Georgia Daycare Ratios: Staff-to-Child Ratios and Group Sizes by Age
Georgia sets staff-to-child ratios for licensed child care learning centers at 1:6 for infants, 1:8 for walking one-year-olds, 1:10 for two-year-olds, 1:15 for three-year-olds, 1:18 for four-year-olds, 1:20 for five-year-olds and 1:25 for school-age children, each with a maximum group size.
Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) licenses child care learning centers under rule chapter 591-1-1.
Centers licensed for 19 or more children also follow mixed-age and under-3 separation rules, and centers licensed for 18 or fewer are exempt from the group-size caps but not the ratios.
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At a glance
Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL), under Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 591-1-1.
1:6 with a maximum group size of 12 (children under 1, or under 18 months and not walking).
1:8 for walking one-year-olds and 1:10 for two-year-olds; group sizes 16 and 20.
1:15 with a maximum group size of 30.
1:18 with a maximum group size of 36.
1:25 with a maximum group size of 50 (ages 6 and older).
Set alongside each ratio; the caps do not apply to centers licensed for 18 or fewer children.
Georgia center ratios and group sizes by age
| Age group | Staff-to-child ratio | Maximum group size |
|---|---|---|
| Infants under 1 (or under 18 months and not walking) | 1:6 | 12 |
| One-year-olds who are walking | 1:8 | 16 |
| Two-year-olds | 1:10 | 20 |
| Three-year-olds | 1:15 | 30 |
| Four-year-olds | 1:18 | 36 |
| Five-year-olds | 1:20 | 40 |
| Six years and older | 1:25 | 50 |
Georgia's infant band covers children under 1 year old and children under 18 months who are not yet walking; the remaining bands run by age in years, as printed in the rule.
What are the daycare ratios in Georgia?
Georgia sets staff-to-child ratios for its licensed child care learning centers by age band: one caregiver for every 6 infants, 8 walking one-year-olds, 10 two-year-olds, 15 three-year-olds, 18 four-year-olds, 20 five-year-olds and 25 children aged 6 and older.
Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) licenses centers under this chapter; the rule defines a center as any program receiving seven or more children under 18 for pay for group care for fewer than 24 hours a day.
The table above lists each band as the rule prints it.
The rule carves playground time and special activities of up to 2 hours out of the group-size caps, but says required staff-to-child ratios must still be maintained during both.
Maximum group sizes by age
Each age band also carries a maximum group size: 12 infants, 16 walking one-year-olds, 20 two-year-olds, 30 three-year-olds, 36 four-year-olds, 40 five-year-olds and 50 school-age children.
Ratio and group size cap different things: the ratio limits children per caregiver, while the maximum group size caps how many children can be grouped together.
The rule sets two limits on the group-size caps.
Maximum group size does not apply to centers licensed for 18 or fewer children, or to playground time and special activities of up to 2 hours — but the required ratios must still be maintained in both cases.
“Maximum group size does not apply to Centers with a licensed capacity of 18 or fewer. However, required Staff: child ratios must be maintained.”
Mixed-age and nap-time rules in Georgia
In centers licensed for 19 or more children, the rule handles mixed-age groups separately from the standard bands.
A mixed-age group's ratio is set by the youngest age group that makes up more than 20% of the children in the group.
In those centers, children under 3 must be housed in separate physical areas from older children, except at early-morning arrival and late-afternoon departure.
Separately, during daytime rest periods, ratios may be doubled for children 3 and older, provided at least one staff person stays in each room giving direct supervision and all required staff remain in the building.
The doubling is permission rather than a requirement, and it does not cover children under 3.
“The Staff: child ratios for a mixed-age group shall be based on the age of the youngest group of children that includes more than twenty percent (20%) of the total number of children in the mixed-age group.”
Who can count in ratio
Georgia draws age lines around who can staff a room.
In centers licensed for 19 or more children, each group must have a designated teacher or lead caregiver, and caregivers or aides assisting them may be 16 or 17 as long as a 16- or 17-year-old is never solely responsible for children; in centers licensed for 18 or fewer, caregivers and aides must be at least 18.
Coverage rules sit alongside the ratios: whenever any child is present, at least 50% of the caregiver staff present must be trained in pediatric CPR and first aid, and each classroom with children must have at least one trained staff person.
Staff who provide direct care must obtain pediatric CPR and first aid certification within the first 45 days of employment.
“When any child is present on the premises, at least fifty percent (50%) of the caregiver staff present shall be trained in pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and pediatric first aid.”
Home daycare capacity in Georgia
Family child care learning homes run on a separate rule chapter from centers, so the center ratio table above does not transfer to them.
A home needs a DECAL family child care learning home license once someone cares for at least 3 but no more than 6 unrelated children under 13 for pay; caring for more than 6 children for pay requires a child care learning center license.
A licensed home may have no more than 6 unrelated children, plus up to 2 additional children aged 3 and older for two designated one-hour periods daily with DECAL approval, and when related or resident children are present the total under 13 may not exceed 12.
Staffing scales with the ages present: an assistant at least 16 years old must be present whenever more than 3 children under 12 months, more than 6 children under 3, or more than 8 children under 5 are in the home.
“must be present to assist with supervision whenever more than three (3) children under the age of twelve (12) months are present, more than six (6) children under the age of three (3) years are present or more than eight (8) children under the age of five (5) years are present”
Staffing example for a typical center
For a center licensed for 19 or more children, the arithmetic works like this — an illustration of the rule, not a staffing plan.
An infant room at its group maximum of 12 needs two caregivers on the floor at 1:6, and that group must have a designated teacher or lead caregiver.
A three-year-old room at its maximum of 30 needs two staff at 1:15, and a four-year-old room of 36 needs two at 1:18.
During daytime rest periods the three-year-old ratio may be doubled, so 30 resting children can remain in the room with one staff person while all required staff remain in the building.
Whatever the mix, at least 50% of the caregivers present must hold pediatric CPR and first aid training, each classroom needs at least one trained person, and a mixed-age group uses the ratio of the youngest age band that makes up more than 20% of its children.
How these lines land on a real schedule is a question for DECAL, not this page.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Georgia licensing rules, agency pages and other sources listed below, as read for this state-by-state staff-to-child ratios series, current as of October 2026. It is not a substitute for the instructions the Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) publishes. For the rest of the picture in Georgia, see daycare teacher requirements in Georgia and daycare licensing steps in Georgia.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the infant ratio in a Georgia daycare?
At a licensed child care learning center: one caregiver for every 6 infants, with a maximum group size of 12.
The infant band also covers children under 18 months who are not yet walking, while walking one-year-olds move to the 1:8 ratio with a group size of 16.
Centers licensed for 18 or fewer children are exempt from the group-size caps, but the ratios still apply.
How many kids can one caregiver watch in a Georgia daycare?
At a licensed child care learning center, it depends on the age band: 6 infants, 8 walking one-year-olds, 10 two-year-olds, 15 three-year-olds, 18 four-year-olds, 20 five-year-olds, or 25 children aged 6 and older.
During daytime rest periods, ratios may double for children 3 and older when at least one staff person stays in each room and all required staff remain in the building.
Can Georgia daycare ratios double at nap time?
At a licensed child care learning center, the rule allows ratios to be doubled during daytime rest periods for children 3 and older, as long as at least one staff person is in each room providing direct supervision and all required staff are in the building.
The doubling does not extend to children under 3, whom centers licensed for 19 or more must house in separate physical areas from older children.
How many children can an in-home daycare have in Georgia?
A licensed family child care learning home may care for no more than 6 unrelated children, plus up to 2 additional children aged 3 and older for two designated one-hour periods a day with DECAL approval.
When related or resident children are present, the total under 13 may not exceed 12.
Caring for more than 6 children for pay requires a child care learning center license.
Do group size limits apply to small Georgia daycares?
Not at centers: the rule says maximum group size does not apply to centers with a licensed capacity of 18 or fewer, and it also does not apply to playground time or special activities of up to 2 hours.
The required staff-to-child ratios must still be maintained in all of those situations.
More Georgia Resources
Sources
- Georgia Rules and Regulations — Child Care Learning Centers (DECAL, rules.sos.ga.gov) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- DECAL — Family Child Care Learning Home Rules and Regulations (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 Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL).