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Home Daycare License Requirements in Vermont (2026)

Opening a home daycare in Vermont means getting a family child care home license from the Vermont Agency of Human Services, Department for Children and Families (DCF), CHILD DEVELOPMENT DIVISION (CDD). 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 Vermont

THE PHYSICAL PLACE AND THE PERSON ARE DEFINED SEPARATELY, AND BOTH DEFINITIONS MATTER. Rule 2.2.19: "'Family Child Care Home,' referred to as the 'FCCH' in these rules, means the residence of a person approved to provide developmentally appropriate care, education, protection, and supervision designed to ensure wholesome growth and educational experiences for children outside of their own homes for periods of less than twenty-four (24) hours per day. This is the physical location where care is provided." Rule 2.2.20: "'Family Child Care Provider,' referred to as the 'FCCP' in these rules, means the person who has been approved to operate a registered or licensed FCCH, is responsible for the operation of that FCCH and considered legally responsible for compliance with these regulations. The FCCP approves or develops the FCCH's program and curriculum and supervises staff." Rule 2.1.1 repeats the service definition and adds the residence requirement in mandatory form: "A Family Child Care Home provides developmentally appropriate care, education, protection, and supervision that are designed to ensure wholesome growth and educational experiences for children outside of their own homes for periods of less than twenty-four (24) hours per day. A Family Child Care Home shall be operated in the residence occupied by the Family Child Care Provider (FCCP)."

Rule 2.3.2.2 then closes the loop on the address: "A license shall be issued only to the FCCP for the FCCH for which an application is made and for the FCCP's own legal residence," and rule 2.3.2.3, "A license is valid only for the location listed on the license." Vermont therefore has no route by which a family child care licence attaches to a building the provider does not live in, and no route by which it is bought or inherited: rule 2.3.2.4, "A license shall not be transferable, assignable or subject to sale," and rule 2.3.4.1, "When a FCCH is sold, leased or discontinued; the operation has moved to a new location; or the license has been revoked, the current license shall immediately become null and void." THE THRESHOLD: MORE THAN TWO FAMILIES OTHER THAN YOUR OWN. Both the rule and the statute draw the line by FAMILIES, not by number of children, and this is the single most consequential number in the Vermont scheme. Rule 1.1: "A person providing care for children from more than two (2) families other than their own must be registered or licensed in accord with these regulations." 33 V.S.A. § 3502(b)(1) exempts "a person providing care for children of not more than two families other than that of the person providing the care." A Vermonter may therefore care for an unlimited-in-principle number of children drawn from two households plus their own without any CDD approval, and is caught by the rules the moment a child from a third household arrives.

The statute's other exemptions, all in § 3502(b): "(2) a hospital or establishment holding a license issued by the Department of Health or a person operating a program primarily for recreational or therapeutic purposes, unless the hospital, establishment, or person provides services for the care, protection, and supervision of children not incidental to its primary purpose, in which case subsection (a) of this section shall apply to those nonincidental additional services; (3) child care facilities operated by religious organizations for the care and supervision of children during or in connection with religious services or church sponsored activities; (4) [Repealed.]; (5) an after-school program that serves students in one or more grades from kindergarten through secondary school, that receives funding through the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, and that is overseen by the Agency of Education, unless the after-school program asks to participate in the child care subsidy program." Note what is NOT exempt: there is no Vermont exemption for small home programs below a child-count floor, no exemption for care of relatives beyond the two-family rule as such, and no exemption for part-day or drop-in home care.

The two-family line also survives licence loss: rules 2.3.6.2.5, 2.3.9.8 and 2.5.1 each re-state the consequence in the same words — the person "must reapply and meet all requirements for the issuance of a full license in order to provide care for children in more than two (2) families other than their own," and a suspended provider "shall not provide care for children in more than two (2) families other than their own once the license is suspended." WHO COUNTS AS A CHILD. Rule 2.2.4: "'Child' for the purposes of these regulations, means a person who is at least six (6) weeks old and has not reached the age of thirteen (13) years." The six-week floor is a real constraint: a Vermont FCCH may not enrol a newborn under six weeks. The thirteen-year ceiling has one statutory-style exception through rule 2.2.5, which extends 'Child with Special Needs' up to age nineteen for "a person who is age thirteen (13) up to age nineteen (19) who has an IEP or a documented physical, emotional or behavioral condition that precludes the person from providing self-care or being left unsupervised, as verified by the written record of a physician, licensed psychologist or court records."

The intermediate age bands that drive the capacity charts are: "'Infant' means a child who is at least six (6) weeks and under thirteen (13) months of age" (rule 2.2.24); "'Toddler' means a child between thirteen (13) through thirty-five (35) months of age" (rule 2.2.53); "'Pre-kindergartener' means a child who is thirty-six (36) months of age up until school age" (rule 2.2.33); and "'School age' means a child who is five (5) years of age or older and currently attending kindergarten or has completed kindergarten or a higher grade" (rule 2.2.41). The capacity charts, however, do NOT use the infant/toddler labels: they use 'Under 24 months', '2-5 years' and 'School age' for the registered tier and 'Under 24 months', '2 years' and '3-12 years' for the licensed tier, which is why a provider can be simultaneously compliant with the definitions and non-compliant with the chart if they reason in the wrong vocabulary. 'OWN CHILD' IS A DEFINED TERM AND IT IS BROADER THAN 'MY BIOLOGICAL CHILD'. Rule 2.2.29: "'Own Child' means the child; grandchild; great grandchild; stepchild; or child who is in the guardianship, custody, or foster care of the FCCP; and who resides in the same home."

That breadth is what makes the counting rules in rules 6.2.1.3, 6.2.1.8 and 6.2.2.1 bite — a resident grandchild is an 'own child' for capacity purposes. TWO EXCLUSIVITY RULES THAT DISQUALIFY OTHERWISE-ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS. Rule 2.1.3: "Any person or entity registered or licensed to operate a FCCH shall be prohibited from concurrently operating a Center Based Child Care and Preschool Program or an Afterschool Child Care Program." Rule 2.1.4: "An approved FCCP may not be concurrently approved as a licensed foster care provider without a variance from the Department. They may not provide respite care for foster children or foster care, either licensed or professional, except that, at the request of the Department, they may provide respite or temporary foster care to a child who is already enrolled in their regulated FCCH." The statute duplicates the first of these from the other direction — 33 V.S.A. § 3502(c): "A person who has a license to operate a child care facility shall not operate a family child care home. A person who operates a registered family child care home shall not operate a child care facility."

CDD's 2024 Resource Guide reproduces both rules verbatim in its 'Steps for Completing Your Online Application' section and tells applicants to phone the Licensor on Duty before applying if either applies to them. Finally, rule 2.3.2.5 forbids mixed use during operating hours: "During the hours of operation, the FCCH shall be used only for the purposes of providing child care and educational services or training," and rule 2.1.5 states the floor obligation, "Children in a regulated FCCH shall not be subjected to abuse, neglect, mistreatment, or immoral surroundings" — the phrase 'immoral surroundings' being lifted from 33 V.S.A. § 3502(d)(1).

How many children you can care for in Vermont

THERE IS NO SINGLE VERMONT NUMBER; THERE ARE TWO REGIMES, AND ONE OF THEM PUTS THE NUMBER ON YOUR CERTIFICATE. Rule 2.2.3 defines the term: "'Capacity' means the total number of children allowed to be present at any one (1) time as approved on the license." The chapeau that opens the capacity rules (printed immediately under the heading '6.2 Building Healthy Relationships') states the four variables: "Capacity and Staffing: The capacity shall be determined by the type of license held, the ages of the children living in or present at the FCCH, the presence of one (1) or more Family Child Care Assistants, and the amount of usable space for child care in the FCCH," followed by two navigation notes — "Section 6.2.1 of these regulations refers exclusively to capacity and staffing in a registered FCCH" and "Section 6.2.2 of these regulations refers exclusively to capacity and staffing of a licensed FCCH." (A drafting oddity worth knowing before you go looking: the rulebook's table of contents lists 6.2 only as 'Building Healthy Relationships' and contains no entry for capacity at all, so searching the contents page for 'capacity' finds nothing. The fourth variable — 'the amount of usable space' — connects to rule 2.2.27, "'Licensed Space' means the indoor and outdoor space approved by the Division as useable space where children may be present.") REGISTERED FCCH — TEN, OR TWELVE IN SUMMER, AND NOTHING ELSE.

Rule 6.2.1.2: "At no time shall the total number of children in care exceed ten (10) during Option one (1): Year Round Care or twelve (12) children for Option two (2): Summer Vacation." Rule 6.2.1.1 sets the counting rule: "All children present and unaccompanied by a parent at the registered FCCH shall be included in determining compliance to rules in section 6.2 of these regulations" — i.e. a neighbour's child dropped off for an hour counts, and a child accompanied by their own parent does not. Rule 6.2.1.5 makes the chart, not the headline number, the operative constraint: "The registered FCCP shall ensure that the number of staff present meets requirements described in the chart below for ages of children, maximum group size, and staff/child ratios at any time of day." Under Option 1 a single adult can reach ten only with a mix skewed to older children; the chart's one-staff rows top out at ten total in the configurations '2 under-24-months / 0 aged 2-5 / 0-8 school age', '1 / 0 / 0-9' and '0 / 0 / 1-10', while a single adult caring for the youngest group is capped at THREE ('1 staff | 3 total | 3 under 24 months | 0 | 0'). Rule 6.2.1.6 supplies the summer school-vacation flexibility inside Option 1: "In Option one (1): Year Round Care, described in the chart below, during summer school vacation a registered FCCP may care for up to ten (10) children total without a second adult, provided that all school aged children have been in care prior to May 1st during the preceding school year or are siblings of younger children enrolled in the registered FCCH."

Option 2 is the separate summer chart, and rule 6.2.1.7 defines exactly when it is used: "In Option two (2): Summer Vacation, described in the chart below, the registered FCCP shall use this chart when providing care to their original six (6) children and up to an additional six (6) school age children and/or when providing care to any school age children over the original six (6) children that began care after May 1st of the current year." The twelve-child summer ceiling is therefore not 'ten plus two'; it is a six-plus-six architecture, and every twelve-child row on the Option 2 chart requires TWO staff. THE PROVIDER'S OWN CHILDREN — TWO DIFFERENT COUNTING RULES IN THE SAME TIER, AND A THIRD IN THE OTHER TIER. This is where Vermont most often trips people, and the prior entry told only half the story. (i) Registered, Option 1 — rule 6.2.1.3: "The registered FCCP's own children under twenty-four (24) months residing in the home shall be counted in considering the limit on children less than twenty-four (24) months and are not counted in the overall limit on children when using rule 6.2.1.6 of these regulations."

Read carefully: an own child under 24 months eats into the under-24-months allowance ALWAYS, but is excluded from the overall total only in the rule 6.2.1.6 (summer, one-adult, pre-May-1 school-agers) configuration. Own children aged 24 months and over are not mentioned by 6.2.1.3 at all. (ii) Registered, Option 2 — rule 6.2.1.8 reverses the treatment by age: "When using rule 6.2.1.7 of these regulations, the registered FCCP's children younger than school age residing in the home shall be included in determining the total number of children allowed in care, and the registered FCCP's own school age children shall not be counted." So in the summer chart the provider's own pre-schooler consumes a slot and the provider's own third-grader does not. (iii) Licensed — rule 6.2.2.1 sweeps the widest: "All children present and unaccompanied by a parent at the licensed FCCH, including the licensed FCCP's own children residing in the home and children of a Family Child Care Assistant younger than school age, shall be included in determining the capacity of the program at any one (1) time." In a licensed home the provider's own children of ANY age count, and so do an assistant's children below school age.

