Vermont Launch Guide

How to Start a Daycare in Vermont (2026)

Last updated: June 2026

Researched by the TotReady Research Team

Opening a licensed daycare in Vermont means applying to the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF), Child Development Division (CDD) — Child Care Licensing Unit, clearing fingerprint-based background checks, meeting facility and staff-to-child ratio rules, and passing a licensing inspection. This guide walks the process end to end, grounded in Vermont's licensing statutes.

Vermont Daycare Licensing: Fees & Key Numbers

The statute-cited figures that shape your Vermont launch budget and timeline.

Application fee
Vermont imposes no state application or registration fee to become a licensed or registered child care provider; 33 V.S.A. chapter 35 authorizes no such fee (its only fee provision, § 3516, instead prohibits providers from charging certain application/waitlist fees to families), and the Family Child Care Home Licensing Regulations and the FCCH application Resource Guide contain no fee (Vermont DCF Child Development Division; 33 V.S.A. ch. 35).
Annual renewal fee
No state renewal fee is charged; a full license is effective for three (3) years from the date of issuance, and the renewal procedures impose no fee (Vermont Licensing Regulations for Registered and Licensed Family Child Care Homes § 2.3.6.1.2 and § 2.3.9; Center Based regs § 2.3.7.1.2 and § 2.3.10).
Pre-service training
No fixed clock-hour count is set; the family child care provider must complete a Division-approved orientation training session prior to beginning care, and staff must complete a Division-approved orientation training session prior to being left alone with children (Vermont Family Child Care Home Licensing Regulations § 7.1.3; Center Based regs § 7.1.3).
Annual training
All staff, with the exception of substitutes, shall complete fifteen (15) clock hours of annual professional development activities each 365 days within the three-year license period (Vermont Family Child Care Home Licensing Regulations § 7.4.4; Center Based regs § 7.4.4).
License-exempt threshold
A person providing care for children of not more than two families other than that of the person providing the care is exempt from Vermont child care licensing and registration requirements (33 V.S.A. § 3502(a) and (b)(1)).
Family child care capacity
A Registered Family Child Care Home may care for up to 10 children during Year-Round Care (12 during the Summer Vacation option), with no more than 6 children under 24 months; a Licensed Family Child Care Home may care for up to 12 children with three staff (max 6 under 24 months), and with a single provider may care for up to 6 children, or up to 8 if all are aged 3-12 years (Vermont Family Child Care Home Licensing Regulations § 6.2.1.2 and § 6.2.2 capacity charts).
Indoor square footage
Vermont requires a minimum of 35 square feet of safe usable indoor space per child (excluding bathrooms, storage spaces, hallways, and furnace rooms) plus a minimum of 75 square feet of outdoor play area per child (Vermont Center Based regs § 5.10.4.1 and § 5.10.3.1.1; Family Child Care Home regs § 5.10.4.1.1 and § 5.10.3.1.1.1).
Inspection schedule
The Division conducts a licensing visit at least once every 365 days (annually) at each center-based program (Rule 2.3.9.4). A full license is effective for 3 years from issuance (Rule 2.3.7.1.2). Complaint-driven investigations occur whenever a complaint pertinent to the regulations is received (Rule 2.3.6.2). Evacuation drills are required at least once a month (Rule 3.7.2.2).

The 8 Steps to Open a Daycare in Vermont

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

  1. Research your state's rules

    Confirm whether your program needs a license in Vermont. A person providing care for children of not more than two families other than that of the person providing the care is exempt from Vermont child care licensing and registration requirements (33 V.S.A. § 3502(a) and (b)(1)).

    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. Complete pre-service training & CPR

    Finish the required pre-service training and certifications. No fixed clock-hour count is set; the family child care provider must complete a Division-approved orientation training session prior to beginning care, and staff must complete a Division-approved orientation training session prior to being left alone with children (Vermont Family Child Care Home Licensing Regulations § 7.1.3; Center Based regs § 7.1.3).

    Plan for ongoing training too: All staff, with the exception of substitutes, shall complete fifteen (15) clock hours of annual professional development activities each 365 days within the three-year license period (Vermont Family Child Care Home Licensing Regulations § 7.4.4; Center Based regs § 7.4.4).

  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. Prepare your facility

    Set up a space that meets Vermont's facility standards. Vermont requires a minimum of 35 square feet of safe usable indoor space per child (excluding bathrooms, storage spaces, hallways, and furnace rooms) plus a minimum of 75 square feet of outdoor play area per child (Vermont Center Based regs § 5.10.4.1 and § 5.10.3.1.1; Family Child Care Home regs § 5.10.4.1.1 and § 5.10.3.1.1.1).

    Match your enrollment plan to capacity limits: A Registered Family Child Care Home may care for up to 10 children during Year-Round Care (12 during the Summer Vacation option), with no more than 6 children under 24 months; a Licensed Family Child Care Home may care for up to 12 children with three staff (max 6 under 24 months), and with a single provider may care for up to 6 children, or up to 8 if all are aged 3-12 years (Vermont Family Child Care Home Licensing Regulations § 6.2.1.2 and § 6.2.2 capacity charts).

  5. Submit your license application & fee

    File your application with the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF), Child Development Division (CDD) — Child Care Licensing Unit and pay the licensing fee. Vermont imposes no state application or registration fee to become a licensed or registered child care provider; 33 V.S.A. chapter 35 authorizes no such fee (its only fee provision, § 3516, instead prohibits providers from charging certain application/waitlist fees to families), and the Family Child Care Home Licensing Regulations and the FCCH application Resource Guide contain no fee (Vermont DCF Child Development Division; 33 V.S.A. ch. 35).

