the home. (C) Parents shall be notified of any absence of the provider and informed of the name of the assistant on duty." Subsection (B) is a display requirement and it piggybacks on the telephone posting created by 5 CSR 25-400.085(1)(A)11., which is what "posted with other emergency numbers" means: the assistant block belongs on the same…
• THE FIRE-AND-TORNADO EVACUATION PLAN IS THE SECOND MANDATORY WALL DOCUMENT, AND IT MUST BE THE VERSION THE FIRE INSPECTOR APPROVED. 5 CSR 25-400.086(2)(C)3. provides: "An evacuation/emergency plan for fires and tornadoes that is approved by the fire inspector shall be posted in the home in a central location and be visible to all occupants. The plan shall include special instructions for infants and nonambulatory children." Every clause carries weight. APPROVED BY THE FIRE INSPECTOR — this is not a plan you draft and hang; the annual inspection under 5 CSR 25-400.086(2)(A), which requires that "The Missouri Division of Fire Safety shall inspect the facility annually for the capacity…
• THE HEAVIEST POSTING DUTY IN THE WHOLE CHAPTER IS THE ONE MOST APPLICANTS HAVE NEVER READ: 5 CSR 25-400.090(2)(B), WHICH POSTS A BLOCK OF INFORMATION IN EVERY ROOM USED FOR CHILD CARE AND BESIDE EVERY TELEPHONE. The rule states: "The licensee shall ensure that … (B) The following information is posted in each room used for child care and beside each telephone in the facility: 1. Contact information, including the following: A. The name, address, and telephone number of the facility; B. A list of emergency numbers, including 911, if available, the fire department, police department, ambulance service, poison control center, and local radio station; C. When a facility operates at more than…
• THE DISASTER AND EMERGENCY PLAN ITSELF IS KEPT READILY AVAILABLE — NOT POSTED — AND CONFLATING IT WITH THE POSTED BLOCK IS THE CLASSIC MISSOURI ERROR. 5 CSR 25-400.090(2)(A) requires that "At all times, a copy of the facility's disaster emergency plan is readily available in the office area and in each room used for care of children". AVAILABLE, in the office area and in each care room. The immediately following subsection, 5 CSR 25-400.090(2)(B), is the one that says POSTED. Same rule, same subsection number, two different verbs, and the difference is enforceable: a binder on a shelf in each room satisfies (A) and fails (B); a wall placard satisfies (B) and, if the full plan is not…
• TWO SMALLER PHYSICAL DISPLAY DUTIES SIT INSIDE THE FIRE SAFETY RULE AND ARE CHECKED BY THE FIRE INSPECTOR, NOT THE LICENSING REPRESENTATIVE. The first is a permit posting that applies only to some homes but is absolute where it applies. 5 CSR 25-400.086(12)(B) provides: "Facilities with a water heater over two hundred thousand (200,000) British thermal units (Btus) per hour input or larger, or that is heating with a boiler, shall have a valid permit from the Division of Fire Safety posted on the premises. A copy of the permit shall be kept on file at the Division of Fire Safety." Note the split: the ORIGINAL PERMIT is posted on the premises and the COPY lives with the Division of Fire…
• MISSOURI DOES NOT REQUIRE YOU TO POST THE INSPECTION OR COMPLIANCE REPORT. THIS IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT NEGATIVE FINDING IN THIS FIELD, BECAUSE A DOZEN OTHER STATES DO AND THE CROSS-STATE MATERIAL AN APPLICANT READS ONLINE ASSUMES IT. The governing sentence is in section 210.252.1 RSMo, effective 28 August 2024: all buildings and premises used by a child-care facility to care for more than six children "shall be inspected annually for fire and safety by the state fire marshal, the marshal's designee or officials of a local fire district and for health and sanitation by the department of elementary and secondary education or the department's designee … Evidence of compliance with the…
• THE DAILY SCHEDULE AND THE MENU ARE NOT POSTINGS IN MISSOURI — THEY ARE A WRITING DUTY AND A PRODUCE-ON-REQUEST DUTY RESPECTIVELY, AND THE RULE TEXT SAYS SO IN TERMS. On the schedule, 5 CSR 25-400.175(2)(A) states the whole of the obligation: "A daily schedule shall be established in written form which shall include activities for all ages of children in care." ESTABLISHED IN WRITTEN FORM. Nothing in 5 CSR 25-400.175, and nothing anywhere else in Chapter 400, requires the schedule to be posted, displayed, given to parents, or visible to anyone. It must exist on paper and it must cover every age group you are licensed to serve, which for a home licensed from six weeks through school age…