Because rule 2.2.29 defines 'own child' to include grandchildren, great-grandchildren, stepchildren and children in the provider's guardianship, custody or foster care who reside in the home, these counting rules reach further than the phrase suggests. LICENSED FCCH — THE NUMBER IS ON THE CERTIFICATE, AND THE CHARTS CAP IT AT TWELVE. Rule 6.2.2.2: "The number of children served by the licensed FCCH at any one (1) time shall not exceed the maximum capacity allowed written on the license certificate." Rule 6.2.2.4: "The licensed FCCP shall ensure that the number of staff present meets requirements described in the chart below for ages of children, maximum group size, and staff/child ratios at any time of day." Three charts are printed, headed 'Licensed FCCH: Capacity with three (3) staff', '...with two (2) staff' and '...with one (1) staff', each with the columns 'Under 24 months | 2 years | 3-12 years | Total children'. The ceiling across all of them is TWELVE children, and no configuration anywhere in the licensed tier exceeds twelve. With three staff the extreme rows are '6 under-24-months / 6 two-year-olds / 0 aged 3-12 / 12 total' and '0 / 12 / 0 / 12' — six children under twenty-four months is the highest infant load Vermont permits in any home-based setting.

With two staff the chart runs from '6 / 0 / 0 / 6' (six under-24-months and nothing else) up to '0 / 0 / 9-12 / 9-12'. With one staff the licensed home is capped at '3 / 0 / 0 / 3' for the youngest mix, '0 / 6 / 0 / 6' for two-year-olds, and '0 / 0 / 1-8 / 1-8' for children aged three to twelve — that last row is the only place in the entire Vermont home-based scheme where one adult may supervise eight children, and it is available only to a LICENSED home serving no one under three. A licensed home does not get to pick its own row: rule 2.3.11 requires prior notification to the Division before "a change in the number of children the FCCH serves at any one (1) time" or "a change in the ages of children the FCCH serves," and "The Division shall determine whether it will be possible to modify a current license, approve a time limited variance or whether the FCCP must submit an application for a new license." WHO MAY BE COUNTED TOWARD THE HEADCOUNT OF STAFF THAT UNLOCKS A CHART ROW. Rule 6.2.2.6: "Classroom aides shall not be counted in staff/child ratios when they are performing the job responsibilities of a classroom aide. A classroom aide may be left alone with the child or children to whom he/she is assigned."

Rule 6.2.2.7: "Partner staff shall not be left alone with children and shall not count in staff/child ratios at the FCCH." Rule 6.2.2.8: "The FCCP, Family Child Care Assistant, or substitute shall be present in the FCCH and actively working with children when a trainee is present. The trainee shall not be counted in staff/child ratios." Rule 6.2.2.9: "The FCCP shall ensure trainees seventeen (17) years of age are never left alone with children in the FCCH. Trainees eighteen (18) years of age may be left alone with children in the FCCH provided that the FCCP, Family Child Care Assistant, or substitute is present in the FCCH." Rule 7.7.2 excludes volunteers: they "are not counted in the staff/child ratios and are never left alone with any child or children in the FCCH; with the exception of a parent may be left alone with his/her own child(ren)." CDD's Guidance Manual reduces all of this to a single table (Appendix VII, 'FCCH Ratio/Left Alone Chart'): FCCP — may count in ratio YES, may be left alone YES ('No rules prevent it'); Family Child Care Assistant — YES/YES; Substitute — YES/YES; Trainee aged 18 — NO/YES; Classroom Aide — NO/YES; Trainee aged 17 — NO/NO; Partner Staff — NO/NO; Volunteer — NO/NO; Parent — NO/NO, with the footnote "A parent may be left alone with their own child unless there is a court order in the child's enrollment file that states the parent may not be left alone with her/his child." A second footnote handles the dual-hat case: "When a classroom aide is performing the duties and responsibilities of a family child care assistant, trainee, or substitute and meets the qualifications and other licensing rules for the position, they may count in ratio and/or be left alone with children depending on the role they are fulfilling at the time."

AND ONE ABSOLUTE CAP THAT IS NOT ABOUT NUMBERS AT ALL: rule 7.2.4 — "The FCCP shall ensure that no person shall be left alone with children without approval from the Division which shall be based on the results of the background check to include fingerprinting," duplicated at rule 6.2.4.7. A second adult who has not cleared is not a second adult for chart purposes.

Adult-to-child ratios

VERMONT DOES NOT PUBLISH ADULT-TO-CHILD RATIOS AS RATIOS. It publishes five capacity-and-staffing CHARTS — two for registered homes (Option 1: Year Round Care; Option 2: Summer Vacation) and three for licensed homes (with one, two or three staff) — and the row you occupy is determined by the age mix in the room at that instant. Rules 6.2.1.5 and 6.2.2.4 both require the staffing "described in the chart below for ages of children, maximum group size, and staff/child ratios AT ANY TIME OF DAY," so compliance is instantaneous, not averaged over the session. REGISTERED FCCH, OPTION 1 (YEAR ROUND CARE). Columns: Total Staff | Total Children | Under 24 months | 2-5 years | School age.

The ONE-STAFF rows, in the order printed: 3 total = 3 under-24-months + 0 + 0; 6-10 total = 2 under-24 + 4 aged 2-5 + 0-4 school age; 5-10 = 2 + 3 + 0-5; 4-10 = 2 + 2 + 0-6; 3-10 = 2 + 1 + 0-7; 2-10 = 2 + 0 + 0-8; 6-10 = 1 + 5 + 0-4; 5-10 = 1 + 4 + 0-5; 4-10 = 1 + 3 + 0-6; 3-10 = 1 + 2 + 0-7; 2-10 = 1 + 1 + 0-8; 1-10 = 1 + 0 + 0-9; 6-10 = 0 + 6 + 0-4; 5-10 = 0 + 5 + 0-5; 4-10 = 0 + 4 + 0-6; 3-10 = 0 + 3 + 0-7; 2-10 = 0 + 2 + 0-8; 1-10 = 0 + 1 + 0-9; 1-10 = 0 + 0 + 1-10. The TWO-STAFF rows: 5-6 total = 5-6 under-24-months + 0 + 0; 6-10 = 4 + 2 + 0-4; 5-10 = 4 + 1 + 0-5; 4-10 = 4 + 0 + 0-6; 6-10 = 3 + 3 + 0-4; 5-10 = 3 + 2 + 0-5; 4-10 = 3 + 1 + 0-6; 4-10 = 3 + 0 + 1-7. Read as ratios, the chart says this: ONE adult may never have more than TWO children under twenty-four months when the group is mixed, may have THREE if the entire group is under twenty-four months, and may reach the ten-child ceiling only by loading school-agers; a SECOND adult raises the under-24-months allowance to FOUR in a mixed group and to FIVE OR SIX when the whole group is under twenty-four months, but never raises the total above ten.

That is the ratio structure the prior entry described, and the chart confirms it. REGISTERED FCCH, OPTION 2 (SUMMER VACATION). Same columns. One-staff rows run: 5-6 total = 2 under-24 + 2 aged 2-5 + 1-2 school age; 4-6 = 2 + 1 + 1-3; 3-6 = 2 + 0 + 1-4; 6 = 1 + 4 + 1; 5-6 = 1 + 3 + 1-2; 4-6 = 1 + 2 + 1-3; 3-6 = 1 + 1 + 1-4; 2-6 = 1 + 0 + 1-5; 6 = 0 + 5 + 1; 5-6 = 0 + 4 + 1-2; 4-6 = 0 + 3 + 1-3; 3-6 = 0 + 2 + 1-4; 2-6 = 0 + 1 + 1-5; 1-6 = 0 + 0 + 1-6. Two-staff rows all read 7-12 total: 2 under-24 + 4 aged 2-5 + 1-6 school age; 2 + 3 + 2-7; 2 + 2 + 3-8; 2 + 1 + 4-9; 2 + 0 + 5-10; 1 + 5 + 1-6; 1 + 4 + 2-7; 1 + 3 + 3-8; 1 + 2 + 4-9; 1 + 1 + 5-10; 1 + 0 + 6-11; 0 + 0 + 7-12; 0 + 6 + 1-6; 0 + 5 + 2-7; 0 + 4 + 3-8; 0 + 3 + 4-9; 0 + 2 + 5-10; 0 + 1 + 6-11. Note that EVERY Option 2 row requires at least one school-age child — the chart is built for the summer school-vacation surge and cannot be used to run an ordinary infant-toddler program at six. LICENSED FCCH. Columns: Under 24 months | 2 years | 3-12 years | Total children.

WITH THREE STAFF: 6+6+0=12; 6+5+0-1=11-12; 6+4+0-2=10-12; 6+3+0-3=9-12; 6+2+0-4=8-12; 6+1+0-5=7-12; 5+6+0-1=11-12; 5+5+0-2=10-12; 5+4+0-3=9-12; 5+3+0-4=8-12; 5+2+0-5=7-12; 5+1+1-6=7-12; 4+8+0=12; 4+7+0-1=11-12; 4+6+0-2=10-12; 3+9+0=12; 3+8+0-1=11-12; 3+7+0-2=10-12; 2+10+0=12; 2+9+0-1=11-12; 2+8+0-2=10-12; 1+11+0=12; 1+10+0-1=11-12; 1+9+0-2=10-12; 0+12+0=12; 0+11+0-1=11-12; 0+10+0-2=10-12. WITH TWO STAFF: 6+0+0=6; 5+1+0=6; 5+0+0=5; 4+5+0-3=9-12; 4+4+0-4=8-12; 4+3+0-5=7-12; 4+2+0-6=6-12; 4+1+0-7=5-12; 4+0+0-8=4-12; 3+6+0-3=9-12; 3+5+0-4=8-12; 3+4+0-5=7-12; 3+3+0-6=6-12; 3+2+0-7=5-12; 3+1+0-8=4-12; 3+0+1-9=4-12; 2+7+0-3=9-12; 2+6+0-4=8-12; 2+5+0-5=7-12; 2+4+1-6=7-12; 2+3+2-7=7-12; 2+2+3-8=7-12; 2+1+4-9=7-12; 2+0+5-10=7-12; 1+8+0-3=9-12; 1+7+0-4=8-12; 1+6+0-5=7-12; 1+5+1-6=7-12; 1+4+2-7=7-12; 1+3+3-8=7-12; 1+2+4-9=7-12; 1+1+5-10=7-12; 1+0+6-11=7-12; 0+9+0-3=9-12; 0+8+0-4=8-12; 0+7+0-5=7-12; 0+6+1-6=7-12; 0+5+2-7=7-12; 0+4+3-8=7-12; 0+3+4-9=7-12; 0+2+5-10=7-12; 0+1+6-11=7-12; 0+0+9-12=9-12. WITH ONE STAFF: 3+0+0=3; 2+4+0=6; 2+3+0-1=5-6; 2+2+0-2=4-6; 2+1+0-3=3-6; 2+0+0-4=2-6; 1+5+0=6; 1+4+0-1=5-6; 1+3+0-2=4-6; 1+2+0-3=3-6; 1+1+0-4=2-6; 1+0+0-5=1-6; 0+6+0=6; 0+5+0-1=5-6; 0+4+0-2=4-6; 0+3+0-3=3-6; 0+2+0-4=2-6; 0+1+0-5=1-6; 0+0+1-8=1-8. The structural lesson: two staff in a LICENSED home may hold twelve children only if at most four are under twenty-four months; a sixth infant requires a third adult; and one adult alone in a licensed home may hold six (any mix without infants) or eight if every child is three or older.