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

  6. Pass the licensing inspection

    Schedule and pass your pre-licensing inspection. The Division conducts a licensing visit at least once every 365 days (annually) at each center-based program (Rule 2.3.9.4). A full license is effective for 3 years from issuance (Rule 2.3.7.1.2). Complaint-driven investigations occur whenever a complaint pertinent to the regulations is received (Rule 2.3.6.2). Evacuation drills are required at least once a month (Rule 3.7.2.2).

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

  7. Open your doors

    Once your license is issued, you can legally begin caring for children under Vermont rules. Maintain the staff-to-child ratios at all times: Birth – 18 months (infants) 1:4 (max group size 8), 18 months – 30 months 1:4 (max group size 10), 24 months – 36 months 1:5 (max group size 10), 32 months – 42 months 1:6 (max group size 15), 36 months – Kindergarten (preschool) 1:10 (max group size 20), 1st grade and up (school age) 1:13 (max group size 26)

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

  8. Enroll families

    Use your compliant enrollment paperwork to bring in families. A complete, Vermont-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.

What You Need to Apply in Vermont

Vermont licensing requires these documents and forms at the initial application and inspection.

  • Records Check Authorization form (background-check authorization submitted to the Division for all new staff/individuals regularly present — Rule 7.2.1, 7.2.2)
  • Fingerprinting Authorization Certificate (issued by the Division prior to fingerprinting — Rule 7.2.2)
  • Vermont Child Care Immunization Report (submitted at least once every 365 days to the Vermont Department of Health, Immunization Office — Rule 5.1.4, per 18 V.S.A. §§ 1120-1129)
  • Vermont Department of Health immunization documentation / approved exemption form for each child's file (Rule 5.1.3)
  • CBCCPP child care license application (submitted through the Bright Futures Information System / BFIS, which is defined at Rule 2.2.3; issuance/initial-application requirements at Rules 2.3.2 and 2.3.8)
  • Written parental permission forms for medication administration (Rule 5.6.4), transportation (Rule 5.10.6.6.1), swimming (Rule 5.10.5.1), and field trips/walking trips (Rule 5.10.7.1)

Staff-to-child ratios you must maintain

Vermont requires these maximum staff-to-child ratios, enforced by the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF), Child Development Division (CDD) — Child Care Licensing Unit: Birth – 18 months (infants) 1:4 (max group size 8), 18 months – 30 months 1:4 (max group size 10), 24 months – 36 months 1:5 (max group size 10), 32 months – 42 months 1:6 (max group size 15), 36 months – Kindergarten (preschool) 1:10 (max group size 20), 1st grade and up (school age) 1:13 (max group size 26).

Skip the 80-hour paperwork grind

Get your Vermont licensing kit

The inspector asks for a parent handbook, staff policies, enrollment forms, and an operations manual — all Vermont-specific. The TotReady Startup Bundle gives you every document you need to apply, ready to customize in about 30 minutes.

See the Startup Bundle →

One-time purchase · Vermont-specific documents

Starting a Daycare in Vermont: FAQs

Do I need a license to start a daycare in Vermont?
A person providing care for children of not more than two families other than that of the person providing the care is exempt from Vermont child care licensing and registration requirements (33 V.S.A. § 3502(a) and (b)(1)).
How much does it cost to get a daycare license in Vermont?
Vermont imposes no state application or registration fee to become a licensed or registered child care provider; 33 V.S.A. chapter 35 authorizes no such fee (its only fee provision, § 3516, instead prohibits providers from charging certain application/waitlist fees to families), and the Family Child Care Home Licensing Regulations and the FCCH application Resource Guide contain no fee (Vermont DCF Child Development Division; 33 V.S.A. ch. 35). Renewal: No state renewal fee is charged; a full license is effective for three (3) years from the date of issuance, and the renewal procedures impose no fee (Vermont Licensing Regulations for Registered and Licensed Family Child Care Homes § 2.3.6.1.2 and § 2.3.9; Center Based regs § 2.3.7.1.2 and § 2.3.10).
Who issues daycare licenses in Vermont?
Childcare licensing in Vermont is handled by the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF), Child Development Division (CDD) — Child Care Licensing Unit. You apply to this agency, pay the licensing fee, and schedule your inspection through them.
What training do I need before opening a daycare in Vermont?
No fixed clock-hour count is set; the family child care provider must complete a Division-approved orientation training session prior to beginning care, and staff must complete a Division-approved orientation training session prior to being left alone with children (Vermont Family Child Care Home Licensing Regulations § 7.1.3; Center Based regs § 7.1.3).

Keep researching Vermont

Vermont Licensing Requirements

Full handbook sections, ratios, immunization rules, and penalties for Vermont.

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How to Start a Daycare: Complete Guide

The cross-state playbook, from choosing a program type to opening day.

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License-Exemption Thresholds by State

Compare when a license is required across all 50 states.

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Licensing Fees by State

Application and renewal fee data for every state we track.

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Licensing rules change. The figures above are compiled from Vermont statutes and agency materials and are provided for informational purposes only — always verify current requirements with the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF), Child Development Division (CDD) — Child Care Licensing Unit before applying. TotReady provides information and document templates, not legal advice.