• THE DISCIPLINE POLICY IS DELIVERED TO EACH PARENT IN WRITING — IT IS NEVER POSTED — AND MISSOURI IMPOSES THE DUTY TWICE, ONCE BY STATUTE AND ONCE BY RULE. The statute is section 210.211.3 RSMo, effective 28 August 2024, whose closing sentence reaches every child care facility in the state, licensed or not: "All child care facilities shall provide the parent or guardian enrolling a child in the facility with a written explanation of the disciplinary philosophy and policies of the child care facility." PROVIDE THE PARENT ENROLLING A CHILD. The rule is 5 CSR 25-400.135(1): "The provider shall establish, implement, and maintain written policies pertaining to the program goals, admission, safe…
• THE SAFE SLEEP POLICY IS HANDED TO THE PARENT OF EVERY INFANT AT ENROLMENT AND IS NOT REQUIRED TO BE POSTED ANYWHERE IN A MISSOURI FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME. The statutory base is section 210.223.1 RSMo: "All licensed child care facilities that provide care for children less than one year of age shall implement and maintain a written safe sleep policy in accordance with the most recent safe sleep recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics." Implement and maintain — no display verb. The delivery mechanism is in the rule, and it is a hand-over, not a hang-up: 5 CSR 25-400.135(2)(B)5. requires the policy to "require giving the parent(s) or guardian(s) of each infant in care a copy of…
• MISSOURI DOES NOT REQUIRE A FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME TO POST THE CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT HOTLINE NUMBER — IT REQUIRES YOU TO KNOW IT AND USE IT. This surprises applicants coming from states where the hotline placard is standard issue. The only place the number appears in Chapter 400 is 5 CSR 25-400.105(1)(I): "All child care providers and assistants shall acquaint themselves with the child abuse and neglect law and shall make a report of any suspected child abuse or neglect to the Children's Division at the toll-free number 1-800-392-3738 or online at https://apps.dss.mo.gov/OnlineCanReporting/default.aspx." ACQUAINT THEMSELVES and MAKE A REPORT — a knowledge duty and an action duty,…
• THE PARENT'S RIGHT TO WALK IN UNANNOUNCED EXISTS IN MISSOURI STATUTE AND CARRIES NO POSTING REQUIREMENT — AND NEITHER DOES THE LICENCE-STATUS DISCLOSURE, WHICH IS A SIGNED FORM, NOT A SIGN. Section 210.215 RSMo, unchanged since 28 August 1993, is a single sentence: "Any parent or guardian of a child shall have access to the child care facility in which his child is enrolled and which is licensed pursuant to the provisions of sections 210.201 to 210.245 and shall have access to the providers of care in such facilities during normal hours of operation or when a child of such parent or guardian is in the care of such facility or provider, unless such parent or guardian is subject to a court…
• THE LICENSING RULES THEMSELVES MUST BE AVAILABLE IN THE HOME AND PARENTS MUST BE TOLD THEY ARE — TWO DUTIES, NEITHER OF THEM A POSTING. 5 CSR 25-400.105(1)(H) provides: "The provider shall have available a copy of the Licensing Rules for Family Child Care Homes in Missouri. Providers and assistants shall review and be knowledgeable of the rules at the time they begin work, and shall be able to understand and apply the rules which relate to their respective responsibilities." HAVE AVAILABLE — a copy present in the home that a caregiver, a parent or an inspector can pick up, not a document on a wall. The knowledge clause is the operative half: an inspector who finds the book on the shelf and…
• WHAT THE INSPECTOR ACTUALLY WALKS THROUGH, AND THE CITATION TRAP THAT MAKES MISSOURI POSTING ADVICE UNRELIABLE. Reduced to a walk-through, a Missouri family child care home has a short, closed list of things on its walls that a rule requires: the licence near the entrance (5 CSR 25-400.045(12)); the provider/owner/manager name-address-telephone block prominently near the licence (5 CSR 25-400.045(13)); the police, fire, ambulance and other emergency numbers at the telephone (5 CSR 25-400.085(1)(A)11.), with the assistants' names, addresses and telephone numbers posted alongside them (5 CSR 25-400.105(3)(B)); the fire-inspector-approved fire and tornado evacuation plan in a central location…

Enrollment forms for each child

• SEVEN FORMS — EXACTLY SEVEN — ARE INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE INTO THE FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME RULEBOOK, AND EVERY OTHER PIECE OF PAPER YOU WILL BE ASKED FOR IS EITHER A WRITING YOU AUTHOR YOURSELF OR A FORM BELONGING TO ANOTHER AGENCY. The rulebook is 5 CSR 25-400, Licensing Rules for Family Child Care Homes, promulgated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Division 25 — Office of Childhood.
• THE APPLICATION FOR LICENSE TO OPERATE A CHILD CARE FACILITY IS FORM MO 500-3293, AND THE COPY DESE PUBLISHES IS STILL STAMPED (8-21) IN ITS FOOTER — WHICH IS THE 2021 REVISION THE RULE FREEZES. 5 CSR 25-400.045(2) states: "Upon receipt of a completed Application for License to Operate a Child Care Facility form, a licensing inspection shall be made. See Application for License to Operate a Child Care Facility form, revised 2021, incorporated by reference in this rule, as published by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, PO Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480 and available by the department at https://dese.mo.gov/childhood/forms. This rule does not incorporate…
• SIXTEEN SEPARATE SUBMISSIONS RIDE ALONG WITH THE APPLICATION UNDER 5 CSR 25-400.045(4), AND ONLY ONE OF THEM IS A DEPARTMENT FORM. The rule reads: "Prior to the granting of a license, the following shall be submitted by the applicant:" and then lists (A) through (P). They are, verbatim in substance: (A) "A sketch or diagram of the home showing the arrangement of the rooms, including the location of toilet and handwashing facilities, the kitchen, and the doors.
• THE WRITTEN PARENT POLICIES ARE A REQUIRED DOCUMENT, A REQUIRED HANDOUT, AND A REQUIRED SIGNED ACKNOWLEDGMENT — THREE OBLIGATIONS, NOT ONE. 5 CSR 25-400.135(1): "The provider shall establish, implement, and maintain written policies pertaining to the program goals, admission, safe sleep practices for children less than one (1) year of age, care and discharge of children, and shall provide a copy to the parent(s) at the time of enrollment." 5 CSR 25-400.045(4)(C) makes the same policies a pre-licensure submission and adds "Discipline and guidance policies" to the required contents. Then 5 CSR 25-400.135(6)(E)7 turns the handout into a signature: before a child is accepted for care, the…
• THE INFANT SAFE SLEEP POLICY IS A WRITTEN INSTRUMENT WITH A STATUTORY CONTENT LIST, AND IT MUST BE HANDED TO EVERY INFANT'S PARENT AT ENROLLMENT. It is required only if you are licensed to care for children under twelve months: 5 CSR 25-400.045(4)(N) makes it a pre-licensure submission "if licensed to care for children under twelve (12) months of age". 5 CSR 25-400.135(2) provides that "The provider's infant safe sleep policy shall comply with section 210.223, RSMo, and shall include, but not be limited to: (A) The following safe sleep practices: 1. The policy shall list the licensee's expectations regarding how and when caregivers are to be trained on safe sleep; 2. A requirement that…
• THE MEDICAL EXAMINATION REPORT FOR CAREGIVERS AND STAFF IS FORM MO 500-3304, IT IS DUE FOR THE PROVIDER AT INITIAL LICENSURE AND FOR AN ASSISTANT WITHIN THIRTY DAYS OF STARTING WORK, AND IT IS NEVER RENEWED. 5 CSR 25-400.125(1)(B): "The provider shall have a medical examination report on file at the time of initial licensure." 5 CSR 25-400.125(1)(D): "Assistants who are employed or volunteer more than five (5) hours per week shall have a medical examination report on file within thirty (30) days of beginning work in the home." The five-hour threshold matters — an assistant who works four hours a week needs no medical report at all, and the same five-hour line governs the twelve-hour annual…
• THE TUBERCULOSIS (TB) RISK ASSESSMENT FORM IS NOT A DESE FORM AT ALL — IT BELONGS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SENIOR SERVICES, IT IS FROZEN AT THE MARCH 2014 REVISION, AND IT IS THE ONLY INCORPORATED FORM IN CHAPTER 400 THAT PREDATES 2021. 5 CSR 25-400.125(1)(E): "Medical examination reports shall include either a Tuberculosis (TB) Risk Assessment form, completed and signed by a health care professional, or a negative tuberculin skin test (TST) completed not more than twelve (12) months before beginning work in the facility. The Tuberculosis (TB) Risk Assessment form, revised March 2014, is incorporated by reference in this rule, as published by the Missouri Department of Health and…
• THE CHILD MEDICAL EXAMINATION REPORT (INFANT/TODDLER/PRE-SCHOOL) IS DUE WITHIN THIRTY DAYS AFTER THE CHILD STARTS, NOT BEFORE — AND A PARENT'S SIGNED RELIGIOUS OBJECTION CANCELS IT ENTIRELY. 5 CSR 25-400.125(2)(A): "The provider shall require, within thirty (30) days following the admission of each infant, toddler, or preschool child, a medical examination report signed by a licensed physician or registered nurse who is under the supervision of licensed physician and completed not more than twelve (12) months prior to admission. The provider may use the department's medical assessment form or the provider may use its own form if it contains all the information on the department's form. The…
• SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN GET A DIFFERENT AND MUCH LIGHTER DOCUMENT — THE SCHOOL-AGE CHILD HEALTH REPORT, FORM MO 500-3313 (8-21), COMPLETED BY THE PARENT AT ENROLLMENT AND NOT BY A DOCTOR. 5 CSR 25-400.125(2)(D): "The parent(s) of a school-age child shall provide a report at the time of enrollment indicating the child's health history, any current health problems, and any restrictions necessary for the child's care." 5 CSR 25-400.125(2)(E) incorporates the form and repeats the substitution licence: "The medical examination report form and the health history report for school-age children shall be supplied by the department or the provider may use his/her own form if it contains all the…
• THE CHILD'S ENROLLMENT FILE IS ITEMISED BY RULE IN TWO PLACES AT ONCE, AND MISSOURI PUBLISHES NO ENROLLMENT FORM — YOU BUILD IT. 5 CSR 25-400.045(10) makes it a condition of licensure: "Enrollment information for each child shall be on file at the home as required by 5 CSR 25-400.135 Admission Policies and Procedures." 5 CSR 25-400.210(2) then sets the identification content: "An individual file shall be kept to identify each child and to enable the provider to communicate with the parent(s), guardian, or legal custodian of the child in an emergency.
• THE BACKGROUND SCREENING PAPERWORK IS THE ONE AREA WHERE THE RULES INCORPORATE NO FORM AT ALL — 5 CSR 25-600 CONTAINS ZERO INCORPORATIONS BY REFERENCE, AND EVERY DOCUMENT IN THE PROCESS IS EITHER AN UNFROZEN DESE FORM OR A DHSS FORM. The route into the system is MO 500-3299, Comprehensive Background Check Notification, footered (Rev 08-23) and reposted by the Office of Childhood in June 2026. Its instructions state that "To request an eligibility determination for current or prospective child care staff member(s) in accordance with Section 210.1080, RSMo, the child care provider must complete this form in its entirety and submit to the background screening unit", that the staff-member…
• IMMUNIZATION PAPERWORK IS GOVERNED BY A DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT'S RULE, ITS FORMS ARE FROZEN AT REVISIONS FROM 2010 TO 2013, AND A HOME LICENSED FOR FEWER THAN TEN CHILDREN IS OUTSIDE IT. 5 CSR 25-400.185(4)(A) opens with the threshold: "No child shall be permitted to enroll in or attend any day care facility caring for ten (10) or more children unless the child has been adequately immunized against vaccine-preventable childhood illnesses specified by the department in accordance with recommendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP)." The Department of Health and Senior Services' Day Care Immunization Rule, 19 CSR 20-28.040, repeats the same limit: "No child shall…
• FIRE SAFETY AND SANITATION PRODUCE EVIDENCE YOU KEEP, NOT APPLICATIONS YOU FILE — WITH ONE EXCEPTION NO LICENSING RULE MENTIONS. 5 CSR 25-400.045(5) makes fire compliance a precondition: "Prior to the granting of a license, the provider shall meet the requirements of 5 CSR 25-400.086 Fire Safety." 5 CSR 25-400.086(2)(A) sets the annual inspection: "The Missouri Division of Fire Safety shall inspect the facility annually for the capacity specified on the license application and the fire inspection request." The exception is the Division of Fire Safety's own form MO 815-F0068, FIRE DEPARTMENT NOTIFICATION, whose instructions state flatly: "This form is required for licensing and must be…
• TRANSPORTATION AND FIELD TRIPS REQUIRE WRITTEN PARENTAL CONSENT ON FILE, BUT MISSOURI PUBLISHES NO CONSENT FORM AND DEMANDS NO TRIP-BY-TRIP PERMISSION SLIP FOR ORDINARY OUTINGS. 5 CSR 25-400.200(1) states the whole of it: "(A) The provider shall be responsible for the care, safety and supervision of children on field trips or at any time they transport children away from the family day care home. (B) Written parental consent shall be on file at the home for field trips and transportation. (C) Parents shall be informed when field trips are planned. (D) Short, unscheduled walks may be taken without parental notification. These unscheduled outings shall be discussed with the parent(s) at the…
• OVERLAP CARE IS THE ONE ONGOING PERMISSION THAT HAS ITS OWN INCORPORATED FORM — MO 500-3307, CHILD CARE FACILITY OVERLAP REQUEST, FOOTERED (Rev 11-21) — AND IT MUST BE RE-FILED EVERY TIME YOUR HOURS MOVE. 5 CSR 25-400.155(3): "Overlap care shall not be provided until a Child Care Facility Overlap Request form has been submitted, including the hours overlap care will be provided, and written approval has been received from the department. The Child Care Facility Overlap Request form, promulgated 2021, is incorporated by reference in this rule, as published by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, PO Box 480, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0480 and available by the…
• AT RENEWAL YOU OWE ONE FORM AND FOUR ATTACHMENTS, THIRTY DAYS EARLY, AND FOUR MORE ITEMS THAT ARE MERELY HELD READY. The form is MO 500-3291, Annual Declaration for Licensed Facility, footered (8-21). 5 CSR 25-400.055(1): "The provider shall submit the following to the department on an annual basis, at least thirty (30) calendar days prior to the anniversary date as printed on the license: (A) An Annual Declaration for Licensed Facility form, revised 2021 and incorporated by reference in this rule ... indicating the licensee's intent to continue operating a licensed family child care home and agreement to comply with all statutes and department licensing rules ...; (B) A current list of…
• NOW THE NEGATIVES, BECAUSE A FALSE REQUIREMENT COSTS YOU AS MUCH AS A MISSING ONE. Missouri does NOT require a family child care home to file an injury or incident report with the department. 5 CSR 25-400.185(5)(B) says only that "Information regarding the date and circumstance of any accident or injury shall be noted in the child's record", and 5 CSR 25-400.210(3)(C) repeats it as a file-content rule. There is no departmental incident form, no reporting deadline, and no notification duty to the Office of Childhood for an ordinary injury — the duties that do run outward are the child abuse or neglect report to the Children's Division under 5 CSR 25-400.105(1)(I), the communicable disease…

