How to Start a Daycare in North Dakota: Licensing Steps, Costs and Staffing
Opening a daycare in North Dakota starts with the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, which licenses early childhood programs under North Dakota Century Code chapter 50-11.1.
The online Childcare Provider Orientation course comes first for new owners, operators, directors and supervisors, and applications are filed through the Child Care Licensing portal.
The state licenses family child care, group child care and child care centers by child count, with annual license fees set in statute — $20 for family child care, $40 for a child care center.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services through its Early Childhood Services office, under North Dakota Century Code chapter 50-11.1.
Family child care is licensed at 4 or more children aged 24 months and under or 6 to 7 children through age 11 with no more than 3 under 24 months; group child care for 8 to 30 children; a child care center for more than 30 children.
The online Childcare Provider Orientation course, required for new owners, operators, directors and supervisors.
The annual license fee is $20 for family child care or $35 for two years, $25 for group child care or $45 for two years, and $40 for a child care center or $75 for two years.
One of several routes in the center rule, from a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or child development to a CDA with 1 year of experience, an early childhood associate degree with 6 months, or Montessori certification with 1 year and coursework.
Not established in our research — ask the licensing agency.
Steps to a license in North Dakota
- Take the Childcare Provider OrientationStep
The online Childcare Provider Orientation course is the department's required first step for new owners, operators, directors and supervisors.
- Pick the license typeStep
Child count sets the license: a family child care license is required at 4 or more children aged 24 months and under or 6 to 7 children through age 11 with no more than 3 under 24 months; group child care covers 8 to 30 children and a center license more than 30; a voluntary self-declaration documents residence care for up to five children through age 11, no more than three under 24 months.
- Apply through the CCL portalStep
Child care licensing applications are filed through the department's Child Care Licensing (CCL) portal.
- Clear the fingerprint checksStep
License applicants, staff, emergency designees and household members of home-based programs complete fingerprint-based criminal history checks, valid five years unless the person leaves early childhood employment for more than 180 days.
Which agency licenses daycares in North Dakota?
North Dakota licenses early childhood programs through the Department of Health and Human Services, whose Early Childhood Services office runs child care licensing.
The rules sit in North Dakota Century Code chapter 50-11.1 and three administrative code chapters: family child care, group child care and child care centers each have their own chapter.
Everything on this page flows from those chapters, and the department administers all three license types.
“"Department" means the department of health and human services.”
North Dakota license types: home, group home and center
North Dakota draws its license lines by child count in North Dakota Century Code section 50-11.1-03.
A family child care license is required for 4 or more children aged 24 months and under, or for 6 to 7 children through age 11 with no more than 3 of them under 24 months; group child care is licensed for 8 to 30 children; and a child care center license covers more than 30 children.
Family child care itself is a private residence licensed for no more than 7 children at a time, plus 2 additional school-age children.
Below the license lines, a provider caring in a private residence can file a voluntary self-declaration covering up to five children through age 11 with no more than three under 24 months.
The department issues no more than one in-home registration, self-declaration or license per residence, so one address carries one program.
“A license for group child care is required if early childhood services are provided for at least eight and no more than thirty children at any one time.”
What are the application and inspection steps in North Dakota?
North Dakota's first step to opening a child care program is the online Childcare Provider Orientation course, which the department requires of new owners, operators, directors and supervisors.
Applications are filed through the Child Care Licensing (CCL) portal.
Licensing also runs on fingerprint-based criminal history checks — two fingerprint sets through BCI — for license applicants, staff, emergency designees and household members of home-based programs; a check is valid five years unless the person leaves early childhood employment for more than 180 days, and the department may charge up to $30 for it.
Our research captured the orientation and the portal application but not the department's on-site inspection process or a processing timeline — ask Early Childhood Services what your program type and address should expect.
“New childcare owners, operators, directors, and supervisors must complete this course.”
What are the director and staff requirements for a North Dakota daycare?
A North Dakota center director must meet one of the center rule's routes: a bachelor's in early childhood education or child development; a bachelor's with 6 months of experience and 8 semester hours of ECE coursework, 120 training hours or a director's credential; an ECE associate with 6 months; an associate with 1 year and coursework; an elementary teaching certificate with 6 months; a CDA with 1 year; or Montessori certification with 1 year and coursework.
Supervisors, the closest role to a lead teacher, need an associate degree in early childhood, a CDA or approved diploma, Montessori certification, or a high school diploma plus 1 year of child care experience.
Center staff may be as young as 14, with written parental consent under 16; child labor law applies.
Center staff complete a department-approved basic child care course within 90 days of employment, plus infant and pediatric CPR with AED and pediatric first aid certification — within 90 days, in hand before unsupervised access to children.
Annual training is prorated by hours worked — 7 hours a year under 10 weekly hours, 13 at 30 or more — plus 1 safe-sleep hour before caring for infants and 1 mandated-reporter hour.
“A bachelor's degree in the field of early childhood education or child development;”
What ratios will you staff to in North Dakota?
North Dakota sets center ratios and maximum group sizes in the center rule, amended April 1, 2024: children under 18 months are staffed at 1:4 in a group of up to 10, and school-age children 6 to 12 at 1:20 in a group of up to 40, with each age band in between set in the rule.
Mixed-age groups are staffed with decimal ratios — you multiply the children in each age category by its decimal ratio, sum the result, and a fractional staff member count of .35 or more rounds up to a whole staff member.
An operator licensed for at least two years may apply for a waiver of the required ratio and maximum group size not exceeding .25 decimal point per group, and denials are not appealable.
The staffing detail by age band is a hiring question of its own, so plan classrooms against the rule text before you set enrollment.
“For children less than eighteen months of age, one staff member may care for four children, a ratio of .25 in decimal form, with a maximum group size of ten children;”
What fees, timeline and startup costs should you plan for?
North Dakota sets license fees in statute: a family child care license costs $20 a year or $35 for a two-year license, group child care is $25 a year or $45 for two years, and a child care center license is $40 a year or $75 for two years, with preschool and multiple-license fees set in the same schedule.
A renewal filed less than 60 days before the license expires pays double the fee.
On timeline, the online Childcare Provider Orientation comes first and the application goes through the Child Care Licensing portal, but our research did not confirm how long the department takes to process an application — ask Early Childhood Services before you sign a lease or set an opening date.
Our research found no North Dakota startup-cost figures for a building, equipment or insurance, so price those items with local quotes and ask the department about any other costs.
“The owner of a child care center applying for a license shall pay an annual license fee of forty dollars or if the license is issued for a two-year period, a fee of seventy-five dollars.”
What grants and resources can North Dakota daycare operators use?
The clearest state supports our research documents start with Bright & Early ND, North Dakota's quality rating and improvement system, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services.
It expanded on August 1, 2026, its updated Quality Indicators apply to new applications submitted on or after that date, and it offers participating programs ongoing support, specialized training and financial incentives — our research did not read the level names or criteria behind the update, so check current levels with the program itself.
The Early Childhood Workforce Registry, formerly Growing Futures, is free and optional for early childhood professionals and places members on a Career Pathway from category B through J, which is useful context when you hire and train staff.
Our research did not confirm a North Dakota startup grant for new operators; ask Early Childhood Services and Bright & Early ND what funding is currently available.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the North Dakota 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 Early Childhood Services, North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services publishes. For the rest of the picture in North Dakota, see daycare director requirements in North Dakota and home daycare license requirements in North Dakota.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many kids can you watch without a license in North Dakota?
North Dakota requires a family child care license once you care for 4 or more children aged 24 months and under, or 6 to 7 children through age 11 with no more than 3 under 24 months.
Group child care is licensed for 8 to 30 children and a center license for more than 30.
For smaller programs in a private residence, a voluntary self-declaration documents care for up to five children through age 11, no more than three under 24 months — and the department issues only one registration, self-declaration or license per residence.
How much does it cost to get a daycare license in North Dakota?
North Dakota sets license fees in statute: family child care is $20 a year or $35 for a two-year license, group child care is $25 a year or $45 for two years, and a child care center license is $40 a year or $75 for two years.
The same schedule sets preschool and multiple-license fees, and a renewal filed less than 60 days before expiration pays double.
Fingerprint checks are separate — the department may charge up to $30 per check.
How long does it take to get a daycare license in North Dakota?
Our research did not confirm a North Dakota processing time for any license type.
The steps the sources document: complete the online Childcare Provider Orientation course, choose your license type by child count, apply through the Child Care Licensing portal and clear fingerprint-based criminal history checks.
Licenses are issued for a one- or two-year period, and a renewal filed less than 60 days before expiration pays double the fee.
Ask Early Childhood Services what timeline to expect for your program type and address.
Do you need a degree to open a daycare in North Dakota?
For a child care center, not necessarily: the director qualifies through one of several routes, and a bachelor's degree in early childhood education or child development is only one of them — a CDA with 1 year of experience, an early childhood associate degree with 6 months, or Montessori certification with 1 year and coursework also qualify.
For a family child care home, the provider must be at least 18, complete a basic child care course within 90 days of licensure and complete 9 hours of approved training each year.
What training do North Dakota daycare staff need before they start?
Center staff complete a department-approved basic child care course within 90 days of employment, along with infant and pediatric CPR with AED and pediatric first aid certification, also within 90 days.
The CPR and first aid certification must be in hand before staff have unsupervised access to children.
Annual training is then prorated by hours worked, from 7 hours a year for staff working under 10 hours a week to 13 hours for staff working 30 or more, with an added safe-sleep hour before caring for infants and a mandated-reporter hour.
More North Dakota Resources
Sources
- North Dakota Century Code — child care licensing (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- North Dakota Administrative Code — family child care (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- North Dakota Administrative Code — child care centers (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- North Dakota HHS Early Childhood Services — become a provider (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- North Dakota HHS — Bright & Early ND (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- North Dakota HHS — early childhood provider supports (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- North Dakota Early Childhood Workforce Registry (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 Early Childhood Services, North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services.