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Home Daycare License Requirements in North Carolina (2026)

Opening a home daycare in North Carolina means getting a family child care home license from the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE). 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 North Carolina

The definition of a family child care home in North Carolina now has three moving parts that must be read together, and the statutory version was amended in July 2025 in a way the administrative rule has not yet absorbed. Start with the statute, because it is the newer text. G.S. 110-86(3) defines "Child care facility" as including "child care centers, family child care homes, and any other child care arrangement not excluded by G.S. 110-86(2), that provides child care, regardless of the time of day, wherever operated, and whether or not operated for profit," and then splits the genus into two species. Subdivision a: "A child care center is an arrangement where, at any one time, there are three or more preschool-age children or nine or more school-age children receiving child care." Subdivision b, as it reads today: "A family child care home is a child care arrangement located in an operator occupied private dwelling where, at any one time, more than two children, but less than 11 children, receive child care, provided the arrangement is in accordance with G.S. 110-91(7)b." Session Law 2025-36, s. 18(a) made two changes to that sentence: it struck "a residence" and substituted "an operator occupied private dwelling," and it appended the proviso tying the definition to the capacity rule at G.S. 110-91(7)b.

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 North Carolina

The ceiling is ten children, but "ten" is only reachable in one of three fixed configurations, and the configurations are statutory, not regulatory. They live at G.S. 110-91(7)b, and the text — read on the General Assembly's own published section, which carries the amendment credits "2025-36, ss. 5(a), 6, 7(a), 18(b); 2025-37, s. 6.1(i)" — is this: "b. Family Child Care Home Capacity. - A family child care home is allowed to provide care for one of the following groups of children, including the operator's own preschool-age children and excluding the operator's own school-age children up to 13 years of age: 1. A maximum of eight children, with no more than five children who are from birth to 5 years of age, plus three school-age children. 2. A maximum of three children from birth to 24 months of age, plus three children from 2 to 5 years of age and three school-age children up to 13 years of age, for a total of nine children. 3. A maximum of 10 children if all children are older than 24 months of age." Four things about that provision decide almost every real capacity question. First, "one of the following groups" is exclusive.

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

Adult-to-child ratios

North Carolina does not publish a staff-to-child ratio grid for family child care homes, and the absence is deliberate rather than an oversight. G.S. 110-91(7) is headed "Staff-Child Ratio and Capacity for Child Care Facilities" and then splits: subdivision a directs the Commission to "adopt rules for child care centers regarding staff-child ratios, group sizes and multi-age groupings" and sets statutory floors for infants and toddlers in centres ("0 to 12 months 1/5, group size 15; 12 to 24 months 1/6, group size 18; 2 to 3 years 1/10, group size 20"), while subdivision b is headed "Family Child Care Home Capacity" and contains no ratio at all — only the three age-banded configurations of eight, nine and ten children. The design assumption is that a family child care home is a one-adult programme in which the licensee is the caregiver, so the age-band capacity IS the ratio. G.S. 110-91(8)e states the assumption explicitly: "Any operator of a licensed family child care home shall be the person on-site providing child care." Two consequences follow that are frequently got wrong. The centre ratio grid in G.S. 110-91(7)a — including the special small-centre grid at (7)a2 for a "licensed capacity of six through 12 children" ("0 to 12 months 1/5 preschool children plus 3 additional school-aged children; 12 to 24 months 1/6 preschool children plus 2 additional school-aged children") — is written for centres, including centres located in a residence, not for family child care homes.

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

North Carolina's pre-service package for a family child care home operator has four layers: a statutory age-and-education floor, a mandatory Division workshop, a documentary bundle that must accompany the application, and a set of trainings the rules formally date from licensure but which are pre-service in substance because the clock starts running the day the licence issues. Layer one, the statutory floor. G.S. 110-91(8)e: "Effective January 1, 1998, an operator of a licensed family child care home shall be at least 21 years old and have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Operators of a family child care home licensed prior to January 1, 1998, shall be at least 18 years of age and literate. Literate is defined as understanding licensing requirements and having the ability to communicate with the family and relevant emergency personnel. Any operator of a licensed family child care home shall be the person on-site providing child care." Two corrections to the way this requirement is usually cited. It is subdivision (8)e, not (8) generally — subdivisions a through d and f are about centres.

