This post is a part of our series on Maryland family child care licensing. For more on licensing in Maryland, see the following posts:Maryland Family Child Care Licensing: An OverviewThe Licensing ProcessEligibilityTraining RequirementsHome RequirementsAs you start your in-home child care program in Maryland, you will have the option to choose between two types of programs: Family Child Care Home and Large Family Child Care Home.
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Family child care providers offer care in their own home to one or more children who aren’t related to the provider. To ensure a safe environment, Maryland limits the number of children in a family child care home:
A provider may care for up to 8 children with no more than 2 under the age of 2. The provider’s own children under the age of 6 are counted within the group of 8.
A provider may care for between 9 and 12 children with no more than 2 under the age of 2. The provider’s own children under the age of 6 are counted within the group of 9 to 12 children.Same-Age Groups: In a group of children of the same age, the following staff/child ratio and maximum group size requirements apply:Child AgesStaff/Child RatioMaximum Group Size2 years old1 to 6123 or 4 years old1 to 10125 years old or older1 to 1212Groups of Children Younger than 2 Years Old: In a group of children where each child is younger than 2 years old, the following staff/child ratio and maximum group size requirements apply:Child AgesStaff/Child RatioMaximum Group SizeInfants1 to 36Toddlers1 to 39Infants and toddlers, with 1 to 2 infants in the group1 to 39Infants and toddlers, with 3 or more infants in the group1 to 36Mixed-Age Groups with Children Younger than 2 Years Old: In a group where children younger than 2 years old are mixed with children 2 years old or older, the following minimum staffing levels and maximum group size requirements apply:Group CompositionMinimum Staffing LevelMaximum Group SizeIncludes 1 or 2 children under the age of 21 staff member8Includes 1 or 2 children under the age of 22 staff members12Includes 1 or 2 children under the age of 22 staff members8Includes 1 or 2 children under the age of 23 staff members12Mixed-Age Groups with Children 2 Years Old or Older: In a mixed age group with children who are 3 years old or older, the staff to child ratio is 1 to 10. In mixed-age groups of varying sizes that include children who are 2 years old, the following minimum staffing levels apply:Group CompositionGroup SizeMinimum Staffing LevelIncludes one to three 2-years old childrenUp to 101 staff memberIncludes four or more 2-years old childrenUp to 122 staff membersGroup Size and Staffing in Approved Educational Programs: During a school day approved by the Department, a teacher shall be assigned to each class and the following requirements apply:Child AgesStaff/Child RatioMaximum Group Size2 years old1 to 6123 years old or older1 to 1212A nursery school may not exceed a staff/child ratio or group size requirement in the table above, except a Montessori school that has been approved by the Department of Education. In this exception, the school may only exceed a staff/child ratio or group size requirement by no more than 1/3.When children who are 2 years old, 3 years old, 4 years old, and 5 years old are grouped together, the average age of all the children in the group as of September 1 of that school year is used to determine the group's maximum size and staff/child ratio.Sources: Maryland Department of Education, Early Childhood Development, Subtitle 15 Family Child Care, Subtitle 18 Large Family Child Care Homes
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