Tennessee Daycare Ratios: Staff-to-Child Ratios and Group Sizes by Age
Tennessee sets staff-to-child ratios for licensed child care centers by age: 1:4 for infants, 1:6 for toddlers 12 to 30 months, 1:7 for two-year-olds, 1:9 for three-year-olds, 1:13 for four-year-olds, 1:16 for five-year-olds and 1:20 for school-age children.
The Tennessee Department of Human Services licenses centers and publishes the ratios and maximum group sizes in Chart 1 of its child care licensure rules, the rulebook TDHS marks February, 2026 (Revised).
The table below gives every band, and the sections cover group sizes, mixed-age rooms, who counts, and a worked staffing example.
Verify before you rely on this
At a glance
Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS), Child Care Services, under Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-04-01.
1:4 for children 6 weeks to 15 months, with a maximum group of 8.
1:6 for children 12 to 30 months, with a maximum group of 12; two-year-olds are a separate band at 1:7 with a maximum group of 14.
1:9 with a maximum group of 18.
1:13 with a maximum group of 24.
1:20 with no maximum group size set in the chart.
Maximum groups of 8 infants, 12 toddlers, 14 two-year-olds, 18 three-year-olds, 24 four-year-olds and 24 five-year-olds; the chart sets none for school-age.
Tennessee center ratios and group sizes by age
| Age group | Staff-to-child ratio | Maximum group size |
|---|---|---|
| 6 weeks to 15 months | 1:4 | 8 |
| 12 to 30 months | 1:6 | 12 |
| Two years | 1:7 | 14 |
| Three years | 1:9 | 18 |
| Four years | 1:13 | 24 |
| Five years | 1:16 | 24 |
| School-age | 1:20 | Not set |
Cells read one educator per N children, with the age bands as the February 2026 rulebook prints them.
What are the daycare ratios in Tennessee?
Licensed child care centers in Tennessee — care for 13 or more children not related to the primary educator for 3 or more hours a day — follow the staff-to-child ratios in Chart 1 of the licensure rules, which the Tennessee Department of Human Services administers as rule chapter 1240-04-01.
The figures in the table above come from the rulebook TDHS marked February, 2026 (Revised).
Infants 6 weeks to 15 months are staffed at 1:4 with a maximum group of 8, toddlers 12 to 30 months at 1:6 with 12, and two-year-olds at 1:7 with 14.
Three-year-olds are 1:9 with a maximum group of 18, four-year-olds 1:13 with 24, five-year-olds 1:16 with 24 and school-age children 1:20 with no set maximum.
Tennessee's rules call the staff who count in these ratios educators, the rule's term for caregivers.
What are the maximum group sizes by age in Tennessee?
A ratio says how many staff a room needs; the group size caps how many children may be in the room at all.
Chart 1 sets maximum groups of 8 for infants, 12 for toddlers 12 to 30 months, 14 for two-year-olds, 18 for three-year-olds, and 24 for both four-year-olds and five-year-olds.
For school-age children the chart sets a 1:20 ratio but no maximum group size.
The rules also build in a flexibility valve: a center may exceed ratios and group sizes by up to 10% no more than three days a week, but never for infant and toddler groups and never above the center's licensed capacity.
“Infant and toddler groups may never exceed the required ratios and group sizes.”
How do mixed-age and nap-time rules work in Tennessee?
Tennessee keeps its youngest band separate: infants must have a separate space and are never grouped with children older than 30 months.
The rulebook's Chart 3 allows combined groups only during the first and last hour and one-half of each day, and the combined chart carries its own ratios and group sizes — for example, ages 2.5 to 5 together at 1:11 with a maximum group of 20.
Our research did not confirm a separate nap-time ratio for Tennessee centers, so ask TDHS Child Care Services how it applies ratios during rest periods.
“Infants shall have a separate space and shall never be grouped with children older than thirty (30) months of age.”
Who can count in ratio in a Tennessee daycare?
Tennessee's rules call the staff who count in ratio educators.
A center educator must be at least 18, with a high school diploma or equivalent required whenever the educator is the only educator for a group or is used to meet the group requirement.
A student assistant may be 16 while currently enrolled in a technical child care educational program.
One more rule sits at the premises level rather than the room level: when more than 12 children are present at the center, a second adult must be physically available on the premises.
“When more than twelve (12) children are present on the premises, a second adult shall be physically available on the premises.”
How many children can a home daycare have in Tennessee?
Home capacity follows its own charts.
A family child care home provides care for 3 or more hours a day for five to seven children not related to the primary educator, and no more than seven children may be present at one time except up to 12 when any children above seven are related to the primary educator.
One educator covers a family home of seven or fewer children only while no more than four are under two years old; five or more under two requires two educators.
A group child care home is larger: it cares for 8 to 12 unrelated children, or up to 15 if approved for three additional school-age children.
Staffing example for a typical center
Here is how the chart turns into staff on the floor, as an illustration of the numbers rather than a staffing plan.
An infant room at the maximum group of 8 staffs at 1:4, which works out to two educators in the room.
A two-year-old room of 14 at 1:7 also needs two educators, and a room of 24 four-year-olds at 1:13 needs two as well.
A school-age room of 20 runs at exactly 1:20 with one educator.
Alongside the room math, the premises rule applies: once more than 12 children are present at the center, a second adult must be physically available on the premises.
This is arithmetic on the chart, not a compliance check on any schedule — confirm your rooms and schedule with TDHS Child Care Services.
Did Tennessee change its daycare ratios recently?
TDHS reissued the licensure rules for 2026: the rulebook posted on its site is marked February, 2026 (Revised), with amendments effective November 20, 2025 and February 8, 2026.
Older ratio charts still circulate, including a law-library reprint of an earlier quarterly release whose chart shows four- and five-year-old maximum group sizes of 20 and a 24 to 35 months row at 1:7.
The February 2026 rulebook instead shows a maximum group of 24 for four- and five-year-olds and a two years row at 1:7 with 14.
If a chart you are looking at shows different numbers than the table above, check the rulebook on TDHS's site before you staff to it.
What This Page Does, and Doesn’t, Cover
This page summarizes the Tennessee 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 Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS), Child Care Services publishes. For the rest of the picture in Tennessee, see daycare teacher requirements in Tennessee and daycare licensing steps in Tennessee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the infant ratio in Tennessee daycare centers?
One educator for every four infants.
The infant band runs from 6 weeks to 15 months old, with a maximum group of 8.
Infants must have a separate space and are never grouped with children older than 30 months.
Infant and toddler groups are also excluded from the 10% over-ratio flexibility, so the 1:4 ratio holds every day the center is open.
Can a 16-year-old work at a daycare in Tennessee?
Yes, in one limited case: the educator chart allows a student assistant who is 16 and currently enrolled in a technical child care educational program.
Otherwise a center educator must be at least 18, and a high school diploma or equivalent is required whenever that educator is the only educator for a group or is used to meet the group requirement.
Do Tennessee daycare ratios change at nap time?
Our research did not confirm a separate nap-time ratio for Tennessee centers.
The relaxation the rulebook charts for mixed ages is combined groups, and those apply only during the first and last hour and one-half of each day.
Infant and toddler groups can never exceed their ratios at any time.
For how TDHS applies ratios while children rest, ask TDHS Child Care Services.
What is the maximum group size for a four-year-old room in Tennessee?
The chart caps a four-year-old room at 24 children.
Four-year-olds are staffed at 1:13, and 24 is also the maximum group size the chart sets for five-year-olds.
Three-year-old rooms are capped at 18 with a 1:9 ratio, and school-age groups run 1:20 with no maximum group size set in the chart.
Does Tennessee require a second adult when a daycare has more than 12 children?
Yes.
Under the licensure rules, when more than 12 children are present on the premises a second adult must be physically available.
The requirement sits in the same rule section as the ratio charts but is separate from them: it is about an adult being physically available in the building, not about any single room's ratio.
Confirm how it applies to your rooms with TDHS Child Care Services.
More Tennessee Resources
Sources
- Tennessee Department of Human Services — Child Care Licensure Rules, February 2026 revised rulebook (tn.gov) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Cornell Law School LII — Tennessee educator age and qualification chart, older quarterly release (law.cornell.edu) (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- Cornell Law School LII — Tennessee ratio rule, older quarterly release (law.cornell.edu) (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 Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS), Child Care Services.