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

Ongoing (annual) training

There is no single flat number. North Carolina scales the operator's annual ongoing training inversely to their education and experience, and the table is at 10A NCAC 09 .1703(d)(1). After the first year of employment, the family child care home operator and staff who work with children must complete on-going training as follows: "Four-year degree or higher advanced degree in a child care related field of study from a regionally accredited college or university — 5 clock hours. Two-year degree in a child care related field of study from a regionally accredited college or university, or persons with a North Carolina Early Childhood Administration Credential — 8 clock hours. Certificate or diploma in a child care related field of study from a regionally accredited college or university, or persons with a North Carolina Early Childhood Credential — 10 clock hours. 10 years documented experience as a teacher, director, or caregiver in a licensed child care arrangement — 15 clock hours. If none of the other criteria in this chart apply — 20 clock hours." Twenty is the number that applies to a new operator holding only the high school diploma or equivalent that G.S. 110-91(8)e requires.

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

Background checks

North Carolina runs a fingerprint-based State and national criminal history check on every "child care provider," and in a family child care home the statutory definition of that term reaches beyond the people who work there to the people who live there. The statute is G.S. 110-90.2, "Mandatory child care providers' criminal history checks." Subsection (a)(2) defines "child care provider" as a person who: "a. Is employed by or seeks to be employed by a child care facility providing child care as defined in subdivision (1) of this subsection, whether in temporary or permanent capacity, including substitute providers; b. Owns or operates or seeks to own or operate a child care facility or nonlicensed child care home providing child care as defined in subdivision (1) of this subsection; or c. Is a member of the household in a family child care home, nonlicensed child care home, or child care center in a residence and who is over 15 years old, including family members and nonfamily members who use the home on a permanent or temporary basis as their place of residence." Paragraph c is the one that catches families out: your adult son who sleeps at the house between semesters, your partner who has not moved in but "uses the home on a temporary basis as their place of residence," and your own sixteen-year-old all require checks.

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. Confirm you are inside the definition before you spend anything. You need a licence only if the arrangement meets every element of G.S. 110-86(2): 'three or more children less than 13 years old, who do not reside where the care is provided, receive care on a regular basis of at least once per week for more than four hours but less than 24 hours per day from persons other than their guardians or full-time custodians, or from persons not related to them by birth, marriage, or adoption.' Check the lettered exclusions at G.S. 110-86(2)a-k, especially paragraph a (care in the home of a child receiving care where 'all of the children in care are related to each other and no more than two…
2. Meet the personal floor before anything else, because nothing later cures it. G.S. 110-91(8)e: 'an operator of a licensed family child care home shall be at least 21 years old and have a high school diploma or its equivalent', and 'Any operator of a licensed family child care home shall be the person on-site providing child care.' The old eighteen-and-literate standard survives only for homes licensed before 1 January 1998. Do not rely on G.S. 110-91(8a) for this requirement, as DCDEE's own handbook does: the current statute prints '(8a) Expired pursuant to Session Laws 2010-178, s. 2, as amended by Session Laws 2011-145, s. 10.4A, effective July 1, 2011.'
3. Complete the Division's pre-licensing workshop FIRST. 10A NCAC 09 .1708(a): 'The prospective operator of the family child care home shall complete the pre-licensing workshop provided by the Division prior to the Division issuing an initial license... Prospective licensees shall download, complete, and submit the pre-licensing registration form to the Division.' Rule .1708(b) fixes the order: 'After completing the pre-licensing workshop, the prospective family child care home operator shall submit an application for a family child care home license and all supporting documentation as specified in 10A NCAC 09 .1702.' Keep the certificate: the Division's application checklist requires 'A copy…
4. Clear the criminal history record check through ABCMS for yourself and for everyone who lives in or will work at the home. 10A NCAC 09 .2703(a) requires, 'prior to the issuance of a license or prior to beginning employment', the SBI/FBI forms for a state and national fingerprint check plus 'fingerprint impressions submitted on an FD-258 applicant fingerprint card', with all forms filed 'through the Automated Background Check Management System (ABCMS) at https://ncabcms.nc.gov/DCDEE/Applicant/'. Anyone who has lived outside North Carolina 'at any time and for whatever length of time, within the five years preceding the application' must additionally file an affidavit attesting that they…
5. Complete First Aid, CPR and — if you will be licensed for infants — ITS-SIDS, all within the twelve months BEFORE you apply. 10A NCAC 09 .1702(b)(2) and (3) require 'documentation of completion of a First Aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) course within 12 months prior to applying for a license' and 'documentation of completion of ITS-SIDS training within 12 months prior to applying for a license, if requesting a license to care for infants ages 12 months and younger'. Distance learning is not permitted for CPR or First Aid (.1703(l)(3)). ITS-SIDS is defined at .0102(30) as the Infant/Toddler Safe Sleep and SIDS Risk Reduction Training administered by the North Carolina Child Care…
6. Get the health documentation. 10A NCAC 09 .1702(b)(4) requires 'proof of negative results of the applicant's tuberculosis test or screening completed within the past 12 months', and (b)(5) 'a completed health questionnaire ... [that] includes a statement signed by the staff member that indicates that the person is emotionally and physically fit to care for children'. The questionnaire is not a one-off: .1703(a)(1) requires the operator to 'Update the health questionnaire annually'.
7. Test the water — both ways — and clear the lead and asbestos hazards. 10A NCAC 09 .1725(a)(2), effective 1 January 2024, requires the operator to 'collect and submit samples of water from each water outlet used for drinking or food preparation for lead analysis', with results kept on file, and for a new applicant 'water samples shall be collected by the operator and tested during the application process'. If you are on a private well, .1702(b)(7) requires 'a negative well water bacteriological analysis' with the application and .1725(a)(1) requires the bacteriological analysis to be repeated 'every two years'. The Division's packet also asks for 'A copy of the results for lead base…
8. Prepare the residence to 10A NCAC 09 .1707, which is the operative building rule for homes (not .1702(c), which some agency material still cites). It requires that '(1) all children are kept on the ground level of exit discharge'; '(2) all family child care homes must be free of lead poisoning hazards ... and asbestos hazards'; '(3) all homes are equipped with an electrically operated (with a battery backup) smoke detector, or one electrically operated and one battery operated smoke detector located next to each other'; '(4) all homes are provided with at least one five pound 2-A: 10-B: C type extinguisher for every 2,500 square feet of floor area'; '(5) heating appliances shall be…
