How to Start a Daycare in Connecticut: Licensing Steps, Costs and Staffing
Daycare in Connecticut is licensed by the Office of Early Childhood (OEC).
Your first decision is the license type: a child care center (more than 12 children), a group child care home (7 to 12 children) or a family child care home run from a private home (up to 6 children, or 9 with an approved assistant).
Center and group home licenses run four years and are nontransferable, the center license fee is $500, and OEC inspects centers and group homes at least every year.
Here are the steps and the staffing rules behind them.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The Office of Early Childhood (OEC) licenses child care centers, group child care homes and family child care homes.
Child care center (more than 12 children), group child care home (7 to 12) and family child care home (a private home, up to 6 children, or 9 with an approved assistant).
Not established in our research — ask the licensing agency.
A child care center pays $500 and a group child care home $250 per four-year license; a family child care home application is $40.
At least 20 years old (centers and group homes); directors hired or newly designated on or after January 1, 2010 must earn at least 3 college credits in early childhood program administration or educational administration within one year.
OEC inspects centers and group homes at least every year and the local health department at least every two years; family child care homes get an unannounced OEC inspection at least once a year.
Steps to a license in Connecticut
- Choose the license typeStep
A child care center serves more than 12 children, a group child care home 7 to 12, and a family child care home is a private home caring for up to 6 children, or 9 with an approved assistant.
- Add the under-three endorsement if your center or group home will serve children under 3Step
A center or group home caring for children under three years of age needs a separate endorsement from OEC.
- Appoint the director and the head teacherStep
A center or group home designates a director aged 20 or older and an OEC-approved head teacher; one person may hold both roles.
- Arrange the required consultantsStep
Centers and group homes need written consultation plans with an education consultant, a health consultant, a social service consultant and, if meals are prepared, a registered dietitian consultant, signed annually.
- Apply and pay the feeStep
$500 per four-year license for a child care center, $250 for a group child care home and $40 for a family child care home's initial license and each renewal.
- Open under the inspection scheduleStep
OEC inspects centers and group homes at least every year and the local health department at least every two years; family child care homes get an unannounced OEC inspection at least once a year.
Which agency licenses daycares in Connecticut?
The Office of Early Childhood (OEC) licenses all three Connecticut daycare settings: child care centers, group child care homes and family child care homes.
The rules centers and group homes follow sit in the R.C.S.A. 19a-79 regulations, substantially rewritten effective October 16, 2024; family child care homes are licensed under the same statutory chapter, with their own rules at 19a-87b.
The October 2024 rewrite also retired the old names 'child day care center' and 'group day care home' in favor of 'child care center' and 'group child care home', reflecting the move of licensing from the Department of Public Health to OEC.
When a requirement on this page and OEC's current rulebook disagree, the rulebook governs.
Connecticut license types: home, group home or center?
Connecticut's license types turn on size and setting (C.G.S. 19a-77).
A child care center offers supplementary care to more than 12 related or unrelated children outside their own homes on a regular basis.
A group child care home serves 7 to 12 children, or runs a family-home-size program outside a private home.
A family child care home is a private home caring for up to 6 children, or up to 9 with an approved assistant; providing regular care of three to 12 hours a day beyond informal neighbor arrangements and listed relatives is what puts a home inside the licensing law.
Two overlays apply: a center or group home serving children under 3 needs a separate 'under three' endorsement from OEC on top of its license, and since July 1, 2025 OEC may issue a pilot 'large family child care home' endorsement allowing up to 12 children with adequate staffing — to up to 30 providers per fiscal year, with applications opened July 15, 2026 and the pilot expiring June 30, 2029.
“A “child care center” which offers or provides a program of supplementary care to more than twelve related or unrelated children outside their own homes on a regular basis;”
What are the application and inspection steps?
You apply to OEC for the license that fits the program.
Center and group home licenses are nontransferable: a change of operator, ownership or location requires a new license application unless OEC grants a waiver.
Centers and group homes must also have written consultation plans with an education consultant, a health consultant and a social service consultant — plus a registered dietitian consultant if meals are prepared — developed, signed annually by the consultant and implemented.