THE 60% PRESENCE RULE, AND WHY THE ACT 76 '40%' YOU MAY HAVE READ ABOUT DOES NOT APPLY HERE. Rule 6.2.1.4: "The registered FCCP shall be present and counted in ratio at least 60% of the hours of operation." Rule 6.2.2.3: "The licensed FCCP must be present and counted in ratio at least 60% of the hours of operation. The licensed FCCP shall be responsible for the program, and actively engaged in providing child care and education services when counted in child/staff ratios." In 2023 the General Assembly's Act 76 (H.217) cut the equivalent director-presence requirement for centres and afterschool programs, and CDD implemented the cut immediately by variance — but the variance memorandum of July 11, 2023 signed by Deputy Commissioner McLaughlin ends with an explicit carve-out: "Therefore, the Department is granting all CBCCPPs and ASPs a variance to these rules. For CBCCPPs, a program director must now be present at the child care facility for at least 40% of the time children are present... This variance is retroactively effective as of July 1, 2023... THIS VARIANCE DOES NOT APPLY TO ANY FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME."

Home-based Vermont providers remain at 60%. SUPERVISION RULES THAT OVERRIDE THE CHARTS. Rule 2.2.49 defines supervision as "the knowledge of and accounting for the activity and whereabouts of each child in care and the proximity of staff to children at all times assuring immediate intervention of staff to safeguard a child from harm." Rule 6.2.4.3 requires that when children are sleeping or resting the provider and staff be positioned to see and hear them; rule 6.2.4.4 requires an adult outside with children who are outside; rule 6.2.4.5 requires positioning that allows response while children eat; rule 6.2.4.1 permits stepping away only "to meet basic" needs; and rule 5.4 imposes fifteen-minute visual checks on sleeping children in the parallel draft language. WATER IS THE ONE PLACE VERMONT WRITES TRUE NUMERIC RATIOS. Rule 5.10.5.4.3: "The FCCP shall ensure that when children in care are swimming or playing in an in ground or above ground pool or natural or manmade bodies of water, the FCCP shall ensure that a lifeguard is present or shall maintain the following staff/child ratios: One (1) adult: two (2) children for infants/toddlers and pre-kindergarten age children; One (1) adult: six (6) children for school age children."

Rule 5.10.5.4.5 supplies a second, more generous table for lifeguard-supervised swimming, and expressly excludes the lifeguard from the count: "When lifeguards are on duty supervising the swimming area, they shall not be counted in the following staff/child ratios. The minimum staff/child ratios for children participating in a swimming activity supervised by a certified lifeguard shall be: One (1): ten (10) for children age eight (8) and older; One (1): eight (8) for children ages six (6) and seven (7); One (1): six (6) for children ages three (3) - five (5); and One (1): three (3) for children younger than three (3) years." Rules 5.10.5.4.1 and 5.10.5.4.2 add that whoever supervises must hold valid infant/child CPR certification (and, for pools and open water, be a confident swimmer), rule 5.10.5.4.6 prohibits swimming "during hours of darkness" and rule 5.10.5.4.7 prohibits diving outright. Transport carries its own rule: the draft revisions and rule 5.10.6 require that chart ratios be maintained during transport, with an extra staff member when three or more non-ambulatory children are aboard.

FINALLY, RATIOS AND GROUP SIZE ARE THE ENFORCEMENT TRIPWIRE. Rule 2.2.44: "'Serious Violation' means a violation of group size or staffing requirements or violations that immediately imperil the health, safety or well-being of children," and 33 V.S.A. § 151(7) says the same thing in statute: "A serious violation shall include violation of group size and staffing requirements." A serious violation obliges the provider to mail a Parental Notification Letter to every enrolled child's parent (rule 2.8.2), and rule 2.7.1 forbids the Commissioner from granting a variance to rule 6.2.3 — one of only four rules in the entire book (3.4, 4.7, 6.1.4.3 and 6.2.3) that are variance-proof.

Training you must complete before licensure

WHAT MUST BE DONE BEFORE THE FIRST CHILD ARRIVES — FIVE SEPARATE ITEMS, NOT ONE. CDD's own 'FCCH Chart of Deadline Dates' organises them by deadline, and the rules supply the text. (1) ORIENTATION TRAINING — rule 7.1.3: "The FCCP shall complete an orientation training session approved by the Division prior to beginning care for children. The FCCP shall ensure staff complete an orientation training session approved by the Division prior to being left alone with children. Trainees shall complete the orientation training within one (1) month of their first date of working with children."

The rule then enumerates EXACTLY TWENTY-FOUR required contents, which is worth listing because Vermont's list is unusually specific about abuse prevention and about the licensing regime itself: "Basic knowledge of child growth and development; Routine and emergency health protection of children including health related exclusions; Safety and sanitation requirements including handling and storage of hazardous materials and disposal of bio contaminants; Positive behavior management; Supervision of children; Child accident and injury procedures including building and physical premises safety; Safe sleep practices; Administration of medication requirements; Emergency and evacuation requirements; Nutrition and food safety including prevention of and response to emergencies due to food and allergic reactions; Recordkeeping; Transportation and child passenger safety; Release of children; Respectful engagement of families; Preventing, recognizing, and reporting child abuse and neglect, including information about the signs and symptoms of sexual abuse, sexual violence, grooming processes, recognizing the dangers of child sexual abuse, and other predatory behaviors of sex offenders;

Recognition of and response to the symptoms of common childhood illnesses; Preventing the spread of infectious disease; Providing developmentally appropriate activities and experiences for children; Inclusion of children with special needs; Guidelines for volunteers, trainees, and partner staff; Responsibility to comply with current applicable licensing regulations; Background check requirements to include changes in situations, restrictions, and exceptions for those prohibited by these regulations; Staffing requirements to include opening and closing; and Ensuring children have extra clothes and diapers available."

CDD's 'Child Care Licensing Training' page (read live 2026-08-25) tells you what satisfies this: "Vermont Orientation. It consists of two parts: 1. Online Mandated Reporter Training 2. Training to meet the remaining orientation requirements can happen in two ways: a. Better Kid Care Vermont Orientation Training b. Some programs may offer their own orientation as long as it meets regulation requirements" (with CDD publishing a 'VT-Regs-Required-Orientation-Template.docx' for the do-it-yourself route). The 2024 Resource Guide states the point the rule text leaves implicit: "Please note that the 'Child Abuse and Neglect Mandatory Reporting Training' is required per FCCH rule 7.1.3, and is a separate training from the orientation training." Substitutes are the one exception — rule 7.6.8: "The FCCP shall ensure that substitutes spending time in the program are oriented to the program and practices of the FCCH. Substitutes are exempt from the rule 7.1.3 of these regulations." (2) PEDIATRIC FIRST AID AND CPR BEFORE LICENSURE — rule 7.1.2.1: "The FCCP shall have successfully completed pediatric first aid and CPR prior to being licensed and must remain currently certified."

Rule 7.1.2.2 states the always-on requirement: "The FCCP shall ensure that at least one (1) responsible adult who has successfully completed and is currently certified in pediatric first aid and infant and child CPR is on the premises at all times children are present." For staff the printed rule 7.1.2.3 says: "The licensed FCCP shall ensure that staff who are counted in the staff/child ratios shall obtain training in pediatric first aid and infant and child CPR within six (6) months of beginning work in the licensed FCCH and remain currently certified" — BUT THAT SENTENCE IS SUPERSEDED. The Commissioner's memorandum of July 30, 2019 (effective September 30, 2019), which CDD still links from its training page as 'the current waiver' and which names rules 7.1.2.2, 7.1.2.3 and 7.6.7 as the rules it changes, requires: "Staff, as defined by regulation, shall obtain training in pediatric first aid and infant and child CPR within three months of beginning work in the respective program (e.g. CBCCPP, FCCH, or ASP) and remain currently certified. Additionally, all registered FCCH staff including substitutes, assistants, aides, and trainees shall obtain training in pediatric first aid and infant and child CPR within three months of beginning work in the FCCH."

CDD's Due Dates Checklist follows the memorandum, not the rulebook: 'First aid and infant/child CPR — Staff — Within 3 months of employment start date and Prior to expiration date on certification card — FCCH rule 7.1.2.2; 7.1.2.3; 7.6.7'. Documentation criteria are set administratively: CDD's training page requires the certificate to show "Name and logo of the training organization; Date of the training; Type of training; Infant and child skills covered; Name of the individual certified; Expiration date for the certification," and "If you complete the training online, it must include a hands-on skills component recognized and accepted by the online training organization." (The FCCH FAQ, last revised 01/13/2022, still records the pandemic-era position — "Yes. We are continuing to implement the fully online option to complete infant/child CPR and pediatric first aid. Until further notice, you may choose a fully online infant/child CPR and pediatric first aid training" — which is in tension with the hands-on-skills sentence on the live training page; treat the live page as current and see verify_flag.) (3) MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION TRAINING BEFORE ANY MEDICATION IS GIVEN — rule 5.6.2: "The FCCP shall ensure that only staff, who have completed a training course, approved by the Division, administer medication in the FCCH."

CDD's criteria: "Minimum of 2 hours. Sponsored by a Northern Lights-approved sponsor. Taught by an RN or MD. Cover the five rights of medication administration, procedures, side effects, errors, and adverse effects, as well as an in-person or Online Real-Time skills component for administering asthma & anaphylaxis medication." Rule 5.6.4 forces disclosure when cover is thin: "The FCCP shall ensure that parents are notified if a substitute is not approved to administer medication." (4) EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TRAINING WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR — rule 3.6.3: "Emergency preparedness Training: Within 365 days of opening a FCCH, the FCCP shall attend emergency preparedness training which shall include content specifically related to sheltering in place in the event of an emergency in which the FCCP and children present need to remain in the FCCH for an extended period." CDD adds that no specific course is mandated "but it does require it to cover sheltering in place." (5) THE PROVIDER QUALIFICATION ITSELF, WHICH DIFFERS BY TIER AND IS THE CLEAREST LINE BETWEEN THEM.

Registered — rule 7.3.1: "A Registered FCCP that operates a registered FCCH shall ensure and maintain documentation that he/she is at least eighteen (18) years of age, is a high school graduate or has completed a GED, and meets or exceeds one (1) of the following qualifications PRIOR TO LICENSURE OR WITHIN TWELVE (12) MONTHS OF INITIAL LICENSURE: At least a Vermont Early Childhood Career Ladder Level One (1) Certificate or higher; or At least successful completion of the Fundamentals for Early Childhood Professionals' course; or At least a current CDA (Child Development Association Credential) from the National Council for Professional Recognition); or At least a Child Care Certificate from Community College of Vermont; or At least successful completion of twelve (12) college credits in content consistent with the core knowledge areas identified by NLCDC."