9. Understand the building-and-fire-code treatment that has applied since 1 July 2025, and what it does and does not require. Session Law 2025-36, ss. 15, 16 and 17 provide that a family child care home in a dwelling subject respectively to the Residential Code, the Building Code or the Regulations for Manufactured Homes 'shall be treated as a Residential Group R-3 occupancy' and that the dwelling 'shall be permitted to comply' with its own code, 'provided that a family child care home must meet only the following additional requirements: (1) Rooms and areas ... where occupants receive care shall be on the same level of exit discharge. (2) Rooms and areas ... shall be located on the same…
10. Clear the local layer before you rely on a number. G.S. 110-91's opening sentence subjects every facility to 'local ordinances that pertain to child health, safety, and welfare'; 10A NCAC 09 .1702(b)(8) requires 'copies of any inspections required by local ordinances'; and the Division's packet asks you to 'Submit copies of documentation that you meet any city, county or local ordinance requirements, if applicable, including zoning approval/privilege license.' Since 7 July 2026, G.S. 160A-205.8 (added by S.L. 2026-51) forbids a CITY to prohibit a 'no-impact home-based business' or to require any 'permit, license, variance, or other type of approval' to operate one, and forbids a city to…
11. File the application packet on the Division's form with the whole documentary bundle. 10A NCAC 09 .1702(a) lists the thirteen items of information the form must carry, from owner name through 'signature of applicant'. The current packet (revised 11/2025) directs applicants to mail it to 'Division of Child Development and Early Education, Regulatory Services Section/Team Support Unit, 2201 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699', and warns that 'Incomplete or incorrectly completed forms will be returned to you.' On receipt, 'the Division shall assess the information provided to determine if the prospective licensee may be denied a license for one or more of the reasons set forth in 10A NCAC…
12. Pass the announced pre-licensing visit, then the initial assessment. 10A NCAC 09 .1702(c): 'Upon receipt of a complete application for a family child care home and supporting documentation, a Division representative shall make an announced visit to each home.' Rule .1709(a)(1) says the same from the inspection side: 'The Division shall conduct at least one announced visit prior to the initial issuance of license.' This is also the one moment when the whole property is open to inspection: .1709(b) permits the Division to inspect 'the entire premises of the family child care home' only in six situations, the first of which is '(1) Prior to issuance of the initial license'. The Division's…
13. Receive the six-month temporary licence. 10A NCAC 09 .1702(c)(1): 'if all applicable requirements of G.S. 110, Article 7 and this Section are met, a six month temporary license shall be issued.' If some requirements are not met, .1702(c)(4) provides that 'the Division representative shall establish with the applicant a time period for the home to achieve compliance', and a licence issues if compliance is achieved within it. Rule .1702(c)(5) fixes the term: 'The temporary license shall remain in effect for six months or until the issuance of a star-rated license, a special provisional license, provisional license, summary suspension, suspension, probationary license, or a denial of a rated…
14. Put the required documents, policies and postings in place before the first child arrives. Post the licence 'in a place in the home that parents are able to view daily' (.1702(i)) and post with it the Division's Summary of the Law, which G.S. 110-102 requires to be 'posted with the facility's license in accordance with G.S. 110-99' and also given to each parent before enrolment with a signed acknowledgement. Post the emergency telephone numbers and First Aid information sheet (.1719(a)(12), (14)), children's special diets and food allergies in the food preparation area and eating area (.1706(e)), the safe sleep policy and poster if licensed for infants (.1724(b)), the written schedule of…
15. Start the post-licensure clocks the day the licence takes effect, and diarise them. Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Child Maltreatment training within 90 days of licensure (.1703(a)(5)). The Emergency Preparedness and Response in Child Care training within one year of the effective date of the new licence (.1714(b)), and then the written Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan on the Division of Emergency Management template at https://rmp.nc.gov/portal/# within four months of completing that training (.1714(c)). Health and safety training covering the eleven topic areas of .1703(c) within one year (.1703(b)). A professional development plan within one year (.1703(i)). Annual…
16. At the end of the six-month temporary period, take the one-star licence — or apply for more. 10A NCAC 09 .1702(c)(2): 'a one-star rated license shall be issued to a family child care home operator who complies with the minimum standards for a license contained in this Section and G.S. 110-91 at the end of the six month temporary time period.' To go higher, apply on the Division's form under 10A NCAC 09 .3202(b) and pick exactly one of three pathways under .3202(c) — Program Assessment (.3204 for homes), Classroom and Instructional Quality (.3206 for homes), or Accreditation and Head Start (.3207) — because 'Requirements for licensure pathways may not be combined.' Ignore the reference in…

