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Family Child Care Licensing

Intro

In Minnesota, counties have delegated responsibility for most licensing activities for family child care programs, including inspections, investigations, and issuing correction orders. The state issues licenses based on county recommendations and provides guidance and forms to support the licensing work. This support enables county staff to effectively help family child care providers obtain and maintain their licenses. Family child care providers may also be licensed directly by their Tribal Nation.

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Report a concern at a family child care

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Mom and toddler play with colorful wooden blocks

Sections

Interpretive guidance on rules and statutes: Beginning July 1, 2026, a license holder may request interpretive guidance regarding a rule or statute on a correction order issued on or after July 1, 2026, if they believe the statute or rule is ambiguous or has been interpreted incorrectly. This must be done prior to requesting reconsideration. See the Interpretive Guidance Request Form. (June 2026)

Updated implementation plan for Legislative changes: The Implementation Plan for 2025 Legislative Changes was recently updated in preparation for changes that are effective July 1. The updated plan includes additional information on interpretive guidance, time frames for county responses to provider requests, and timelines for posting correction orders to the Licensing Information Lookup tool (LIL). (June 2026)

May issue of Provider Link newsletter available: We're excited to introduce our quarterly Provider Link newsletter, which provides updates on topics affecting family child care licensing. The May 2026 newsletter addresses topics including using the Emergency Plan form and meeting requirements for Active Supervision training. (May 2026)

News archive