Arkansas Childcare Square Footage Requirements (2026)

At least thirty-five (35) square feet of usable indoor floor space is required per child, excluding kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, and closets (DCCECE Family Home MLR 801.3

35

Child Care Center MLR 801.5), plus at least seventy-five (75) square feet per child of outdoor play/learning area present on the playground at any time (Family Home MLR 901.4

75

Center MLR 901 playground requirement).

Center MLR 1501

School-age children in centers require 25 square feet of floor space each (Center MLR 1501).

Center MLR 1501

A Licensed Child Care Family Home serves six (6) to sixteen (16) children (Family Home MLR 102.4).

Family Home MLR 102.4

With one (1) caregiver the home may care for up to 10 children (e.g., up to 8 with no more than 1 under age 2

1

up to 10 if all are age 3 and up)

DCCECE Family Home MLR 301.1, 301.2, 302.1

with two (2) caregivers up to 14 children (no more than 4 under age 2), rising to 15-16 only when no more than 2 children are under age 2

no more than 4 under age 2

homes specializing in infant care must maintain a 1:3 ratio (DCCECE Family Home MLR 301.1, 301.2, 302.1).

DCCECE Family Home MLR 301.1, 301.2, 302.1

For child care CENTERS, group size shall be limited to two (2) times the number of children allowed with one (1) staff member (e.g., 10 for birth-18 months at 1:5, 16 for 18-36 months at 1:8, 30 for 4-year-olds at 1:15), excluding periodic or special group activities and structures licensed before November 1, 2002 (Child Care Center MLR 301.13, with ratios per 301.2).

Child Care Center MLR 301.13, with ratios per 301.2

Licensed Child Care Family Homes have no separate group-size cap distinct from their overall capacity and ratio limits.

Child Care Center MLR 301.13, with ratios per 301.2

How much indoor space per child does Arkansas require?

At least thirty-five (35) square feet of usable indoor floor space is required per child, excluding kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, and closets (DCCECE Family Home MLR 801.3; Child Care Center MLR 801.5), plus at least seventy-five (75) square feet per child of outdoor play/learning area present on the playground at any time (Family Home MLR 901.4; Center MLR 901 playground requirement). School-age children in centers require 25 square feet of floor space each (Center MLR 1501).

Does Arkansas require outdoor play space too?

At least thirty-five (35) square feet of usable indoor floor space is required per child, excluding kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, and closets (DCCECE Family Home MLR 801.3; Child Care Center MLR 801.5), plus at least seventy-five (75) square feet per child of outdoor play/learning area present on the playground at any time (Family Home MLR 901.4; Center MLR 901 playground requirement). School-age children in centers require 25 square feet of floor space each (Center MLR 1501).

What space is excluded when calculating capacity in Arkansas?

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 Arkansas rule above.