What you must post on your walls

• The family child care home licence itself, posted where families see it daily. 10A NCAC 09 .1702(i): 'The family child care home license shall be posted in a place in the home that parents are able to view daily.' The statutory version is broader and applies to every facility: G.S. 110-99(a1), 'Each child care facility shall display its current license in a prominent place at all times so that the public may be on notice that the facility is licensed and may observe any rating which may appear on the license. Any license issued to a child care facility under this Article shall remain the property of the State and may be removed by persons employed or designated by the Secretary in the…
• The Summary of the North Carolina Child Care Law, posted with the licence — not merely handed to parents. G.S. 110-102 requires the Secretary to provide each operator 'a summary of this Article for the parents, guardian, or full-time custodian of each child receiving child care in the facility to be distributed by the operator', requires operators to 'provide a copy of the summary to each child's parent, guardian, or full-time custodian before the child is enrolled', requires the parent to 'sign a statement attesting that he or she received a copy of the summary before the child's enrollment', and then states: 'The summary of this Article shall be posted with the facility's license in…
• Emergency telephone numbers, visible in the home. 10A NCAC 09 .1719(a)(12) requires the operator to 'have a working telephone within the family child care home', forbids a phone in a room that is sometimes locked from being the only one available during operating hours, and requires that 'Telephone numbers for the fire department, law enforcement office, emergency medical service, and poison control center shall be posted in a location visible in the home.' The record-retention table at .1721(f)(4)(B) requires the emergency numbers posting to be kept 'a minimum of one year from the revision or replacement date'.
• A First Aid information sheet, posted for quick reference. 10A NCAC 09 .1719(a)(14): the operator shall 'have a First Aid information sheet posted in a place for quick referral by staff members. The information sheet shall include First Aid guidance regarding burns, scalds, fractures, sprains, head injuries, poisons, skin wounds, stings and bites. A child care operator may request a First Aid information sheet from the North Carolina Child Care Health and Safety Resource Center at 1-800-367-2229.'
• Each child's special diet or food allergies, posted in two places. 10A NCAC 09 .1706(e): 'Children's special diets or food allergies shall be posted in the food preparation area and in the child's eating area.' The supporting paperwork sits at .1706(d): if a diet is prescribed by a health care professional, a signed statement must be on file with written instructions from the parent, health care professional or licensed dietitian/nutritionist; if not prescribed, written parental instructions must be on file. The allergy posting is one of the five records in the .1721(f)(4)(A) table that need be kept only 'a minimum of 30 days from the revision or replacement date'.
• The safe sleep policy and a safe sleep poster, if the home is licensed for infants. 10A NCAC 09 .1724(b): 'The operator shall post a copy of the safe sleep policy and poster about safe sleep practices in a prominent place in the infant sleeping room or area where parents and caregivers are able to view daily.' Note the location is the infant sleeping room or area, not simply somewhere prominent. A second, narrower posting applies only where a child has a sleep-position waiver on file: .1724(g) requires that 'For each infant with a waiver on file at the home as specified in Paragraph (e) of this Rule, a notice shall be posted for quick reference near the infant's crib, bassinet, play pen,…
• The written schedule of developmentally appropriate activities, displayed for parents. G.S. 110-91(12): 'Each child care facility shall have a planned schedule of developmentally appropriate activities displayed in a prominent place for parents to review and the appropriate materials and equipment available to implement the scheduled activities.' The rule content behind it is 10A NCAC 09 .1718(a)(6), (7) and (8), which require developmentally appropriate activities 'as planned on a written schedule and activity plan' (which 'may be combined as one document'), a schedule showing blocks of time for active and quiet play, developmentally appropriate times and activities, daily free choice and…
• Swimming pool safety rules, if there is a pool on the premises. 10A NCAC 09 .1730(h): 'Swimming pool safety rules shall be posted and visible to children and staff for any swimming pool located on the child care facility premises. These rules shall state: (1) the location of a First Aid kit; (2) that only water toys are permitted; (3) that children are not allowed to run or push one another; (4) that swimming is allowed only when the operator is present; and (5) that glass objects are not allowed.' Rule .1730(g) separately requires any outdoor pool on the premises to be 'enclosed by a fence that is at least four feet high, separated from the remaining outdoor play area by that fence, and…
• Given to parents rather than posted, but often confused with a posting: the written operational policies, a copy of which 'shall be given to the parents on or before the child's first day of attendance and the parents shall be notified in writing of any changes in policy' (10A NCAC 09 .1715(b)); the discipline policy, of which the operator 'shall provide a written copy of and explain ... to each child's parent at the time of enrollment' with a signed dated parental statement retained as long as the child is enrolled and fourteen days' written notice of any change (.1727); the safe sleep policy, given and explained to the parent of each infant 'on or before the first day the infant attends…

