How to Start a Daycare in Nevada: Licensing Steps, Costs and Staffing

State child care licensing in Nevada is run by Child Care Licensing (CCL) in the Division of Social Services — the division was formerly the Division of Welfare and Supportive Services — within the Nevada Department of Human Services, under NRS and NAC chapter 432A.

One Nevada-specific step comes first: a county or city that has its own child care licensing agency and ordinance licenses facilities in its jurisdiction instead of the Division, under standards that must be no less restrictive than the state's (NRS 432A.131).

Which cities and counties currently license child care, and what they charge, was not confirmed in our research — check with your city or county and with Child Care Licensing before you apply anywhere.

Nevada law draws the line at five: a child care facility requiring licensure is an establishment caring for 5 or more children under 18 for compensation, and homes caring only for related children are excluded (NRS 432A.024).

Above that line the rulebook names three types — a family home cares for 5 to 6 children, a group home for 7 to 12 children and a child care center for more than 12 children (NAC 432A.050, .100, .110).

Below it, Nevada offers a registration route: a small child care establishment — up to 4 unrelated children for pay, at least 6 hours a day, 4 days a week, more than 3 consecutive weeks — registers online with the Division rather than being licensed (NRS 432A.0295, 432A.1756).

An individual who licenses a family home or group home must also live in the home and provide direct care to the children (NAC 432A.534, .536).

Before a Nevada license issues, the applicant must show fire, environmental health, building and zoning compliance and submit a certificate of liability insurance to the Division (NAC 432A.200).

The initial application fee is due with the application and scales with capacity, from $20 for a family home to $300 for a facility of more than 200 children (NAC 432A.200).

Hiring carries its own screening clock: employees, adult residents and adult volunteers must be fingerprinted and submit to a background investigation within 24 hours of hire or presence in the facility, and every 5 years after (NAC 432A.200).

The director step also comes early: before serving, a director must apply to the Division in the form it prescribes and receive its approval, and the licensee must notify the Division of the appointment within 5 working days (NAC 432A.300).

Our research captured the required clearances but not the Division's own on-site pre-licensing visit or a processing timeline — ask Child Care Licensing what your facility type should expect.

A Nevada center's director — the person responsible for daily operation — must be at least 21 years old and meet one of four routes under NRS 432A.1773, from an associate degree or higher in early childhood education with 1,000 hours of experience to a CDA with 2,000 hours.

Directors also need at least 1,000 verifiable hours in an administrative position or a course in business administration, must apply to The Nevada Registry within 90 days and renew annually (NRS 432A.1773).

Caregivers must be at least 16 and join The Nevada Registry within 120 days of starting work (NAC 432A.306).

No more than 50 percent of a center's caregivers may be under 18 years old, and under-18 caregivers must have completed or be enrolled in an approved child development course and work under the supervision of an employee 18 or older (NAC 432A.306).

Every employee and director completes 24 hours of training each year, at least 12 on the age group served and 2 on lifelong wellness, with no more than 3 of the hours in CPR (NRS 432A.1775), and holds pediatric CPR certification — infant CPR where infants are served — within 120 days of starting (NAC 432A.322).

Nevada sets center ratios and group sizes for the hours from 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (NAC 432A.5205): infants under 9 months are staffed at 1:4 in groups of 8 and the scale runs to 1:18 in groups of 36 for children 5 and older, with each age band in between set in the rule.

Night hours work differently: from 9 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. the ratio is 1:6 for children under 3 and 1:10 for ages 3 and older, with group sizes of 12 and 20 respectively, and night staff must stay awake (NAC 432A.5205).

In a mixed-age group, the ratio and group size for the youngest child in the group apply (NAC 432A.5205(5)).

Family homes staff differently: a family home of 5 to 6 children has one caregiver on duty, may care for no more than two children under 1 year or four under 2 years, and the provider's own children count toward capacity only if they are under age 4 (NAC 432A.534).

The state's initial license application fee scales with capacity: $20 for a family home of five to six children, $60 for a group home of seven to twelve, $100 for 13 to 50 children, $150 for 51 to 100 children, $200 for 101 to 150 children, $250 for 151 to 200 children and $300 for more than 200 children; local jurisdictions may charge differently (NAC 432A.200).

A Nevada child care license runs for 1 year.

Renewal applications are due 45 days before expiration, and the Division charges a $50 late fee for a reissuance application received or postmarked later than 30 days before expiration (NAC 432A.220; NRS 432A.141).

Beyond the state fee, the budget items our research documents are the pre-licensing clearances — fire, environmental health, building and zoning — and liability insurance; our research found no Nevada startup-cost figures, so price those items with your local fire, health and building authorities and your insurer.

The clearest state resource our research documents is Silver State Stars, Nevada's QRIS, now administered by the Nevada Department of Education's Office of Early Learning and Development.

Participation is open to licensed child care centers or family child care providers registered with the child care subsidy program, and to Nevada Ready! pre-K programs.

Documented incentives include a higher subsidy reimbursement than the 1 Star base rate, classroom materials grants, reimbursement of national accreditation fees and star-advancement bonuses of $250 to $2,000 depending on the center's capacity.

For staff training, The Nevada Registry publishes a calendar of Registry-approved training — in-person, virtual and online — that meets initial training requirements.

Our research did not confirm a Nevada startup grant for new operators; ask Child Care Licensing and the Office of Early Learning and Development what is currently available.