Licensed — rule 7.3.2 imposes the same age and secondary-education floor but no grace period, and a higher bar: "At least a Vermont Early Childhood Career Ladder Level Two (2) or Level Three (3) A Certificate; or At least a current CDA (Child Development Associate Credential) from the National Council for Professional Recognition and twelve (12) months experience working with groups of children grade three (3) or younger; or At least a Child Care Certificate from Community College of Vermont and twelve (12) months experience working with groups of children grade three (3) or younger; or At least a Certificate of Completion from the Vermont Registered Child Care Apprenticeship Program; or At least successful completion of twelve (12) college credits in content consistent with the core knowledge areas identified by Northern Lights Career Development Center (NLCDC) and twelve (12) months experience working with groups of children grade three (3) or younger." Rule 2.2.17 defines the experience that counts: "'Experience,' as used in relation to qualifications, means experience working with groups of children birth through school age as a paid professional or a consistent and regularly scheduled volunteer or trainee."

STAFF QUALIFICATIONS, FOR HOMES THAT EMPLOY ANYONE. Family Child Care Assistant (rule 7.3.3): eighteen years old plus, within the first twelve months of employment, either the Fundamentals course, or three college credits in NLCDC core-knowledge content, or graduation from a State Board of Education-approved Human Services Certificate Program emphasising child development or early childhood education. Classroom Aide (rule 7.3.4): eighteen, "able to comprehend basic written format," high school graduate or GED plus the Fundamentals course or the Vermont Afterschool Essentials Certificate or three college credits within twelve months. Trainee (rule 7.3.5): seventeen and enrolled in or graduated from an approved Human Services Certificate Program, or eighteen and enrolled. Substitute (rule 7.3.6): "at least eighteen (18) years of age, is able to comprehend basic written format, and is a high school graduate or has completed a GED" — and rule 7.6.12 stops the substitute loophole from becoming permanent: "When a substitute fills a position for thirty (30) or more days within a 365 day period, the substitute shall be fully qualified for the position he/she fills and shall no longer be considered a substitute but is considered as a full staff person subject to all requirements for staff in these regulations."

WHERE THE PAPER GOES. Rule 2.3.7.4: "FCCP Qualifications: Prior to initial licensure the prospective FCCP shall provide written documentation of education, training and experience in his/her BFIS Quality and Credential Account." Rule 3.3.7.3: "Within six (6) months of initial date of employment, the FCCP and all staff shall maintain an up-to-date BFIS Quality and Credential Account. Documentation, verification of qualifications, and all annual professional development activities as specified in the rules sections 7.3 and 7.4 of these regulations shall be submitted to NLCDC to be verified and maintained in BFIS." And rule 7.1.4 adds the requirement everyone forgets: "The FCCP shall read and have ready access to the current applicable licensing regulations. Also, the FCCP shall ensure staff has read, have ready access to, and have had an opportunity to seek clarity as needed about the current applicable licensing regulations."

Ongoing (annual) training

FIFTEEN CLOCK HOURS FOR STAFF, FOUR FOR SUBSTITUTES SINCE 1 OCTOBER 2024 — AND THE SECOND HALF OF THAT SENTENCE IS THE CORRECTION. The printed rule 7.4.4 in the April 2022 rulebook reads: "All staff, with the exception of substitutes, shall complete fifteen (15) clock hours of annual professional development activities as required in the rule 7.4.2 of these regulations." Deputy Commissioner McLaughlin's memorandum of 09/24/2024, effective 10/01/2024, amends that rule and prints the amended text: "All staff, with the exception of substitutes, shall complete fifteen (15) clock hours of annual professional development activities as required in the rule 7.4.2 of these regulations. SUBSTITUTES SHALL COMPLETE FOUR (4) HOURS OF ANNUAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN ADDITION TO ANY REQUIREMENTS FOR INFANT/CHILD CPR CERTIFICATION (OR RECERTIFICATION) AND FIRST AID TRAINING." The memorandum explains why, and the reasoning is worth reading because it shows how CDD stretches the rulebook: "Federal law requires child care providers, including caregivers, teachers and directors, to receive ongoing professional development and health and safety training.

See 45 C.F.R. § 98.44(b)(2)(i). Unlike CDD's licensing rules, federal law does not distinguish between regular staff and substitutes. Nevertheless, 'substitutes' are 'staff' under Rules 2.2.47 and 2.2.48, and substitutes must comply with all rules that staff are required to follow, unless substitutes are specifically exempted. Rule 7.4.1 requires all staff, including substitutes, to have an Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP)... Moreover, while Rule 7.4.4 exempts substitutes from the 15 hours of annual professional development activities required of other staff, this rule is not intended to exempt substitutes from complying with any other training requirement. As mentioned above, FCCPs must comply with federal laws even if they are more stringent than CDD's licensing rules. See Rule 2.3.10.5." So the true current statement of Vermont's annual requirement is: 15 clock hours for the provider and every staff member who is not a substitute; 4 hours for substitutes; and CPR/first aid on top of both. WHO 'STAFF' MEANS HERE. Rule 2.2.47: "'Staff' means all persons employed by or substituting at the FCCH as a FCCP, Family Child Care Assistant, classroom aide, or trainee."

Rule 2.2.48: "'Substitute' means a staff member who is temporarily filling a position in a FCCH due to the absence or lack of a regularly employed staff member." Partner staff and volunteers are not staff and carry no hours (rules 2.2.32, 2.2.57), though both need background checks under rules 7.2.2 and 7.7.5.1. THE HOURS ONLY COUNT IF THEY HANG OFF AN IPDP AND LAND IN BFIS. Rule 7.4.1: "The FCCP shall ensure that within six (6) months of starting work in the FCCH, the FCCP and/or staff have an Individual Professional Development Plan (IPDP). This shall be documented in the individual's BFIS Quality and Credential Account or in the staff file on site. IPDPs shall be updated at least once every 365 days." Rule 2.2.23 defines the IPDP as "a current personalized plan for increasing one's knowledge and improving skills in the field of child care and education. It includes assessing current knowledge and skills, with goals that identify specific areas for improvement, develop strategies, resources and a timeline when the goal will be met." Rule 7.4.2: "The FCCP and staff shall be actively engaged in professional development activities as specified in their IPDP."

Rule 7.4.3: "All professional development activities shall meet all criteria as defined by NLCDC and shall be verified and documented in the individual's BFIS Quality and Credential Account. Professional development hours may be applied toward meeting the individual's IPDP." WHAT DOES NOT COUNT, AND THE ONE SUBSTITUTION THAT DOES. Rule 7.4.7 is categorical: "Training in CPR and First Aid shall not count towards annual professional development requirements in the rule 7.4.4 of these regulations." A Vermont provider who takes a four-hour first aid recertification has completed zero of the fifteen hours. Conversely, a Vermont teaching licence discharges the requirement wholesale — rule 7.4.5: "The FCCP and/or staff who hold a current Vermont Agency of Education teaching license with an endorsement in Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Special Education, or Elementary Education shall use their current teaching license as documented verification of completing professional development requirements in the rule 7.4.3 of these regulations. This current teaching license shall be verified and documented in the individual's BFIS Quality and Credential Account," and rule 7.4.6 does the same for the IPDP obligation.

CDD's Guidance Manual adds one bonus: the CDD-approved orientation training "may be applied to annual professional development requirements when it is being taken for the first time and has been successfully completed." WHEN THE CLOCK RUNS. The hours are an ANNUAL LICENSING REQUIREMENT, and rule 2.2.1 defines that term as "compliance activities that shall be complete every 365 days within the three (3) year license period." Rule 2.3.8.1: "Sixty (60) days prior to anniversary of the FCCH current license, the Division shall send the licensee electronic notice of the annual licensing requirements." Rule 2.3.8.2: "The FCCP shall complete all annual licensing requirements by the anniversary date of the FCCH current license." Rule 2.3.8.4: "The FCCP shall ensure that the FCCP and all staff have met ongoing professional development requirements as defined in the rule 7.4 of these regulations." And at renewal, rule 2.3.9.5.1 folds the professional development record into the renewal package alongside background checks, staff qualifications, lead prevention, insurance and water testing. WHAT THE PENDING DRAFT WOULD DO (NOT LAW — SEE verify_flag).

The 'Rules for Registered Family Child Care Homes' draft published by CDD on its Proposed Rules page (file dated 2025-11-18) would REDUCE the general requirement to twelve hours and would reverse the CPR exclusion: "The FCCP must make sure all staff complete a total of twelve (12) hours of annual professional development activities starting from licensure and/or the individual's first date of employment. A minimum of two (2) of the twelve (12) training hours must be related to the federally required health and safety topics..."; "Substitutes filling a staff position for more than forty-five (45) working days within a 365 day period must be required to complete fifteen (15) hours of annual professional development activities. A minimum of three (3) of the fifteen (15) training hours must be related to the federally required health and safety topics..."; "Seasonal staff must complete four (4) hours of annual professional development activities..."; and "Pediatric first aid and infant and child CPR may count for up to two (2) hours of annual professional development in the year taken."

None of this is in force: as of 2026-08-25 CDD's Proposed Rules page shows the public comment period closed and states under 'Final Proposed Rules': "None at this time," and the Secretary of State's rule postings contain no family child care filing after 21P043 of December 2021.

Background checks

THE VERMONT CHECK IS FOUR DATABASES PLUS FBI FINGERPRINTS PLUS AN OUT-OF-STATE REGISTRY SWEEP, AND IT REACHES EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE FROM AGE SIXTEEN. AT INITIAL LICENSURE — rule 2.3.7.3.1: "The prospective FCCP shall submit a Records Check Authorization form to the Division with the initial application and shall submit to fingerprinting at a location designated by the Division after having received the Fingerprinting Authorization Certificate by the Division." Rule 2.3.7.3.2: "The prospective FCCP shall ensure that any persons, sixteen (16) years of age or older, who reside in the FCCH submit a Records Check Authorization form to the Division." Rule 2.3.7.3.3: "The prospective FCCP shall ensure that persons residing in the home, who will be paid to assist with the care and education of children or who will be left alone with children shall also submit to fingerprinting at a location designated by the Division after having received the Fingerprinting Authorization Certificate by the Division." Note the asymmetry the rule creates and that CDD's practice appears to widen: the RULE fingerprints the applicant and those residents who are paid or left alone with children, but CDD's 'Vermont Child Care Licensing Application: Resource Guide' (Revised 11/15/2024) tells applicants: "The proposed FCCP and FCCH household members who are 18 years old or older must complete a fingerprint supported background clearance before the Division can issue a license. A fingerprint-supported clearance includes the process of submitting to fingerprinting and the process of providing additional information for out of state child abuse and neglect registry checks.

The out of state child abuse and neglect registry checks must be completed for each state where someone has lived within the past five (5) years. Please consult with your CCBT if you have an adult child who attends college or has resided in another state in the past five (5) years." The Guidance Manual splits the difference by making the position title decide: "Based on the position title on the Record Check Authorization form, CDD will determine if a fingerprint supported clearance is required. If required, CDD will send the individual the Fingerprinting Authorization Certificate." WHAT THE CHECK ACTUALLY SEARCHES — the prior entry said only 'the Vermont Crime Information Center', which understates it by three databases. CDD's Guidance Manual: "The Vermont background checks completed by CDD when a Record Check Authorization form is received, searches the following: Vermont Child Abuse and Adult Abuse Registries; Court findings of abuse or neglect; Vermont criminal convictions; and National Sex Offender Registry. The FBI fingerprint supported background checks processed by the Vermont Crime Information Center searches for criminal convictions in Vermont and other U.S. states."