Enrollment forms for each child

• Family Child Care Home Application Packet — 'Application for a Child Care License / Application - Facility Profile', the Division's form, currently 'Revised 11/2025'. 10A NCAC 09 .1702(a) requires it to include: owner name; facility name, address, phone number, email address and location address; facility contact information; requested age range; hours of operation; type of care to be provided; type of building; type of family child care home; proposed opening date; proposed number of children to be served; type of business operation; history of operation or licensing of child care facilities; and the signature of either 'the individual who will be responsible for the operation of the…
• Pre-licensing registration form, and then the pre-licensing workshop certificate — the first is required by 10A NCAC 09 .1708(a) ('Prospective licensees shall download, complete, and submit the pre-licensing registration form to the Division'), the second by the Division's application checklist ('A copy of the Pre-Licensing Workshop training certificate with completion date'). The URL the rule gives for the registration form returned HTTP 404 on the date of this entry.
• Non-expired criminal background check qualification letter from ABCMS, for the applicant and for every household member aged sixteen and older and every person who will work at the home, together with FD-258 fingerprint cards, the SBI and FBI forms, and the five-year out-of-state affidavit where applicable — 10A NCAC 09 .1702(b)(1), .2702(4), .2703(a), (e). The letter is valid a maximum of five years (.2703(n)) and must be kept on file at the home for Division review (.2703(e)).
• First Aid and CPR certificate or card, completed within the twelve months before application, showing completion and expiration dates, and the ITS-SIDS certificate if the licence will cover children twelve months and younger — 10A NCAC 09 .1702(b)(2), (3). Thereafter First Aid and CPR must be renewed 'on or before expiration of the certification appropriate for the ages of children in care' (.1703(a)(2), (3)) and ITS-SIDS 'every three years from the completion of previous ITS-SIDS training' (.1703(a)(4)).
• Negative tuberculosis test or screening result from within the past twelve months, and the completed health questionnaire including the signed statement 'that the person is emotionally and physically fit to care for children' — 10A NCAC 09 .1702(b)(4), (5); the questionnaire is updated annually under .1703(a)(1).
• Water testing results: lead analysis for 'each water outlet used for drinking or food preparation', collected and tested by the operator 'during the application process' and kept on file (10A NCAC 09 .1725(a)(2)); and, for a home on a private well, a negative bacteriological analysis with the application (.1702(b)(7)) and every two years thereafter (.1725(a)(1)). The Division's checklist also requires 'A copy of the results for lead base paint/asbestos hazard testing', implementing .1707(2).
• Non-expired pet vaccination records for any pet in the home (10A NCAC 09 .1702(b)(6)), retained a minimum of one year from replacement (.1721(f)(4)(B)); plus, under .1719(b)(3), 'prior to enrollment of children in a family child care home, and before new animals come into the family child care home, the family child care home operator shall obtain each parent's signature on a form acknowledging the type of animal located on the premises and where the animal will be kept during operating hours', maintained in each child's file.
• Copies of any inspections required by local ordinances (10A NCAC 09 .1702(b)(8)), retained on file 'for as long as the license remains valid' (.1721(f)(5)); the Division's checklist expands this to 'documentation that you meet any city, county or local ordinance requirements, if applicable, including zoning approval/privilege license'.
• Floor plan designating the caregiving area, filed with the Division, plus a thirty-day advance submission before any new space is used by children — 10A NCAC 09 .1707(8): 'children are cared for in space designated as the caregiving area on a floor plan provided by the operator to the Division as specified in 10A NCAC 09 .1709. Changes to the designated caregiving space shall be submitted to the Division 30 days prior to the new space being used by children.'
• Per enrolled child, including the operator's own children who are not school-age (10A NCAC 09 .1721(a)): a copy of the child's health assessment required by G.S. 110-91(1); a copy of the child's immunisation record; and a completed, parent-signed application for enrolment, for which the Division supplies form DCD-0377 and which, if a substitute form is used, must carry the child's full name and the name the child is to be called, date of birth, 'any allergies and the symptoms and type of response required for allergic reactions', 'any health care needs or concerns, symptoms of and the type of response required', 'fears or behavior characteristics that the child has', the names of…
• A medical action plan attached to the enrolment application for any child 'with health care needs such as allergies, asthma, or other chronic conditions that require specialized health services', updated annually and whenever the parent or health care professional changes it, and which may include the diagnoses with dietary, environmental and activity considerations, health care professional contact information, scheduled medications, and 'medications to be administered on an emergency basis with symptoms, and instructions' — 10A NCAC 09 .1721(a)(4).
• Medication authorisations and the medication record — 10A NCAC 09 .1720(b) and .1721(a)(5). No prescription or over-the-counter medication and no topical ointment, repellent, lotion, cream, fluoridated toothpaste or powder may be given 'without written authorization from the child's parent' and 'without written instructions from the child's parent, physician or other health professional' (.1720(b)(1)). Standing authorisations have fixed maxima: up to six months for chronic conditions and allergic reactions (.1720(b)(6)); up to twelve months for topical ointments, teething gels, insect repellents, lotions, creams, fluoridated toothpaste and powders (.1720(b)(7)); open-ended for a single…