Once the program is open, OEC inspects centers and group homes at least every year and the local health department at least every two years; family child care homes get an unannounced OEC inspection at least once a year.
What are Connecticut's director and staff requirements?
Every Connecticut center and group home designates a director aged 20 or older, and directors hired or newly designated on or after January 1, 2010 must earn at least 3 college credits in the administration of early childhood education programs or educational administration within one year.
The director may also serve as the head teacher, the rule's educational lead, who must be on site for 60% of the program's weekly operating hours.
The head teacher role requires OEC approval and, on the base route, age 20 plus a high school diploma or equivalency, 1,080 hours of supervised experience in a center serving children under 6, and either a center-based CDA or 12 early childhood credits.
Second program staff (the assistant role) must be 18 or older with a diploma, an equivalency certificate or 540 hours of documented experience with the ages served; other program staff must be at least 16 and work under supervision.
Staffing also has to cover the health basics: at least one staffer with current hands-on CPR and one with current first aid on site at all times, comprehensive background checks, and OEC-designated CCDF health and safety training for new program staff within three months of hire.
“A designated head teacher shall be on site for sixty percent of the time the child care center or group child care home is in operation on a weekly basis.”
Ratios you will staff to
Your staffing plan starts from Connecticut's ratio rules.
In center and group home care, the under-three ratios are 1:4 for children under 2 (maximum group size 8) and 1:5 for two-year-olds (maximum group 10), indoors and outdoors, and children 3 and older are staffed at least one program staff for every 10 children, with a maximum group size of 20 — up to 30 for certain school-age-only activities.
In a mixed-age group, the ratio and group size for the youngest child prevail.
Whatever the ages, a center or group home must have at least two program staff aged 18 or older on the licensed premises whenever one or more children are in attendance.
On the home path, a family child care provider may care for no more than two children under 18 months at one time — including the provider's own — or up to six with an approved assistant present.
“There shall be at least two program staff eighteen years of age or older on the licensed premises when one or more children are in attendance.”
Fees, timeline and startup costs
The license fees are set in statute: $500 per four-year term for a child care center and $250 for a group child care home, on licenses that are nontransferable.
A family child care home pays a $40 fee for the initial license and each renewal, also on a four-year term, and each family child care assistant or substitute application carries a $15 fee.
Our research did not confirm a published processing time for a new Connecticut application, so ask OEC's licensing staff about current timelines.
Beyond the state fee, our research did not price total startup costs; facility, equipment, staffing and the required consultant arrangements are line items to price with OEC and local officials before you commit.
“The commissioner shall collect from the licensee of a child care center a fee of five hundred dollars prior to issuing or renewing a license for a term of four years.”
Local grants and resources
The OEC funding our research found goes to staff development rather than opening costs.
OEC's Early Childhood Professional Registry houses free online trainings in English and Spanish and is the portal for OEC scholarships and workforce incentives; the OEC Scholarship Assistance Program helps staff pay for a CDA, an associate or bachelor's degree in ECE, or stand-alone courses.
Qualified Workforce Incentives pay teaching staff and administrators in OEC-licensed centers or group homes up to $2,600 — a $250-$2,000 base award plus up to $600 in bonuses — the bonuses keyed to NAEYC accreditation or Head Start approval, a program area with a Social Vulnerability Index of 0.6 or more, or infant/toddler work of at least 30 hours a week and 40 weeks a year.
OEC also points program administrators to the Program Leadership Initiative's college-credit coursework.
OEC's quality improvement system, Elevate, serves licensed and license-exempt family child care, centers and group homes at three levels of engagement — Member, Member+ and Member Accredited — and Member+ incentives include scholarships, free professional development and Elevate-level display on the program's 211 Child Care profile.
None of the programs we found funds opening costs; ask OEC what support exists for new programs.
“OEC Scholarships can help you obtain and maintain your CDA. They can also help pay for an Associate or Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education and specific stand-alone courses.”
