Family child care licensing FAQs

Your first point of contact should be the Child Care Licensing Unit in your county. Your county’s licensing staff will explain the process required to become licensed as a family child care provider and answer any questions you may have.

A Guide to Becoming a Licensed Family Child Care Provider (PDF) is a guide for people interested in becoming a licensed family child care providers in Minnesota. It provides general information about the license application process and an overview on what is required of licensed family child care programs. This may be helpful as you explore whether or not the profession of licensed family child care is right for you.

Yes. State law, Minnesota Statutes, section 245C.03, requires people who provide services to vulnerable populations to have a background study completed by DHS before they are allowed to hold a license and/or to provide licensed services. State law also requires most people living in the home where a family child care program will be located to have a background study conducted.

Minnesota Statutes, section 245A.14, subdivision 1 and 2 offers homeowners the protection of making the decision to operate a licensed family child care program in their homes.

All children age 10 and under are included and counted in the capacity when they are present in the program. Additional information on age group definitions and child/adult ratios may be found in the document Age Group Definitions (PDF).

Holding liability insurance is not a requirement of a licensed family child care program. However, Minnesota Statutes, section 142B.62 does provide guidance on liability insurance. There are requirements associated with your decision to either carry or not carry liability insurance. This is something you may want to discuss with your legal counsel as you create and maintain your business plan, as not holding liability insurance may impact your business.

The DCYF Licensed Family Child Care website has forms, documents, and other important information for licensed family child care programs. You can also contact your county licensor or check on your county’s website. Any questions about the forms required for your program should be directed to your county licensor.

Provider licenses are renewed on an annual basis and are valid from January to December. DCYF mails new licenses to providers in December of each year for the following year, unless the provider has an outstanding licensing fee (if your county charges fees) or an unpaid fine. You can contact your county licensor for information about continuous licensing, or review the Guidance on Family Child Care continuous licenses document.

Yes. The results of your annual licensing inspection will be posted to the Department of Human Services' Licensing Information Lookup (LIL) page.

You may contact your county licensor to request a copy of your license.

Your county licensor is the point of contact to make changes to your family child care license.

Changes to your contact information should be made through your county licensor.

To search for courses, go the Course Catalog on the Develop website. From here, you can filter by course title, competency or qualification.

Yes, you may take the two-hour SUID/AHT training every year. However, you may not view the videos annually rather than taking the two-hour SUID/AHT training every other year.

Minnesota Rules, part 9502.0435, subpart 12 defines pets that are housed within the residence as limited to dogs, cats, fish, guinea pigs, gerbils, rabbits, hamsters, rats, mice, and birds if the birds are clear of Chlamydia psittaci. Pets must be in good health. If you have a pet that is not listed, contact your licensor to discuss whether a variance is an option in your county.

Minnesota Statutes, section 144.1222 defines a wading pool as a private residential pool, not as a public pool for purposes of public swimming pool regulations as long as a portable wading pool has a maximum depth of 24 inches and can be manually emptied and moved. There are many new products on the market that may not specifically be called out as a “wading pool” but would meet the definition of a wading pool as they hold up to 24 inches and can be manually emptied. This includes splash pads that have a basin that collects standing water. In these situations, we would expect that parents be provided the MDH notice and sign a permission slip as required in Minnesota Statutes, section 142B.41, subd. 8. Knowing that products are ever changing, if you have a question about whether or not your product would fit under the above definition, please reach out to your licensor.

If a provider chooses to use water in other ways such as a bucket of water for a car wash or a water table, these items would not typically fall under the definition of a wading pool. While they hold a small amount of water, they are not products that would allow a child to actually sit or swim in. Providers are expected to use appropriate supervision when using materials or products that would require adult supervision.