• The Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan, on the template provided by the Division of Emergency Management at https://rmp.nc.gov/portal/#, with its ten required elements and the Ready to Go File — 10A NCAC 09 .1714(c), (d) and .1721(e)(1); reviewed annually or on any change (.1714(e)), reviewed with additional caregivers before they care for children and annually (.1714(f)), and its existence and location documented for substitutes and volunteers (.1714(g)). Retained one year from revision (.1721(f)(4)(B)).
• The written Emergency Medical Care plan required by 10A NCAC 09 .1713, setting out the steps to follow in a child medical emergency: determining whether the situation calls for First Aid or for 'calling 911 in accordance with CPR or First Aid training recommendations'; ensuring the signed emergency-care authorisation from the enrolment application 'is taken with the ill or injured child to the medical facility'; notifying parents or the emergency contact; and 'obtaining substitute providers, if needed, to maintain adequate supervision of children who remain in care'. It must be 'reviewed with all additional caregivers and substitute providers prior to caring for children and whenever the…
• The Written Plan of Care under 10A NCAC 09 .1712, if the operator intends to complete routine tasks while children are in care — errands, personal and family demands, classes, medical appointments — capped at 'no more than two hours per week', with classes and medical appointments never to be attended with children in tow. It must specify the times and place them on the written schedule, name the additional caregivers or substitutes who will cover, address transportation compliance under .1723, say how parents will be notified of unscheduled off-premises errands, and be signed for by parents, who must also give separate written permission for transport. Retained one year from revision…
• Written operational policies under 10A NCAC 09 .1715(a), covering at least: days and hours of operation; the age range of children served; admission requirements and enrolment procedures; parent fees and payment plan; 'information about services provided by the operator, such as number of meals served, before and after school care, and transportation'; items to be provided by parents; 'a schedule of daily, weekly, and monthly cleaning duties'; 'written procedures for reporting suspected child abuse and neglect'; the discipline policy for behaviour management; 'a description of opportunities for parent participation'; and nutrition policies.
• Operating logs and periodic records under 10A NCAC 09 .1721(e): the Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan (e)(1); monthly fire drill documentation showing 'the date each drill is held, the time of day, the length of time taken to evacuate the home, and the operator's signature' (e)(2); Incident Reports on the Division's form DCDEE-0058, completed 'each time a child is injured or when a child receives medical treatment', signed by the person completing it and by the parent, a copy given to the parent, filed in the child's file, and — where medical treatment was required — mailed to a Division representative 'within seven calendar days after the incident' (e)(3); a cumulative Incident Log…
• Transportation records, if children are transported — written parental permission naming when, where and by whom, which may be given as standing permission 'valid for up to 12 months' (10A NCAC 09 .1723(5)); written permission for off-premises activities, likewise capable of standing form for up to twelve months (.1723(15)(a), (b)); and the identifying packet carried in the vehicle or off premises containing 'the child's name, photograph, emergency contact information, and a copy of the emergency medical care information form' (.1723(13), (15)(c)). All retained one year from revision (.1721(f)(4)(B)).
• Personnel records for the operator and for every additional caregiver, substitute, volunteer and uncompensated provider: the professional development plan (.1703(i)); the training record showing 'the subject matter, topic area in G.S. 110-91(11), training provider, date provided, hours, and name of staff who completed the training' with certificates attached (.1703(j)); the countable technical assistance record with dates, times, participant names and provider name (.1703(k)); for each additional caregiver the ten items of .1729(a) 'on file in the home and available for review by the Division'; the signed and dated statement attesting completion of the sixteen-hour orientation under…
• Supplemental food opt-out acknowledgement, where a parent elects out under G.S. 110-91(2)h.1 — 10A NCAC 09 .1706(c) requires the operator to 'obtain the parents signature acknowledging the parental decision', keep it in the child's file and give the parent a copy; and an individual written feeding plan, signed by the parent or health care professional and dated on receipt, for each child under fifteen months, specifying 'the type and amount of milk, formula and food, the frequency of feedings' (.1706(i)). The infant feeding plan is one of the records retained only thirty days from revision (.1721(f)(4)(A)).
• Safe sleep waivers, where an infant is not to be placed on their back — 10A NCAC 09 .1724(e) requires the waiver to state 'the infant's name and birth date', be 'signed and dated by the infant's health care professional or parent', specify 'if a wedge is needed ... why it is needed and how it should be used', and give 'the infant's authorized sleep positions'; the waiver is retained in the child's record for as long as the child is enrolled, and .1724(f) requires the documents verifying fifteen-minute visual checks on sleeping infants to be 'maintained for a minimum of one month'.
• Records format and retention rules that govern all of the above — 10A NCAC 09 .1721(f): children's records other than medication slips are kept 'as long as the child is enrolled and for one year from the date the child is no longer enrolled'; medication records six months after administration; additional caregiver and substitute records one year past employment; programme records including documentation of operator qualifications 'for as long as the license remains valid', except for the thirty-day and one-year tables at (f)(4)(A) and (B); well water analysis, pool inspection and local-ordinance inspections 'for as long as the license remains valid'; records may be paper or electronic…

What's specific about getting licensed in North Carolina

North Carolina layers on requirements most states don't, and the standout is environmental: the mandatory Clean Classrooms for Carolina Kids lead-in-water testing at every drinking/food-prep outlet PLUS a lead-paint and asbestos determination before a license is granted — a relatively new NC mandate that catches out-of-state guides completely by surprise. NC is also stricter on the operator: you must be at least 21 years old AND hold a high school diploma or equivalent (many states allow 18), you must physically reside in the home you're licensing, and the state's definition of a family child care home is a residence caring for more than two but fewer than eleven children. Finally, NC starts you on a 6-month temporary license that then becomes a 1-to-5 Star Rated License — the rating system parents see — rather than a single flat 'license.'

How long it takes and what it costs in North Carolina

Timeline: Plan for roughly two to six months from start to your temporary license, and let the calendar — not your motivation — set the pace. The gating steps are the required one-day FCCH Pre-Licensing Workshop (offered on a rolling quarterly schedule, so missing a session can cost you weeks), the DCDEE criminal background check for you and every household member 16 and older, and the Clean Classrooms lead/water lab results. Once your completed application and documents are in, a lead child care consultant schedules a pre-licensing consultation, then an initial assessment; when everything passes, DCDEE issues a temporary license valid for 6 months, which converts to a full Star Rated License after that period.

Cost: The clearly published, recurring cost is North Carolina's Annual License Fee of $52.00 for a family child care home (NCGS §110-90(1a)) — due online by the state's December deadline each year, with a 10% late fee and possible revocation if unpaid. Budget separately for the variable start-up items, which change by provider and county and are not a single fixed figure: the DCDEE criminal background check fee, CPR and First Aid certification for you and any staff, a TB test/screening, and any local sanitation, fire, building, or zoning inspection your county requires. Lead-in-water sampling is coordinated through the state's Clean Classrooms for Carolina Kids program. I could not verify exact dollar amounts for those variable items from the official pages, so confirm current prices with your lead child care consultant rather than trusting a round number online.

Source: Sources officielles consultées pour North Carolina :

http://reports.oah.state.nc.us/ncac.asp

http://reports.oah.state.nc.us/ncac.asp?folderName=\Title

http://reports.oah.state.nc.us/ncac/title%2010a%20-%20health%20and%20human%20services/chapter%2009%20-%20child

http://reports.oah.state.nc.us/ncac/title%2010a%20-%20health%20and%20human%20services/chapter%2009%20-%20child

https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/ByArticle/Chapter_110/Article_7.html

https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_110/GS_110-91.html

https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_143B/GS_143B-168.3.html

https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/SessionLaws/PDF/2025-2026/SL2025-36.pdf

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