Recent changes to Connecticut child care licensing
Connecticut rewrote its center and group child care home regulations effective October 16, 2024 and renamed the 'child day care center' and 'group day care home' of the old rules to 'child care center' and 'group child care home', reflecting licensing's move from the Department of Public Health to OEC.
The rewrite clarified inspection duties: OEC inspects centers and group homes at least every year and the local health department at least every two years.
Training timelines are newer still: program staff hired after April 1, 2025 complete OEC-designated health and safety training not later than three months after hire, and annual training for program staff and the director — at least 1% of total annual hours worked — has covered the CCDF health and safety topics from April 1, 2025.
On the home side, the large family child care home pilot took effect July 1, 2025 under Public Act 25-82, with applications opening July 15, 2026.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Connecticut licensing rules, agency pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state daycare licensing steps series, current as of October 2026. It is not a substitute for the instructions the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) publishes. For the rest of the picture in Connecticut, see daycare director requirements in Connecticut and home daycare license requirements in Connecticut.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to get licensed to run a daycare in Connecticut?
The state license fees are set in statute: $500 per four-year license for a child care center, $250 for a group child care home, and $40 for a family child care home's initial license and each renewal.
Approving a family child care assistant or substitute application adds $15.
Center and group home licenses are nontransferable.
The license fee is not a startup budget: our research did not price facility, equipment, staffing or consultant costs, so ask OEC what to plan for beyond the fee.
How many children can you keep in a home daycare in Connecticut?
A licensed family child care home cares for up to 6 children, or up to 9 with an approved assistant.
No more than two children under 18 months — counting the provider's own — may be in care at once, or up to six under 18 months with an approved assistant present.
Since July 1, 2025, OEC may also issue a pilot large family child care home endorsement allowing eligible providers to care for up to 12 children with adequate staffing; applications opened July 15, 2026, OEC may issue up to 30 endorsements per fiscal year, and the pilot expires June 30, 2029.
Do you need a license to run a home daycare in Connecticut?
Yes, for regular care.
Connecticut requires a family child care home license for a private home providing regular care of three to 12 hours a day, beyond informal neighbor arrangements and beyond care by a listed relative — a grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, aunt or uncle.
Applicants must be at least 20, hold hands-on first aid and CPR certification before approval, and submit a medical statement and three references; comprehensive background checks cover the applicant, any assistant or substitute, and every household member aged 18 or older.
Does Connecticut require anything extra to care for infants and toddlers?
Yes.
A center or group home serving children under 3 needs a separate 'under three' endorsement from OEC on top of its license.
In centers and group homes, the under-three ratios are tighter: one staff member for every four children under 2 with a maximum group size of 8, and one to five for two-year-olds with a maximum group of 10, indoors and outdoors.
In a mixed-age group, the ratio and group size for the youngest child prevail.
How long does it take to get a daycare license in Connecticut?
Our research did not confirm a published processing time for new Connecticut child care applications, so ask OEC's licensing staff what current timelines look like.
What the state does fix is the term and the upkeep: center and group home licenses run four-year terms and are nontransferable, a change of operator, ownership or location requires a new application unless OEC grants a waiver, and once a center or group home is open, OEC inspects it at least every year, with the local health department visiting at least every two years.
More Connecticut Resources
Sources
- Connecticut eRegulations — Regulations for child care centers and group child care homes (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Connecticut General Assembly — child care licensing statutes (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Connecticut Office of Early Childhood — summary of regulation changes effective October 2024 (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Connecticut Office of Early Childhood — family child care home statutes and regulations (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Connecticut Office of Early Childhood — large family child care homes (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Connecticut Office of Early Childhood — professional development and the OEC Registry (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Connecticut Office of Early Childhood — Qualified Workforce Incentives (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Connecticut Office of Early Childhood — degrees and coursework (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Connecticut Office of Early Childhood — Elevate (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Connecticut Office of Early Childhood — Elevate Member+ (retrieved 2026-10-05)
Sourced from the documents listed above. Verified October 2026. This is career and employer information, not licensing or legal advice. Confirm current rules with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC).