How to Start a Daycare in Kentucky (2026)

The 8 Steps to Open a Daycare in Kentucky

Follow these in order. Each step is grounded in Kentucky's childcare licensing rules.

1. 1

   Research your state's rules

   Confirm whether your program needs a license in Kentucky. In Kentucky, a family child-care provider must apply for certification of the provider's home when caring for four (4) to six (6) children unrelated to the provider; a provider caring for three (3) or fewer unrelated children may apply for certification at the provider's discretion (i.e., is not required to be certified). A facility serving four (4) or more unrelated children in a nonresidential setting is a 'child-care center' requiring licensure (KRS 199.8982(1)(a); KRS 199.894(3),(5)).

   Read the rule that defines license-exempt care before you do anything else — it determines whether you operate as a family child care home, a center, or an exempt arrangement.

2. 2

   Complete pre-service training & CPR

   Finish the required pre-service training and certifications. Kentucky requires six (6) hours of cabinet-approved pre-service orientation training; a family child-care home provider must complete it within three (3) months of application for certification, and child-care center staff must complete six (6) hours of cabinet-approved orientation within the first three (3) months of employment (922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(9)(a) and KRS 199.8982(1)(a)6; 922 KAR 2:090 Section 11(16)(a)).

   Plan for ongoing training too: Kentucky requires nine (9) hours of cabinet-approved early care and education training annually for family child-care home providers (three (3) hours in the first year) and fifteen (15) hours annually for child-care center staff (nine (9) hours in the first year), in both cases including one and one-half (1.5) hours of pediatric abusive head trauma training once every five (5) years (922 KAR 2:100 Section 10(1); 922 KAR 2:090 Section 11(16)(b),(c)).

3. 3

   Pass background checks

   Submit fingerprint-based background checks for yourself and every staff member, volunteer, and (where applicable) household member before anyone has unsupervised access to children.

   Background-check clearance often takes the longest of any single step — start it early so it doesn't gate your opening date.

4. 4

   Prepare your facility

   Set up a space that meets Kentucky's facility standards. Kentucky requires a minimum of thirty-five (35) square feet of indoor usable space per child (exclusive of kitchen, bathroom, hallways, and storage) and a minimum of sixty (60) square feet of outdoor play space per child for centers, with the same 35 sq ft per child indoor standard applying to family child-care homes (922 KAR 2:120 Section 4(6) and 4(20)(b); 922 KAR 2:100 Section 12(12)).

   Match your enrollment plan to capacity limits: A Kentucky certified family child-care home may care for no more than six (6) unrelated children at any one time, plus up to four (4) related children for a maximum capacity of ten (10); an assistant is required if the provider cares for more than four (4) infants or more than six (6) children under age six (922 KAR 2:100 Section 10(3),(4)).

5. 5

   Submit your license application & fee

   File your application with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Office of Inspector General — Division of Regulated Child Care (DRCC), which licenses and investigates complaints against licensed child-care centers and certified family child-care homes; child-care standards developed in coordination with the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) Division of Child Care and pay the licensing fee. Kentucky charges a nonrefundable initial certification fee of ten dollars ($10) for a family child-care home and a nonrefundable initial licensing fee of fifty dollars ($50) for a child-care center (922 KAR 2:100 Section 2(2)(c)2; 922 KAR 2:090 Section 7(1)).

   Include your parent handbook, staff policies, enrollment forms, and operations manual — inspectors ask for these at the initial visit.

6. 6

   Pass the licensing inspection

   Schedule and pass your pre-licensing inspection. A child-care center shall allow the cabinet or its designee, another agency with regulatory authority, and a parent of an enrolled child unannounced access during hours of operation; inspections of licensed centers are unannounced (922 KAR 2:090). Where a license is granted after the seven-year period referenced in 922 KAR 2:090 Section 5(a), the licensee serves a two-year probationary period during which the center shall be inspected no less than semi-annually. (Note: contrary to the draft, the 2-year probationary/semi-annual-inspection rule is not a blanket requirement for all newly licensed centers — it is tied to that re-issuance scenario.)

   The inspector checks ratios, square footage, sanitation, emergency preparedness, and your written policies against the regulations.

7. 7

   Open your doors

   Once your license is issued, you can legally begin caring for children under Kentucky rules. Maintain the staff-to-child ratios at all times: Infant (0–12 months) 1:5 (max group size 10, Type I centers only), Toddler (12–24 months) 1:6 (max group size 12, Type I centers only), Toddler/2-year-old (24–36 months) 1:10 (max group size 20, Type I centers only), Preschool (3 to 4 years) 1:12 (max group size 24, Type I centers only), Preschool (4 to 5 years) 1:14 (max group size 28, Type I centers only), School-age (5 to 7 years) 1:15 (max group size 30, Type I centers only), School-age (7 years and older), full-day 1:20 (max group size 30, Type I centers only), School-age (7 years and older), before/after school only 1:25 (max group size 30, Type I centers only)

   Keep certifications current and your handbook updated — these are the items most often cited at renewal.

8. 8

   Enroll families

   Use your compliant enrollment paperwork to bring in families. A complete, Kentucky-specific parent handbook signals professionalism and keeps you inspection-ready from day one.

   Required enrollment and admission forms must be signed before a child's first day — have them ready before you advertise open spots.

Keep researching Kentucky

Licensing rules change. The figures above are compiled from Kentucky statutes and agency materials and are provided for informational purposes only — always verify current requirements with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Office of Inspector General — Division of Regulated Child Care (DRCC), which licenses and investigates complaints against licensed child-care centers and certified family child-care homes; child-care standards developed in coordination with the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) Division of Child Care before applying. TotReady provides information and document templates, not legal advice.