The current form itself (see required_forms) says it in the first person: "I authorize the Department for Children and Families to perform an investigation, and examine records including, but not limited to, the abuse and neglect records maintained by the Department for Children and Families and the Adult Abuse Registry, and criminal records and registries maintained by or accessible to the Vermont Crime Information Center. I understand that my Social Security number is required to conduct background checks. Furthermore, I understand my information will be added to VCIC subscription service" — that last clause matters, because it means Vermont keeps a live subscription on cleared individuals rather than relying solely on the five-year cycle. The FBI side is disclosed on page 2: fingerprints are compared in "the FBI's Next Generation Identification (NGI) system or its successor systems" and "The FBI may retain your fingerprints and associated information/biometrics in NGI after the completion of this application and, while retained, your fingerprints may continue to be compared against other fingerprints submitted to or retained by NGI."

COMPLETENESS IS DEFINED, AND INCOMPLETE FORMS ARE REJECTED. Rule 2.3.7.3.5: a Records Check Authorization form "shall be considered complete only when it has been completed, and includes at minimum all of the following: the full and complete name(s) of the person subject to the record check; date of birth; social security number; current telephone number; current home mailing address; name and certificate number of the licensee; the name all of states lived in; and a signature authorizing the background check to be completed." Rule 2.3.7.3.6 does the same for the Fingerprinting Authorization Certificate: it is complete "only when it has been completed and signed by the Division and includes all of the following: the full and complete name(s) of the person subject to fingerprinting; date and place of birth; social security number; current telephone number; the name of all states lived in; the signature of the person subject to the fingerprinting; the name and address of the Division to whom the fingerprinting results shall be forwarded." The Guidance Manual adds the operational trap: "Fingerprint results will only be accepted if sent directly to CDD by the Vermont Crime Information Center.

The individual must take the Fingerprint Authorization Certificate with them when they go to be fingerprinted." THE CLOCK. Rule 2.3.7.3.7: "The Division shall complete and process all background check clearances as expeditiously as possible, but not to exceed forty-five (45) days from the day the Vermont Crime Information Center receives all documentation" (repeated verbatim for in-service checks at rule 7.2.5). The Resource Guide converts that into a hard gate: "License cannot be issued until fingerprint supported background results have been received by CDD and clearance letters have been issued," and it lists among the three conditions for a complete application: "Background clearance approval letters have been issued for your proposed FCCP and FCCH household members who are 16 years old or older." THE DISQUALIFIERS.

Rule 2.3.7.3.8 (mirrored word for word at rule 7.2.6 for in-service persons): "Based on the results of background checks described in this section the following persons are prohibited and shall not operate, be employed at, or be allowed unsupervised access to children at the FCCH: A person who is required to complete a background check who refuses or knowingly makes a material false statement in connection with such background check; A person convicted of fraud; A person convicted of a felony consisting of: Murder, Child abuse or neglect, A crime against children, including sexual activity or child pornography, Spousal abuse, A crime involving rape or sexual assault, Kidnapping, Arson, Physical assault or battery, or A drug related offense committed during the proceeding five (5) years; A person convicted of a misdemeanor offense against a child or another person consisting of: Violence, Child abuse or neglect, Child endangerment, Sexual assault or activity, Child pornography, or Other bodily injury; A person found by a court to have abused, neglected or mistreated a child, elderly or disabled person, or animal; An adult or child who has had a report of abuse or neglect substantiated against them under Chapters 49 and 69 of Title 33 Vermont Statutes Annotated; or A person registered, or is required to be registered, on a state sex offender registry or repository or the National Sex Offender Registry established under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006." Rule 7.2.6 adds one word the initial-licensure version omits — the prohibited person shall not "operate, RESIDE AT, be employed at, or be allowed unsupervised access to children at a FCCH."

And rule 2.3.7.3.9 keeps a discretionary residual: "The Department may determine a person as prohibited when there is information known that indicates his/her action or behavior may present children enrolled with risk of harm." THE NARROW VARIANCE DOOR. Rule 2.3.7.3.13: "Only persons prohibited under rule 2.3.7.3.8 of these regulations or 2.3.7.3.9 of these regulations for the following reasons are eligible to request a variance: A conviction of fraud; A drug related offense committed during the preceding five (5) years; A conviction of a misdemeanor offense against another person consisting of: Violence; Other bodily injury; or Other information known to the Department. These individuals may be present or be employed in a FCCH only when the prospective FCCP and the person involved, have obtained a written variance from the Commissioner, or designee. The prospective FCCP and the involved person shall request a variance by submitting evidence of suitability or rehabilitation to the Commissioner, or designee. The burden of proof is on the prospective FCCP and the involved person." Everything else on the list — murder, crimes against children, sexual offences, substantiated abuse, registry status — is permanently disqualifying with no variance path.

WHAT THE PROVIDER IS AND IS NOT TOLD. Rule 2.3.7.3.10: the Division tells the provider only whether the person is prohibited "without revealing the basis for the decision." Rule 2.3.7.3.11: the individual gets the result, the basis, the challenge process, and whether a variance is available. Rule 2.3.7.3.12: "The Division shall not share any information related to a background check with anyone other than as required in the rule 2.3.7.3.10 or rule 2.3.7.3.11 of these regulations." Rule 7.2.8.4 makes exclusion immediate: "Effective upon receipt of the determination, the FCCP shall exclude persons whose background check has determined them as prohibited which includes but is not limited to employment at the FCCH or from being regularly present at the FCCH." ONGOING AND EVENT-DRIVEN CHECKS. Rule 2.3.8.3 (an ANNUAL licensing requirement in form, a five-year cycle in substance): "The FCCP shall ensure that the FCCP; all individuals residing in the home; staff; and any individuals who are left alone with children have met ongoing background check requirements by submitting at least once every five (5) years a Records Check Authorization form to the Division and as required shall submit to fingerprinting."

Rule 2.3.7.3.4 / rule 7.2.3 give the Division a reuse discretion: "The Division at its discretion may use the results of a background check on file with the Division as long as it has been completed within the last five (5) years and instead of requiring a new background check." CDD's Due Dates Checklist tells providers to act early — 'Background clearance — FCCP — Within 6 months of 5-year anniversary (see due date in BFIS)'. New people trigger their own checks: rule 7.2.1, "The FCCP shall ensure that all new staff, and any new individual with unsupervised access to children in the FCCH submits a Records Check Authorization form to the Division and shall submit to fingerprinting..."; rule 7.2.2, "The FCCP shall submit a Records Check Authorization form to the Division for any new individuals, sixteen (16) years of age or older, residing in the FCCH or present more than five (5) times in 365 days during the FCCH's hours of operation"; rule 7.7.5.1 extends the same duty to non-parent volunteers present more than five times in 365 days; and rule 3.1.7 sets the deadline: "The FCCP shall submit, within one (1) business day, information on any new individual residing in the FCCH or any new individual present more than five (5) times in 365 days during the FCCH's hours of operation." A change in someone's own circumstances restarts the process on a one-day fuse — rule 3.1.6: "The FCCP shall submit a new Records Check Authorization form to the Division within one (1) business day of being notified by an individual, who has completed the background check process..., that there has been a change of situation that may affect his/her background check clearance."

And rule 3.3.7.5 requires the BFIS roster of staff, residents and non-parent volunteers to be updated "within five (5) working days of the change." THE GUIDANCE MANUAL'S PRACTICAL NOTES, which answer the questions the rules do not. "Background checks are highly confidential. You must only submit Record Check Authorization forms on individuals required by FCCH Regulations. All partner staff are required to complete a Record Check Authorization form, regardless of who employs them. Household members need record checks even if not present during child care hours. Even someone you know well needs a background check. Proof that a conviction or substantiation is not in their record is required. A background check for someone not present during child care hours (and not living in your home), such as nearby friends or relatives, is not necessary." "Use the FCCH Census List to notify CDD when children under the age of 16 years reside (or will reside) in your home." "All specialists present (or expected) more than five times a year are noted as partner staff. They must complete the Record Check Authorization form.

This includes, but is not limited to, special educators, speech, physical, and occupational therapists, Children's Integrated Services staff, and Vermont Birth to Five Mentors." "The rule uses the word 'new'. CDD defines new to mean the individual's first day in your FCCH." And the sentence that governs staffing plans: "No one may be left alone with children until CDD approves it. CDD approval is contingent upon the processing of the fingerprint supported background clearance (rule 7.2.4)." A CITATION DEFECT ON CDD'S OWN FORM, WORTH KNOWING BEFORE YOU REPEAT IT. The 'Family Child Care Home Census List' (revision stamp 'Revised 8/24/2022'), which CDD still publishes on its Forms for Providers page, carries this instruction in bold: "All persons 16 years and older who reside with you or assist you in providing care must complete and sign the Records Check Authorization Form, PER 33 V.S.A. § 309." There is no such statute. Title 33, chapter 3 of the Vermont Statutes shows "§§ 309-311. Repealed. 2013, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 14, eff. May 20, 2014" — the section was repealed more than twelve years ago and the licensing and registration provisions moved to 33 V.S.A. §§ 151-152. The substantive requirement is real and is imposed by rule 2.3.7.3.2 and rule 7.2.2; only the statutory citation printed on the form is dead law.

