Alabama Childcare Square Footage Requirements (2026)

Day care centers and family/group day care homes must provide at least thirty-two (32) square feet of usable indoor activity space per child, excluding bathrooms, kitchens, isolation room, office, halls used as passageways, and storage, per the DHR Minimum Standards (Ala. Admin. Code ch. 660-5-26 for centers

Ala. Admin. Code ch. 6

Outdoor: centers licensed, permitted, or approved after Jan. 22, 2001 must provide at least sixty (60) square feet of outdoor play area per child (for at least one-half of capacity if licensed for 60 or more children)

for at least one-half of capacity if licensed for 60 or more children

a family day care home must provide at least one outdoor play area of at least 300 square feet, and a group day care home at least 600 square feet, enclosed by a fence or wall at least four (4) feet high.

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A day care home may receive not more than six (6) children for daytime care (Ala. Code 1975 sec. 38-7-2(5))

Ala

a group day care home receives at least seven but no more than twelve (12) children and requires at least two adult caregivers (the licensee plus an assistant caregiver) present whenever seven or more children are present (Ala. Code 1975 sec. 38-7-2(9)

no more than twelve (12) children and requires at least two adult caregivers (the licensee plus an assistant caregiver) present whenever seven or more children are present (Ala. Code 1

DHR Minimum Standards for Family/Group Day Care Homes, Ala. Admin. Code ch. 660-5-27).

Ala. Admin. Code ch. 6

No group day care home may be licensed for more than six (6) children younger than twelve (12) months, and there must be at least one caregiver supervising each three (3) children younger than twelve (12) months

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a basic family day care home may not be licensed for more than three (3) children younger than 12 months (ch. 660-5-27).

ch. 660-5-27

No fixed statewide numeric group-size cap

Ala

Alabama defines "group size" as determined by the capacity of the room, age of the child, number of staff, and amount of equipment, and instead enforces staff-child ratios: 1:5 for 0 up to 18 months, 1:7 for 18 months up to 2.5 years, 1:8 for 24 up to 36 months, 1:11 for 2.5 up to 4 years, 1:18 for 4 years up to school age, 1:21 school age up to 8 years, and 1:22 for 8 years and older, per the DHR Minimum Standards for Day Care Centers (Ala. Admin. Code ch. 660-5-26).

Ala

Children younger than age 2.5 years must be grouped separately from children older than 2.5 years.

Ala

How much indoor space per child does Alabama require?

Day care centers and family/group day care homes must provide at least thirty-two (32) square feet of usable indoor activity space per child, excluding bathrooms, kitchens, isolation room, office, halls used as passageways, and storage, per the DHR Minimum Standards (Ala. Admin. Code ch. 660-5-26 for centers; ch. 660-5-27 for homes). Outdoor: centers licensed, permitted, or approved after Jan. 22, 2001 must provide at least sixty (60) square feet of outdoor play area per child (for at least one-half of capacity if licensed for 60 or more children); a family day care home must provide at least one outdoor play area of at least 300 square feet, and a group day care home at least 600 square feet, enclosed by a fence or wall at least four (4) feet high.

Does Alabama require outdoor play space too?

Day care centers and family/group day care homes must provide at least thirty-two (32) square feet of usable indoor activity space per child, excluding bathrooms, kitchens, isolation room, office, halls used as passageways, and storage, per the DHR Minimum Standards (Ala. Admin. Code ch. 660-5-26 for centers; ch. 660-5-27 for homes). Outdoor: centers licensed, permitted, or approved after Jan. 22, 2001 must provide at least sixty (60) square feet of outdoor play area per child (for at least one-half of capacity if licensed for 60 or more children); a family day care home must provide at least one outdoor play area of at least 300 square feet, and a group day care home at least 600 square feet, enclosed by a fence or wall at least four (4) feet high.

What space is excluded when calculating capacity in Alabama?

Most states exclude hallways, bathrooms, kitchens, offices, and storage from the usable indoor activity space used to compute capacity. Confirm the exact exclusions in the cited Alabama rule above.