What's specific about getting licensed in Missouri

Missouri's real trap isn't the headline '10-child' cap — it's the sliding under-two rule stacked on top of it. With one caregiver, the number of children under age 2 you may keep DROPS as your total rises: 4 infants if you have 4 kids total, but only 2 infants once you fill the house to 7–10. A solo provider dreaming of a full house of 10 can legally take at most 2 under-2s. Compounding this, 'licensed for 10' is only true for 18 hours of any 24-hour day — for the other 6 hours you're capped at one-third (about 3). And unlike some states, your OWN children under age 5 count against the 10 (only up to two related children age 5+ are exempt). Finally, since Aug 2021 the program lives at DESE's Office of Childhood under 5 CSR 25-400, so the DHSS/Division of Family Services forms and '19 CSR 30-61' citations still floating around online are stale.

How long it takes and what it costs in Missouri

Timeline: Realistically about 2–4 months from finishing the online orientation to holding a license: submit the application, then run background screening (fingerprint results and FCSR can take a few weeks), medical/TB exams, the Division of Fire Safety inspection, sanitation/zoning sign-off, and the on-site licensing inspection. Corrections after the fire or sanitation visit add time. Hard limit: all requirements must be met within 6 months of application or it becomes void (5 CSR 25-400.045(2)).

Cost: The licensing rule (5 CSR 25-400) does not set a state application or license fee — confirm the current fee (if any) with the DESE Office of Childhood. Plan for out-of-pocket items instead: Family Care Safety Registry registration and fingerprint-based background screening (registry registration has historically been about $14–15 plus a separate fingerprinting-vendor fee — confirm current amounts with the Missouri State Highway Patrol/FCSR vendor), an age-appropriate CPR + first aid course (roughly $60–110 depending on provider), and the medical exam/TB assessment for the provider and any assistants. Exact figures vary — confirm with DESE Office of Childhood and the screening vendor.

Source: Sources officielles consultées pour Missouri :

https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/AdRules/csr/current/5csr/5c25-400.pdf

https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/AdRules/csr/current/5csr/5c25-600.pdf

https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/AdRules/moreg/2026/v51n15Aug3/v51n15.pdf

https://www.sos.mo.gov/CMSImages/AdRules/csr/current/19csr/19c20-28.pdf

https://dese.mo.gov/childhood/forms

https://dese.mo.gov/sites/g/files/zuston521/files/media/pdf/2026/04/mo500-3293-application-for-license-to-oper

https://dese.mo.gov/sites/g/files/zuston521/files/media/pdf/2021/08/mo500-3291-annual-declaration-for-licensed

https://dese.mo.gov/sites/g/files/zuston521/files/media/pdf/2026/04/mo500_3304_medical_exam_report.pdf

Verified 2026-08-26. General information, not legal advice and not a guarantee of licensure — confirm with your state’s licensing agency before applying.