The application, step by step

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

1. STEP 0 — CONFIRM YOU ARE REGULATED, AND CHOOSE THE TIER. You need CDD approval the moment you care for children from more than two families other than your own: rule 1.1, "A person providing care for children from more than two (2) families other than their own must be registered or licensed in accord with these regulations," and 33 V.S.A. § 3502(b)(1), which exempts only "a person providing care for children of not more than two families other than that of the person providing the care." Then choose: a REGISTERED FCCH (capacity 10, or 12 in summer; provider qualification may be completed within twelve months of initial licensure under rule 7.3.1) or a LICENSED FCCH (capacity written on the certificate up to 12; qualification must be met before licensure under rule 7.3.2; adds zoning, water/wastewater permits, personnel files, annual program assessment and the other boxed rules). Two disqualifiers to check first, both reproduced in CDD's 2024 Resource Guide: rule 2.1.3 forbids concurrently operating a centre or afterschool program, and rule 2.1.4 forbids being concurrently approved as a licensed foster care provider without a Department variance.
2. STEP 1 — SUBMIT THE PRELIMINARY APPLICATION IN BFIS (this is not yet the application). Per CDD's 'Vermont Child Care Licensing Application: Resource Guide — Registered Family Child Care Homes' (Revised 11/15/2024): "The application process has three (3) steps: 1. Preliminary application: submit an online initial request to become a registered family child care home (FCCH) in the Bright Futures Information System (BFIS). This is not an application. This provides basic information to allow the assigned Child Care Business Technician to reach out to gather more information and provide further details. 2. Registered Family Care Home Application: collect the required documents needed to submit and complete the online BFIS application. 3. Pre-registration Visit: receive an in-person licensing visit from a Licensing Field Specialist 'Licensor'..." Mechanically: on the BFIS site click 'Become a Provider', then 'Apply Online to Become a Registered Home Provider'; a Request ID displays on submission, and "After submitting the preliminary application, three (3) emails will be sent to you within 10 business days," including your BFIS case credentials and a welcome letter from your Child Care Business Technician (CCBT).
3. STEP 2 — START THE BACKGROUND CLEARANCES IMMEDIATELY, BECAUSE THEY GATE EVERYTHING ELSE. Submit your own Record Check Authorization Form, the Family Child Care Home Census List of everyone living in the home, and a Record Check Authorization Form for every household member aged sixteen or older (rules 2.3.7.2 and 2.3.7.3.2). Submit to fingerprinting at a Division-designated location only AFTER the Division issues your Fingerprinting Authorization Certificate, and take the certificate with you (rule 2.3.7.3.1; Guidance Manual). Expect out-of-state child abuse and neglect registry checks for every state you or an adult household member has lived in during the past five years. The Resource Guide's checklist entry is blunt: "License cannot be issued until fingerprint supported background results have been received by CDD and clearance letters have been issued." Statutory processing ceiling: forty-five days from the day VCIC has all documentation (rule 2.3.7.3.7).
4. STEP 3 — MEET AND DOCUMENT THE PROVIDER QUALIFICATION THROUGH NORTHERN LIGHTS AT CCV. Rule 2.3.7.4: "Prior to initial licensure the prospective FCCP shall provide written documentation of education, training and experience in his/her BFIS Quality and Credential Account." Send Northern Lights at CCV: "1. A completed Verification Cover Sheet. 2. A detailed resume which clearly outlines minimum required work experience, including describing the ages of children served, whether your work was full or part time, whether it was in a group or individual care setting, and the specific starting and ending dates for each employment experience. 3. Documentation of meeting educational requirements e.g., high school diploma or GED, college degree..., college course transcripts, current CDA Credential and/or or Agency of Education teaching license." Registered applicants may satisfy rule 7.3.1 within twelve months of initial licensure; licensed applicants must satisfy rule 7.3.2 first.
5. STEP 4 — COMPLETE THE TRAINING STACK. (a) The CDD-approved Vermont Orientation, which CDD delivers as two parts — the Online Mandated Reporter Training plus the Better Kid Care Vermont Orientation Training (or a self-run orientation meeting CDD's template) — covering the twenty-four topics enumerated in rule 7.1.3, before beginning care for children. (b) Pediatric first aid and infant/child CPR before licensure, remaining currently certified (rule 7.1.2.1); staff within three months of starting work per the Commissioner's memorandum of 07/30/2019, effective 09/30/2019, and per CDD's Due Dates Checklist. (c) Medication administration training before administering any medication (rule 5.6.2; CDD criteria: minimum 2 hours, Northern Lights-approved sponsor, taught by an RN or MD, with an asthma/anaphylaxis skills component). (d) Emergency preparedness training covering shelter-in-place within 365 days of opening (rule 3.6.3). All of it must be verified into your BFIS Quality and Credential Account (rules 7.4.3 and 3.3.7.3).
6. STEP 5 — RUN THE BUILDING AND WATER TESTS, WHICH HAVE THE LONGEST LEAD TIMES. Heating system: "The FCCH heating system shall be inspected by a qualified person and found to be properly installed and operational. Evidence of a satisfactory inspection, WITHIN THE SIX (6) MONTHS PRIOR TO INITIAL APPLICATION, shall be supplied to the Division" (rule 2.3.7.7; at renewal the window is 730 days, rule 2.3.9.5.2). Lead paint: if the home was built before 1978 and has not been certified lead-free, comply with 18 V.S.A. chapter 38 before licensure and document that Essential Maintenance Practices have been performed (rule 2.3.7.5) — note that CDD and the Department of Health now call this the 'Inspect, Repair and Cleaning' (IRC) assessment, with a Compliance Statement filed with VDH by a certified individual and repeated every 365 days. Lead in drinking water: first-draw test analysed by a Vermont-certified Drinking Water Laboratory under 18 V.S.A. § 501b, results meeting Vermont standards, bottled water until they do (rule 2.3.7.10; the Resource Guide points to 18 V.S.A. chapter 24A and the Department of Health's Tap Inventory Management System). Bacteria and inorganic chemicals (total coliform plus arsenic, uranium, nitrite, manganese, nitrate and fluoride) where the home is on a private well or spring serving fewer than twenty-five persons daily (rules 2.3.7.11 and 2.3.7.12). Prospective LICENSED homes must also obtain any water and wastewater permits the Department of Environmental Conservation requires (rule 2.3.7.9).
7. STEP 6 — ASSEMBLE THE REMAINING DOCUMENTS. Certificate of liability insurance "of a reasonable amount," plus transportation insurance covering property damage, bodily injury and liability if you will transport children (rule 2.3.7.6). Compliance with the Vermont Division of Fire Safety and the Americans with Disabilities Act (rule 2.3.7.8; the FCCH FAQ explains this is worked out case by case with your licensing field specialist and "Common examples include things like accessibility to the home and safe exit routes for an emergency evacuation"). Certification that you are in good standing on Vermont taxes under 32 V.S.A. § 3113 (rule 2.3.7.13) and on child support under 15 V.S.A. § 795 (rule 2.3.7.14) — the Resource Guide warns that "The Division cannot issue a child care license if you are not in good standing with the Vermont Department of Taxes" and likewise for the Office of Child Support. An IRS Form W-9 for your CCBT. Your written policies and procedures for parents and staff under rule 4.7 and your written Emergency Response Plan under rule 3.6.1.1 — both due, per the Resource Guide, thirty days before licensure. For LICENSED homes only, recorded municipal zoning approval (rules 2.3.7.15.1 to 2.3.7.15.3).
8. STEP 7 — SUBMIT THE ONLINE APPLICATION IN BFIS. Rule 2.3.7.1: "Forms: A prospective FCCP shall apply for a license on forms provided and in a manner prescribed by the Division." Rule 2.3.7.2: "The prospective FCCP shall provide a list of all persons residing in the home; the list shall include at a minimum name, gender, date of birth, social security number, and the relationship to the prospective FCCP of each person." The BFIS screens, per the Resource Guide, capture liability and transportation insurance, water test results, heating inspection, the floors of the home to be used for care and two identified exits, tax standing status and date, and child support obligation status and date; a Request ID and Application Confirmation number display on successful submission.
9. STEP 8 — CDD COMPLETENESS REVIEW. "The CCBT will review all documents for completeness. If missing items are identified, you will be notified via a 'Missing Items Letter' within your BFIS Child Care Program Account... Your online application process will be considered complete when: Your application is completed in BFIS; Background clearance approval letters have been issued for your proposed FCCP and FCCH household members who are 16 years old or older; FCCP and/or staff are determined to have met qualifications for their respective positions."
10. STEP 9 — THE PRE-REGISTRATION SITE VISIT, WHICH IS NOW A PUBLIC DOCUMENT. "After your online application process has been completed, your CCBT will inform your CDD licensor that you are ready for your preregistration visit. Your licensor will contact you within three to four business days to schedule a final visit to your FCCH within two weeks. During the licensor's visit, they will assess your FCCH's compliance with Child Care Licensing Regulations. Within five business days of this visit, your licensor will issue a site visit report. Any required action identified during this visit is required to be completed or addressed before you receive your license." Since 1 October 2024, under the memorandum implementing 45 C.F.R. § 98.33(a)(4), "CDD will also post all pre-registration site visit reports to the BFIS public portal." The statutory basis for the visit is 33 V.S.A. § 151(4): "Before a license is granted, the Department shall visit and inspect the premises... Before a family child care home registration is granted, the Department shall make inquiry and investigation."
11. STEP 10 — ISSUANCE. Rule 2.3.2.1: "To qualify for a license, or a license renewal, a prospective FCCP or FCCP shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Division that the FCCH is in full or substantial compliance with these regulations." A FULL licence "is effective for three (3) years from the date of issuance" unless modified to provisional, revoked, surrendered or suspended (rule 2.3.6.1.2) — note that this displaces the statutory default in 33 V.S.A. § 151(1) that "Licenses and registration shall be for a term of one year from issuance unless otherwise prescribed by rule." A PROVISIONAL licence may issue where there is no serious risk to children and, among other triggers, "An individual has submitted a new application for licensure or registration and full compliance has not been determined"; it runs for a Division-set period "not to exceed one (1) year," requires an approved written regulatory compliance plan, and if compliance is not reached the licence simply expires and the applicant must start again (rules 2.3.6.2.1 to 2.3.6.2.5). Denial comes with written reasons and appeal rights (rule 2.3.7.17).
12. STEP 11 — DAY ONE OBLIGATIONS. Post the licence and a copy of the current FCCH Licensing Regulations where clearly visible to parents, staff and visitors (rule 2.3.3); post the written evacuation diagram on every level used by children (rule 3.6.2.1); post the emergency telephone list and child-specific emergency contacts near the telephone or in a location known to all staff (rule 5.10.1.13.2); post dated menus where parents can see them (rule 5.11.1.3). Operate only within the terms on the certificate (rule 2.3.10.4) and remember rule 2.3.10.5: "The FCCP shall be responsible for compliance with all applicable state and federal laws even when they are more stringent than the rules in this set of FCCH regulations" — the hook on which both standing CDD memoranda hang.
13. STEP 12 — THE ANNUAL AND THREE-YEAR CYCLES. Every 365 days by your licence anniversary (rule 2.3.8.2, notice sixty days ahead under rule 2.3.8.1): professional development hours and IPDP updates (rule 2.3.8.4 with rule 7.4), continuous insurance evidence on site (rule 2.3.8.6), lead Inspect-Repair-Cleaning documentation for pre-1978 homes (rule 2.3.8.5), annual flush-sample lead water testing if the initial result equalled or exceeded acceptable limits (rule 2.3.8.7), monthly evacuation drills with one during rest or nap time each year (rules 3.6.2.2, 3.6.2.3), the Vermont Child Care Immunization Report filed with the Department of Health by December 31 (rule 5.1.4, 18 V.S.A. §§ 1120-1129), and an annual review of all written policies (rule 3.3.2). Background checks recur at least every five years (rule 2.3.8.3). At three years, renew: apply through BFIS, ideally forty-five days ahead (rules 2.3.9.1 to 2.3.9.3), with heating inspected within the last 730 days (rule 2.3.9.5.2) and chemical water testing every six years (rules 2.3.9.5.3, 2.3.9.5.4); "When a FCCP makes timely and sufficient application for renewal, the existing license shall not expire until the Division makes a decision on the renewal application" (rule 2.3.9.7), but if the paperwork is short at expiry "the license expires and the FCCP must submit a new license application" (rule 2.3.9.8). CDD conducts "a licensing visit at least once every renewal period at each FCCH" (rule 2.3.9.4) and, since 1 October 2024, "an unannounced licensing visit at least once every 365 days at each FCCH" (rule 2.3.1.2 as amended).

