How to Start a Daycare in New Hampshire (2026)

The 8 Steps to Open a Daycare in New Hampshire

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

1. 1

   Research your state's rules

   Confirm whether your program needs a license in New Hampshire. A private home may care for any number of the provider's own children (biological or adopted) plus up to 4 additional children, regularly for any part of the day but less than 24 hours, without a child care license (RSA 170-E:3, I(c)); once 5 or more unrelated children are in care the home must be licensed as a family day care home (a 'family day care home' provides care for up to 6 children from one or more unrelated families per RSA 170-E:2), which the He-C 4002 rules term family child care.

   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. Child care staff responsible for supervising children must complete a minimum of 6 hours of professional development (orientation) within 90 days of the first date of employment, or within 2 weeks for programs operating 3 months of the year or less (He-C 4002.33(a)).

   Plan for ongoing training too: Center directors, agency administrators, site coordinators/directors, and child care staff must complete 18 hours of professional development within their first 12 months of hire and annually thereafter, of which a minimum of 3 hours must be in health and safety topics; part-time staff working fewer than 25 hours per week must complete 12 hours within their first 12 months and annually thereafter (He-C 4002.33(f),(g)).

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 New Hampshire's facility standards. A minimum of 40 square feet of floor space per child, measured wall-to-wall inside the rooms used by children, is required (He-C 4002.22(e)), along with a minimum of 50 square feet of outdoor play area per child based on the program's license capacity (He-C 4002.22(o)); programs licensed before November 23, 2008 may maintain a minimum of 35 square feet of floor space per child (He-C 4002.22(h)).

   Match your enrollment plan to capacity limits: One family child care provider may care for up to 6 preschool children plus 3 school-age children enrolled in a full-day school program, with no more than 4 children younger than 36 months and no more than 2 younger than 24 months; a family group child care arrangement (a family child care provider plus a family child care worker or assistant) may care for up to 12 preschool children plus 5 school-age children, with no more than 4 of the children younger than 36 months (He-C 4002.34(n),(q)).

5. 5

   Submit your license application & fee

   File your application with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing Unit (CCLU) and pay the licensing fee. New Hampshire's child care licensing rules establish no application or permit fee: the application/permit process in He-C 4002.02 sets no dollar amount and RSA 170-E contains no child-day-care licensing-fee section, so no application fee is stated in the rule (He-C 4002.02; RSA 170-E).

   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 licensing coordinator conducts a yearly unannounced monitoring visit at every licensed program, plus an additional unannounced visit prior to license expiration (licenses are valid 3 years per RSA 170-E:8, I). Complaint-based investigations may occur at any time under He-C 4002.42.

   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 New Hampshire rules. Maintain the staff-to-child ratios at all times: Infants 6 weeks to 12 months 1:4 (max group size 12); a second staff person must be in the building when 5 or more children are present — He-C 4002.37, Toddlers 13 to 24 months 1:5 (max group size 15) — He-C 4002.37, Toddlers 25 to 35 months 1:6 (max group size 18) — He-C 4002.37, Preschool 36 to 47 months 1:8 (max group size 24) — He-C 4002.36, Preschool 48 to 59 months 1:12 (max group size 24) — He-C 4002.36, 60 months and older (in a group child care center) 1:15 (max group size 30); a second staff person required when 11 or more children are present — He-C 4002.36, School-age 56 months or older (school-age program) 1:15 (max group size 45) — He-C 4002.39(f)

   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, New Hampshire-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 New Hampshire

Licensing rules change. The figures above are compiled from New Hampshire statutes and agency materials and are provided for informational purposes only — always verify current requirements with the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing Unit (CCLU) before applying. TotReady provides information and document templates, not legal advice.