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

Washington licenses child care through the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF).

The rules are chapter 110-300 WAC, the foundational quality standards, which cover both family home and center early learning programs.

Anyone providing child care and early learning services for a group of children birth through 12 must be licensed by DCYF unless an exemption in RCW 43.216.010(2) applies.

Background checks run separately under chapter 110-06 WAC.

Chapter 110-300 WAC sets standards for two program types a new operator can license: family home early learning programs and center early learning programs.

A family home license is required when someone cares in their home, on a regular and ongoing basis, for one or more children not related to them, or for preschool-age children more than four hours a day.

Washington defines a family day care provider as one caring for not more than 12 children at a time in the provider's home, and the cap can be waived to 13-16 children for providers with at least three years' experience operating under a full, nonexpiring license.

The sections of chapter 110-300 WAC our research read name no separate group home license: in Washington the in-home license is the family home license, and experience and the waiver change its capacity rather than its name.

Applicants start with a DCYF-provided orientation for their program type; applicants, co-applicants, family home licensees, center directors, assistant directors and program supervisors all must complete one.

The annual license fee is due with the initial application and again each year 30 days before the license anniversary.

The process runs on a 90-day clock: an applicant who cannot complete the application and licensing process within 90 days may withdraw and reapply, and one who cannot meet the requirements and does not withdraw will be denied.

Our research did not confirm the specific pre-licensing inspection steps DCYF requires for each program type, so ask DCYF what a site of your type should expect.

A center licensee must meet center director qualifications or hire a qualified director before an initial license is granted.

The director minimums are at least 18 years old, 2 years of experience teaching children in an age group the program serves plus at least 6 months in administration or management (or a DCYF-approved plan), and an ECE State Certificate or equivalent verified in the workforce registry, due by August 1, 2030, or within five years for those hired or promoted after the rule took effect.

Early learning staff must register in DCYF's MERIT workforce registry and complete DCYF Child Care Basics training before working unsupervised with children.

Staff counted or potentially counted in ratio must be trained in adult and pediatric first aid and CPR with a live hands-on component, and each group needs at least one certified person in ratio.

Family home licensees must be at least 18 with a high school diploma or equivalent, complete preservice requirements and then earn an ECE Initial Certificate by August 1, 2030 or within five years of licensure; household members must pass a DCYF background check, and members 14 and over also provide TB documentation.

Center staffing starts from the ratio and group size table in WAC 110-300-0356: infants (birth through 11 months) are staffed at 1:4 with a maximum group of 8, and preschool-age children (30 months through 6 years, not attending kindergarten) at 1:10 with a group of 20.

The bands matter when you schedule: toddler means 12 through 29 months and preschool starts at 30 months, so a room's ratio requirement changes as children age up.

Every child in licensed care counts toward capacity and ratio, including staff members' own children and the licensee's children.

In a family home, the license is capped at 12 children with capacity tiered by experience, and two staff are required whenever more than 6 children are in care and any is under 2, more than 8 and any is under 3, or more than 10 and any is under school age.

Washington sets its license fees in rule.

A family home program pays $30 a year.

A center pays $125 for the first 12 children plus $12 for each additional child, and the fee is due with the initial application and then annually 30 days before the license anniversary.

The licensing process itself runs on a 90-day clock: an applicant who cannot complete the application and licensing process within 90 days may withdraw and reapply.

Our research captured no Washington startup-cost figures for facilities, equipment or insurance beyond these rule-set fees; ask DCYF and your local agencies what your site type should budget.

Washington's quality and workforce infrastructure gives a new operator several places to plug in.

Early Achievers is the state's quality rating and improvement system, run by DCYF with Child Care Aware of Washington and Cultivate Learning at the University of Washington; licensed centers and family homes serving non-school-age children that receive state subsidy must participate, while participation is voluntary otherwise, and the first rating and each rating within the cycle are free.

On the staffing side, Early Achievers Grants administered by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges fund staff pursuing an ECE associate degree or stackable certificate, prioritized for staff of Early Achievers facilities, and Child Care Aware of Washington offers scholarships for a bachelor's degree or coaching credential.

DCYF also pays one-time education awards through MERIT for verified education, from $50 for a high school diploma or GED up to $400 for a doctorate, plus $50 each for up to three ECE certificates (amounts revised February 4, 2026).

Those awards are a concrete point to raise with teacher candidates who hold or are pursuing credentials.

Two recent changes moved Washington's qualification deadlines, and both matter when you hire.

Chapter 110-300 WAC was amended effective August 1, 2026: directors and assistant directors must complete the ECE State Certificate or equivalent by August 1, 2030, and people hired or promoted after the rule took effect have five years from hire.

House Bill 1648 (2025) set the classroom-staff deadlines: staff hired before August 1, 2025 must meet qualification requirements by August 1, 2030 and may use 5 years of experience to meet them, while staff hired on or after August 1, 2025 have 5 years from hire or promotion.

An earlier deadline on a checklist or blog post is a sign the page predates these changes.