What you must post on your walls

• THE LICENCE ITSELF AND A COPY OF THE RULEBOOK — rule 2.3.3: "The FCCP shall post a current license to operate a FCCH and a copy of the current FCCH Licensing Regulations in the home where it is clearly visible to parents, staff and visitors. A null and void or out-of-date license shall be immediately removed." CDD's Guidance Manual Appendix III ('Required Postings') gives the duration as 'At all times'. What must appear on the posted licence is itself prescribed by rule 2.3.10.1: "Status of the license: full or provisional; Effective date of the license; Expiration date of the license; The applicable type of regulated service for which authorization to operate has been granted; Terms and/or conditions added to the license; and Approval to prepare and provide meals if granted." Rule 2.3.10.3 forbids altering or tampering with it.
• FOR LICENSED (not registered) HOMES, THE POSTED LICENCE ALSO CARRIES THE CAPACITY AND AGES — rule 2.3.10.1.1: "The official posted license of licensed programs shall also contain the following: The maximum number of children who may be served at one (1) time; and The ages of the children who may be served."
• SITE VISIT REPORTS, NOTICES OF VIOLATION AND NOTICES OF REGULATORY ACTION, FOR AT LEAST FIFTEEN DAYS — rule 2.8.1: "The FCCP shall post as directed, site visit reports, notices of violations, or notices of regulatory action for no fewer than fifteen (15) days following receipt by the FCCP in a place where the information is clearly visible to parents." The statute imposes the same duty independently and without a stated duration — 33 V.S.A. § 151(7): "Whenever the Department determines that a licensed child care facility or registered family child care home has violated a health or safety rule, the facility or home shall post the Department's notice of violation in a conspicuous place in the facility or home." Related but not a posting: for a SERIOUS violation the provider must MAIL a Parental Notification Letter to the parent of each enrolled child, with a copy to each parent where parents are separated or divorced (rule 2.8.2; rule 2.2.31 defines the PNL by reference to 33 V.S.A. § 151(7)). Separately, and outside the provider's control, "Violations shall be posted publicly on the BFIS website... for a minimum of five (5) years" (rule 2.8.3), and since 1 October 2024 pre-registration site visit reports are posted to the BFIS public portal as well.
• A WRITTEN EVACUATION DIAGRAM ON EVERY LEVEL USED BY CHILDREN — rule 3.6.2.1: "The FCCP shall have a written evacuation diagram with evacuation routes posted on each level of the home that is used by the children." Appendix III: 'On each level of the home used by children — At all times'. The related drills are not postings but are inspected: monthly evacuation drills completed in under three minutes (rule 3.6.2.2) and at least one drill every 365 days conducted while children are sleeping or resting (rule 3.6.2.3).
• THE EMERGENCY TELEPHONE LIST AND CHILD-SPECIFIC EMERGENCY CONTACTS — rule 5.10.1.13.2, itemised in Guidance Manual Appendix III as: "List of the following phone numbers: 911, Police, Fire, Ambulance/Rescue Squad, Poison Control Center (1-800-222-1222), CDD, Vermont Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-649-5285), Directions to your home," together with "Child specific information: Parent contacts, Emergency contacts, and Doctor contact information," posted "Near telephone(s), OR In a known location by all staff — At all times." This posting was missing from the prior entry entirely.
• DATED MENUS WHERE PARENTS CAN SEE THEM — rule 5.11.1.3: "The FCCP shall ensure that menus are planned in advance, dated, and posted so that they are clearly visible to parents. Any changes to the posted menu shall be noted. Menus of meals and snacks for the preceding six (6) weeks shall be kept on file."
• LICENSED FCCH ONLY — THE DIAPER CHANGING PROCEDURE AT EACH CHANGING AREA — rule 5.2.3.13: "A licensed FCCP shall post the diaper changing procedure at each diaper changing area." (Every FCCH must HAVE a written diaper changing procedure accessible to staff under rule 5.2.3.12; only licensed homes must post it.)
• LICENSED FCCH ONLY — THE WRITTEN DAILY SCHEDULE — rule 6.1.3.2: "The licensed FCCP shall ensure that a written schedule is developed and is posted where it is clearly visible to parents, staff, and for children as appropriate. The schedule shall show blocks of time usually assigned to different types of activities in the daily and weekly routine." Appendix III itemises the content: individual, small group and full group play and learning; child-directed and provider-directed activities; active and quiet play; rest or quiet time; and indoor and outdoor play.
• NOT A POSTING BUT ROUTINELY CONFUSED WITH ONE: the written Emergency Response Plan itself need not be posted, but rule 3.6.1.2 requires that "all staff are trained on the Emergency Response Plan and are aware of where to find the written plan in the FCCH," rule 3.6.1.3 requires it to be reviewed and updated at least once every 365 days, and rule 3.6.1.4 requires parents to be aware of it, "particularly where children would be taken if evacuated from the FCCH." Likewise, the twenty-four-hour Child Abuse Hotline must be something the provider, staff and partner staff "be informed of and have ready access to" (rule 3.2.1) — and Appendix III converts that into the posted phone list above.

Enrollment forms for each child

• CHILD CARE PROGRAM RECORD CHECK AUTHORIZATION FORM (single-site) — the operative background-check instrument for the applicant, every household member aged sixteen or older, every staff member, partner staff and non-parent volunteers present more than five times in 365 days. CDD publishes it at outside.vermont.gov as 'CDD-updated-single-site-form1.1.pdf' with the revision stamp 'Revised 03/05/2026' (the most recently revised Vermont child care form found in this research), and also as an online JotForm at vermont.jotformgov.com/252505696986070. It collects certificate number and programme name, town, programme telephone, position start date, legal and maiden names, date of birth, gender, mailing address, e-mail, place of birth, Social Security number, whether the person has resided outside Vermont in the past five years ("IF YES, LIST ALL"), and a tick-box for 'Initial employment' or '5 year renewal'; the position list runs Licensee/Owner, Director, Teacher, Teacher Associate, Assistant, Aide, Trainee (Paid), Trainee (Not Paid), Substitute, Auxiliary Staff, Business Manager, Partner Staff, Non-Parent Volunteer, AS Program Administrator, AS Program Staff, AS Activity Specialist, Paid AS Youth Volunteer/Leader in Training, Family Child Care Provider, Household Member. Its authorisation clause and the FBI disclaimer are quoted in background_check above. Header instruction: "All fields below must be completed. Incomplete forms will be rejected." Submission is by mail to CDD, NOB 1 North, 280 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-1040 or by secure e-mail to ahs.dcfcddchildcarelicensing@vermont.gov. NOTE the naming mismatch: the rules call it the 'Records Check Authorization form' (plural Records) throughout rules 2.3.7.3.1 to 2.3.7.3.5, 3.1.6, 7.2.1 and 7.2.2; the form itself is titled 'Record Check Authorization Form'.
• RECORD CHECK AUTHORIZATION FORM — MULTI-SITE CHILD CARE PROGRAMS ('CDD-updated-multi-site-form.pdf') — used when an individual works at or is regularly present at more than one CDD-licensed programme. The Guidance Manual explains the strict formatting: it "allows four CDD licensed programs to be listed. If more space is needed, the individual is required to complete another Multi-Site Licensed Programs form. If the individual writes additional licensed program information on the back of the Multi-Site Licensed Programs form (or adds information anywhere else on the front of the form other than the 4 lines provided), the form will be returned," and "Only one position title can be listed for each CDD licensed program."
• FAMILY CHILD CARE HOME CENSUS LIST ('CC-FH-Census-List.pdf', 'Revised 8/24/2022') — the rule 2.3.7.2 list of everyone living in the home. It asks, for each resident, last/first/middle name, gender, date of birth, Social Security number and relationship to the applicant ('List yourself first'), and carries the warning "FORMS THAT ARE INCOMPLETE OR CANNOT BE READ EASILY WILL BE REJECTED." It is also the vehicle CDD uses to learn about residents UNDER sixteen, who need no record check but must be disclosed. Its bolded legal citation — "per 33 V.S.A. § 309" — is to a statute repealed by 2013, No. 131 (Adj. Sess.), § 14, effective May 20, 2014.
• FINGERPRINTING AUTHORIZATION CERTIFICATE — issued BY the Division to the individual, not filled in by the applicant; its mandatory contents are prescribed by rule 2.3.7.3.6 and the individual must physically carry it to the fingerprinting appointment. Fingerprint results are accepted only when sent to CDD directly by the Vermont Crime Information Center.
• THE BFIS APPLICATION ITSELF — there is no downloadable paper licence application: rule 2.3.7.1 requires application "on forms provided and in a manner prescribed by the Division," and the Division prescribes BFIS. The sequence is the preliminary request ('Become a Provider' → 'Apply Online to Become a Registered Home Provider'), then the 'Registered Family Child Care Home Application' screens inside the provider's BFIS account. Renewal is likewise through BFIS (rule 2.3.9.1).
• NORTHERN LIGHTS VERIFICATION COVER SHEET — the transmittal that carries your resume, diplomas, transcripts, CDA credential or Agency of Education teaching licence to Northern Lights at CCV so they can be verified into your BFIS Quality and Credential Account (2024 Resource Guide, step 2; rules 2.3.7.4 and 3.3.7.3).
• CERTIFICATE OF LIABILITY INSURANCE issued by your insurer, plus evidence of transportation insurance if you will transport children (rule 2.3.7.6; kept on site continuously under rule 2.3.8.6).
• HEATING SYSTEM INSPECTION DOCUMENTATION — "a copy of your invoice is sufficient" per the Resource Guide — dated within six months before the initial application (rule 2.3.7.7) and within 730 days at renewal (rule 2.3.9.5.2).
• LEAD DOCUMENTATION FOR PRE-1978 HOMES — the Inspect, Repair and Cleaning (IRC) assessment, formerly and still called Essential Maintenance Practices (EMP) in rule 2.3.7.5, performed by a certified individual who files a Compliance Statement with the Vermont Department of Health; the applicant forwards the confirmation e-mail to their CCBT and re-does it every 365 days (rule 2.3.8.5). CDD's 2024 Resource Guide acronym table records the rename: 'IRC (formerly EMP) — Inspection, Repair, and Cleaning (formerly Essential Maintenance Practices)'.
• DRINKING WATER TEST RESULTS — the first-draw lead test under 18 V.S.A. chapter 24A and the Department of Health's Tap Inventory Management System, plus bacterial (total coliform) and chemical screening for arsenic, uranium, nitrite, manganese, nitrate and fluoride where the home is on a private well or spring, all analysed by a Vermont-certified Drinking Water Laboratory under 18 V.S.A. § 501b (rules 2.3.7.10 to 2.3.7.12; annual flush sample under rule 2.3.8.7 if initial results were elevated; six-year chemical retest under rules 2.3.9.5.3 and 2.3.9.5.4). Water and wastewater PERMITS are additionally required of prospective LICENSED homes where DEC requires them (rule 2.3.7.9).
• IRS FORM W-9 — not a licensing rule requirement but required by CDD before payments: "The W-9 Form is used for tax purposes, to receive CCFAP payments, and/or receive grant funding," with formatting rules so strict that digital signatures are rejected (2024 Resource Guide).
• WRITTEN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR PARENTS AND STAFF (the parent handbook, and a staff handbook if you employ anyone) under rule 4.7, and the WRITTEN EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN under rule 3.6.1.1 — both to be sent to the CCBT thirty days before licensure per the Resource Guide. CDD publishes optional templates: 'FCCH Parent Handbook Checklist (Sample)' and 'FCCH Staff Handbook Checklist (Sample)'.
• CHILD CARE GENERAL HEALTH EXAMINATION FORM ('CC-General-Health-Examination-Form.docx') — the vehicle for rule 5.1.2's requirement that "Within forty-five (45) days of enrollment the FCCP shall obtain documentation of the child's age appropriate well care exam from the parent."
• VERMONT CHILD CARE IMMUNIZATION REPORT — rule 5.1.4: "The FCCP shall submit a Vermont Child Care Immunization Report at least once every 365 days to the Vermont Department of Health, Immunization Office as required by 18 V.S.A. §§ 1120 - 1129." CDD's Due Dates Checklist fixes the deadline: 'Filed by December 31st'. Children's files must also hold the Department of Health immunization-in-progress form or exemption form where applicable (rule 5.1.3), and since 1 October 2024 a six-month immunization grace period applies to children experiencing homelessness and children in foster care.
• CDD SAMPLE AND COMPLIANCE FORMS THAT ARE NOT APPLICATION FORMS BUT ARE WHAT INSPECTORS ASK FOR: 'Family Child Care Home Due Date Checklist' (FCCH-Due-Dates-Checklist.pdf), 'Health and Safety Monitoring Checklist, Family Child Care Homes', 'Staff Background Clearance Checklist (Sample)', 'Staff File Checklist (Sample)', 'Child's File Checklist (Sample)', 'Evacuation Drill Record (Sample)', 'Medication Permission Form (Sample)', 'Non-Prescription Medication Permission Form (Sample)', 'Medication Administration Log (Sample)', 'First Aid Supply Checklist (Sample)' and 'Pesticide Record (Sample)' — all published on CDD's Forms for Providers page and read there on 2026-08-25.
• NO APPLICATION OR LICENSING FEE WAS FOUND. A full-text search of the April 2022 rulebook for 'fee' returns no licensing fee provision, and neither the 2024 Resource Guide nor the licensing pages mention one; the only fee rule in the statutes runs the other way — 33 V.S.A. § 3516 forbids a provider from charging application or waitlist fees to a family whose child qualifies for the Child Care Financial Assistance Program. This is an absence of evidence rather than an express statutory exemption; see verify_flag.

What's specific about getting licensed in Vermont

Vermont is one of the few states with a genuine TWO-TIER home-based license — 'Registered' and 'Licensed' Family Child Care Home — living inside a single rulebook, and the trap is assuming 'Registered' means informal or low-bar. It does not: even a registered home requires fingerprint clearance, CDD-approved Orientation Training, current pediatric first aid/CPR, a real provider credential (Career Ladder Level 1 or the Fundamentals course), a heating-system inspection, and lead-law compliance. The Registered tier caps at 10 children (12 in summer) with essentially one provider; to legally serve more you must upgrade to the Licensed tier, which demands a higher provider qualification (Career Ladder Level 2/3A or a CDA plus experience) AND paid Family Child Care Assistants. Everything routes through the BFIS portal and the Northern Lights Career Development Center for credential verification, so a home cannot be licensed until the provider's BFIS Quality & Credential Account documents the qualification.

How long it takes and what it costs in Vermont

Timeline: Plan roughly 2–4 months. The gating items are completing Orientation Training + first aid/CPR, meeting your tier's provider qualification (verified in your BFIS account), and clearing the fingerprint background check — the Division is allowed up to 45 days to process once the Vermont Crime Information Center has all documentation (§ 2.3.7.3.7) — plus scheduling the on-site inspection and assembling heating/fire/lead/insurance/water documentation. A Provisional License may be issued while you finish coming into compliance; a Full License is valid for 3 years (§ 2.3.6.1.2). Renew through BFIS before it expires — a renewal application received within about 15 days of the expiration date may not be processed in time to keep you continuously licensed (§ 2.3.9.3).

Cost: No application/licensing fee is set in the regulation itself — confirm the current fee (if any) with CDD/BFIS. Real out-of-pocket items to budget: the fingerprint-based background check fee (paid to the state's fingerprint vendor — amount varies, confirm with CDD / Vermont Crime Information Center); a pediatric first aid + infant/child CPR course (market rate, roughly $50–$120 through a local provider); the 'Fundamentals for Early Childhood Professionals' course or Career Ladder credential (frequently free or scholarship-funded via Northern Lights / Community College of Vermont); liability insurance; a heating-system inspection; drinking-water/lead testing for homes on private water; and, for pre-1978 homes, lead Essential Maintenance Practices. Exact dollar figures vary — confirm with CDD.

Source: PRIMARY RULE TEXT. Vermont Agency of Human Services, Department for Children and Families, Child Development Division — 'Child Care Licensing Regulations: Licensing Regulations for Registered and Licensed Family Child Care Homes', title page 'Effective Date: April 17, 2022', 108 pages; complete text read 2026-08-25 from the file CDD links on its Licensing Regulations page: https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Shared%20Documents/CDD/Licensing/CC-Family-Regs.pdf (direct requests from this environment were refused by an F5 gateway with HTTP 403; text obtained through a rendering proxy, fetched twice including one cache-disabled fetch, both identical). Index page: https://dcf.vermont.gov/cdd/laws-rules/licensing. AMENDING INSTRUMENTS IN FORCE. (1) DCF/CDD memorandum, Janet McLaughlin, Deputy Commissioner, 'Child Care Licensing Rule Changes for Family Child Care Homes (FCCH)', header 'Child Care Licensing Rules Memo, Effective 10/01/2024 Issue date 09/24/2024', 5 pages: https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Shared%20Documents/CDD/Licensing/Memo-FCCP-Rule-Changes-9.24.2024.pdf . Companion announcement: https://dcf.vermont.gov/cdd-blog/changes-child-care-licensing-rules-effective-october-1-2024 . Companion deck, 'Changes to Child Care Licensing Rules', 10/1/2024, 20 slides: https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Shared%20Documents/CDD/Licensing/Oct2024-Town-Hall.pdf . (2) DCF memorandum, Ken Schatz, Commissioner, 'Pediatric First Aid and Infant and Child CPR Regulation Changes', dated July 30, 2019, effective September 30, 2019, 1 page, published by CDD as 'the current waiver': https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Shared%20Documents/CDD/Licensing/First-Aid-CPR.pdf .

The English file is a scan without a text layer; read visually from the Internet Archive capture http://web.archive.org/web/20251031192145/https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Shared%20Documents/CDD/Licensing/First-Aid-CPR.pdf and cross-checked against CDD's own translations, First-Aid-CPR-Spanish.pdf and First-Aid-CPR-Nepali.pdf. (3) DCF/CDD memorandum, 'Program Director Time On-site', July 11, 2023 (the Act 76 variance, which states 'This variance does not apply to any Family Child Care Home'): https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Shared%20Documents/CDD/Act76/Memo-Rule-Variance.pdf .

AGENCY GUIDANCE AND FORMS, all read 2026-08-25. 'Vermont Child Care Licensing Application: Resource Guide — Registered Family Child Care Homes', Revised 11/15/2024, 21 pp.: https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Shared%20Documents/CDD/Forms/Final-Draft-License-Application-FCCH-Phase-1-Resource-Guide-11.19.24%20.pdf . 'Vermont Family Child Care Homes (FCCH) Guidance Manual', 133 pp. (Appendix III Required Postings; Appendix VII Ratio/Left Alone Chart): https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Policies%20Procedures%20Guidance/CDD-Guidance-CC-FCCH-Guidance-Manual.pdf . 'FCCH Chart of Deadline Dates', 5 pp.: https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Shared%20Documents/CDD/Forms/FCCH-Due-Dates-Checklist.pdf . 'Frequently Asked Questions — Vermont Registered and Licensed Family Child Care Home Regulations', Last Revised 01/13/2022: https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Shared%20Documents/CDD/Licensing/CC-FAQs-FCCH.pdf . 'Child Care Program Record Check Authorization Form', Revised 03/05/2026: https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Policies%20Procedures%20Guidance/CDD-updated-single-site-form1.1.pdf (multi-site version: CDD-updated-multi-site-form.pdf; online version: https://vermont.jotformgov.com/252505696986070). 'Family Child Care Home Census List', Revised 8/24/2022: https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Shared%20Documents/CDD/Forms/CC-FH-Census-List.pdf . 'CDD Course Criteria to meet Child Care Licensing Requirements': https://outside.vermont.gov/dept/DCF/Shared%20Documents/CDD/Licensing/Course-Criteria-Licensing-Requirements.pdf .

Forms index: https://dcf.vermont.gov/cdd/providers/forms . Training requirements page (orientation, first aid/CPR, medication administration, emergency response): https://dcf.vermont.gov/cdd/providers/pd/licensing . RULEMAKING STATUS. Vermont Secretary of State, Proposed Rules service, https://secure.vermont.gov/SOS/rules/ — searched 2026-08-25 by agency ('Department for Children and Families, Agency of Human Services', 62 filings) and by title.

The last family child care filing is 21P043, 'Licensing Regulations for Registered and Licensed Family Child Care Home', posted December 29, 2021 (preceded by emergency filing 21-E17 of October 18, 2021 and by 15P042/15P043 of August 5, 2015); there is NO filing after it, and none in 2024, 2025 or 2026. Pending drafts and comment status: https://dcf.vermont.gov/cdd/laws-rules/proposed (read 2026-08-25: 'Registered FCCH Draft Revisions', 'Licensed FCCH Draft Revisions', both file-dated 2025-11-18; comment period closed; 'Final Proposed Rules: None at this time'; related webinar of November 17, 2025). STATUTES, from the Vermont General Assembly (legislature.vermont.gov, banner 'The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly'), all read 2026-08-25: 33 V.S.A. § 105 ('Commissioner; appointment, term, duties, and powers'), https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/33/001/00105 ; 33 V.S.A. § 151 ('Licensing and registration; violations'), .../33/001/00151 ; 33 V.S.A. § 3501 ('Division of Child Development; duties') and § 3502 ('Child care facilities; school age care in public schools; 21st Century Fund'), read in the full chapter text at https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/fullchapter/33/035 (§ 3502 last amended 2021, No. 20, § 319); 33 V.S.A. §§ 3516 and 3517 (waitlist/application fees; tuition rate cap) in the same chapter; and the chapter listings for 33 V.S.A. ch. 1 (https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/33/001) and ch. 3 (https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/chapter/33/003), the latter establishing that '§§ 309-311. Repealed. 2013, No. 131 (Adj.

Sess.), § 14, eff. May 20, 2014' — the statute still cited on CDD's Census List form (https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/33/003/00309). Other statutes cited by the rules but not separately read: 18 V.S.A. ch. 38 (lead), 18 V.S.A. ch. 24A and § 501b (drinking water), 18 V.S.A. §§ 1120-1129 (immunization reporting), 32 V.S.A. § 3113 (tax good standing), 15 V.S.A. § 795 (child support good standing), 33 V.S.A. § 4913 (mandated reporting), 3 V.S.A. §§ 3090-3091 (Human Services Board). COUNTER-SOURCE CHECKED AND FOUND STALE — RECORDED SO THAT NOBODY REPEATS IT: Cornell Legal Information Institute, '13-005 Code Vt. R. 13-171-005-X — CHILD CARE LICENSING REGULATIONS: REGISTERED AND LICENSED FAMILY CHILD CARE HOMES', https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/vermont/13-005-Code-Vt-R-13-171-005-X , which on 2026-08-25 still presents the SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 edition of these regulations. Also stale for the same reason: the ACF licensing-regulations database copy 'VT_FCCH_Sept_2016.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.