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Licensing reference

Daycare Ratios by State

By Jayesh Parayali, Founder, CareCam · 15+ years building daycare camera systems

Staff-to-child ratios and maximum group sizes for licensed child care centers, as each state's licensing rule writes them. Pick your state for the full table by age, the rule it comes from, how often you are inspected, and a calculator that tells you how many staff you need for the children in the building right now.

Center rules only; family and group home ratios are on the home daycare requirements pages. Educational reference, not legal advice. Confirm with your licensing agency.

Select your state

Ratio as staff:children, maximum group size in parentheses where the state sets one, for a child of the age in each column in a single-age group. Each state page lists every band as the state writes it.

StateInfants (6 mo)2-year-olds3-year-oldsSchool-age (7)
California1:41:6 (12)1:121:14
Florida1:41:111:151:25
Georgia1:6 (12)1:10 (20)1:15 (30)1:25 (50)
Illinois1:4 (12)1:8 (16)1:10 (20)1:20 (30)
Missouri1:4 (8)1:8 (16)1:10 (20)1:16 (32)
New York1:4 (8)1:5 (12)1:7 (18)1:10 (20)
North Carolina1:5 (15)1:10 (20)1:15 (25)1:25 (25)
Ohio1:5 (12)1:7 (14)1:12 (24)1:18 (36)
Pennsylvania1:4 (8)1:6 (12)1:10 (20)1:12 (24)
Texas1:4 (10)1:11 (22)1:15 (30)1:26 (35)

States are added as their rules are verified against the official text. Don't see yours? Ask us and we'll prioritize it.

How to read a ratio

"1:4" means one qualified adult for every four children in that age band, at every moment of the day. The group size, where a state sets one, caps how many children may share a room regardless of staff. Both numbers are floors for safety, not targets: accreditation bodies and most quality rating systems ask for fewer children per adult than the license requires.

The numbers that trip centers up are not the posted ones but the edges of the day: early drop-off, late pick-up, nap time and the minutes a teacher steps out. Every state page here has a calculator for exactly that moment, and the inspection checklist covers what the licensor looks at when they arrive unannounced.

Proving ratios were kept

When a parent or a licensor asks what the room looked like at 4:45 on Tuesday, the answer is on your own cameras. CareCam runs on the cameras a center already has and adds a live, video-only view for parents of their own child's room, during the hours you set, so the same cameras that document your staffing also answer the question before it is asked.

Daycare ratio questions

What is the staff-to-child ratio for daycare?
It depends on the state and the age of the children. For infants, most states require one caregiver for every 3 to 5 babies; for toddlers one for every 4 to 8; for 3-year-olds one for every 7 to 12; and for 4-year-olds one for every 10 to 15. School-age ratios run from 1:10 to 1:25. Pick your state above for the exact numbers and the rule they come from.
What is the difference between a ratio and a group size?
The ratio is how many children one adult may be responsible for. The group size is the most children allowed in one room or group, no matter how many adults are present. A state with a 1:4 infant ratio and a group size of 8 lets two adults care for 8 infants in one room, but not three adults for 12. Not every state sets group sizes.
How do ratios work in a mixed-age room?
Most states apply the ratio for the youngest child in the group to the whole group. A few states use a weighted calculation instead. The state pages note which rule applies, and the calculator on each page treats every age group as its own room.
Do ratios apply during nap time?
In most states, yes, the same ratio applies all day, including naps, meals, transitions and the first and last hour. A handful of states relax the ratio during nap time for preschoolers as long as the full staff is on the premises. Check the rule linked on your state's page before you plan nap-time staffing around it.
Can cameras count toward supervision?
No. Every state requires in-person supervision by the ratio, and several say in writing that video monitoring cannot substitute for it. Cameras serve a different purpose: they let a director verify ratios were kept, document incidents, and, with CareCam, let parents see their own child's room live during the hours the center chooses.

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