What Are the Home Daycare License Requirements in Colorado?

Colorado does not require a license for a family care home caring for up to four children, related or unrelated, with no more than two under age two, or for only related children plus one unrelated sibling group.

Care that does not fit that exemption needs a family child care license from the Colorado Department of Early Childhood (CDEC), the agency that licenses Colorado child care facilities under 8 CCR 1402-1.

The threshold has consequences: under the same rulebook, unlicensed child care can be fined up to $250 the first day, $500 the second and $1,000 per day after, to a maximum of $10,000 per violation.

Beyond the exemption, Colorado licenses three family child care home types.

A regular family child care home license covers up to six children from birth to 18, with no more than two under 18 months, plus up to two additional school-age children.

An infant/toddler family home lets one provider, who must be at least 21, care for up to four children under 3, with no more than two under 12 months, including the provider's own children.

A large family child care home license covers up to 12 children, including the provider's own under 10, with no more than two under 18 months, and the licensee must be at least 18.

The fee schedule also lists an experienced provider tier for up to nine children; our research did not transcribe its capacity and qualification rules, so ask CDEC.

The primary provider must be at least 18 and must live in the home, and qualified substitutes must also be at least 18.

Before licensure, the primary provider completes a Department-approved 15-clock-hour pre-licensing course; a provider holding a CDEC director qualifications letter or a degree in early childhood education or elementary education is exempt from that course.

Licensed homes enrolling children five or younger must also participate in Colorado Shines, the state quality rating and improvement system.

Our research did not confirm a specific annual training-hour total for family child care providers, so confirm current ongoing training requirements with CDEC.

Colorado criminal record checks require CBI and FBI fingerprints taken and processed at a CBI-approved vendor, paid for by the individual, plus a separate child abuse and neglect check.

In a family child care home, the rule requires those fingerprints from each license applicant and from every adult 18 or older who lives in the licensed home.

Federal CCDF rules add a floor of their own: in a family child care home, any household member age 18 or older counts as a child care staff member who needs the check under 45 CFR 98.43.

For someone you hire who does not live in the home, ask CDEC which Colorado checks apply before they start.

An inspection is a step inside Colorado's licensing process: CDEC counts the inspection and the background checks among the steps that make the full process take up to 90 days.

Our research did not confirm an itemized inspection checklist for family child care homes, so ask CDEC what inspectors look for in a home before your visit.

CDEC runs a free one-hour pre-licensing orientation for family child care applicants.

Submit the original license application 60 to 90 days before you plan to open; CDEC says the entire licensing process, including the inspection and background checks, can take up to 90 days.

Before licensure, the primary provider completes the Department-approved 15-clock-hour pre-licensing course, unless a director qualifications letter or a degree in early childhood education or elementary education exempts them.

The rulebook sets fees in effect since July 1, 2020: a family child care home of one to six children pays $65, a large family home of seven to twelve pays $100, and an experienced provider licensed for up to nine children pays $100, for the original application and annual continuation alike.

The Colorado rule sets an 18-year minimum for primary providers, applicant 2, equally qualified providers and qualified substitutes alike.

For a hired assistant, federal CCDF rules require a comprehensive background check for every child care staff member of a licensed, regulated or registered provider under 45 CFR 98.43.

Our research did not transcribe Colorado-specific staffing rules for assistants in family child care homes, such as who may care for children unsupervised, so confirm those details with CDEC before you bring someone on.