Connecticut Childcare Licensing
Connecticut Childcare License Exemption Threshold (2026)
Before you can legally care for children for pay in Connecticut, you must know the license-exemption threshold — the point at which a child care license, registration, or certificate becomes mandatory. A Connecticut license is required to provide child care to even one unrelated child on a regularly recurring basis; a private home caring for not more than six children (including the provider's own children not in school full time) is a "family child care home" that must be licensed. The only relevant no-license exemptions are informal arrangements among neighbors and formal or informal arrangements among relatives in their own homes within limited degrees of kinship by blood, marriage or court order (grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, aunt or uncle), per Conn. Gen. Stat. 19a-77(a)(3) and the exemption at 19a-77(b)(4).
Last updated: April 2026
Researched by the TotReady Research TeamConnecticut License Exemption Threshold: The Specifics
A Connecticut license is required to provide child care to even one unrelated child on a regularly recurring basis
per Conn. Gen. Stat. 1
a private home caring for not more than six children (including the provider's own children not in school full time) is a "family child care home" that must be licensed.
including the provider's own children not in school full time
The only relevant no-license exemptions are informal arrangements among neighbors and formal or informal arrangements among relatives in their own homes within limited degrees of kinship by blood, marriage or court order (grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, aunt or uncle), per Conn. Gen.
grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, aunt or uncle
Stat. 19a-77(a)(3) and the exemption at 19a-77(b)(4).
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A family child care home may care for not more than six children (including the provider's own children not in school full time) without an Office of Early Childhood-approved assistant or substitute, or not more than nine children with such an approved assistant or substitute
including the provider's own children not in school full time
during the regular school year up to three additional school-age children are permitted, per Conn. Gen.
per Conn. Gen. Stat. 1
There is an infant sub-limit: the provider may care for no more than two children under eighteen months of age at one time, increasing to up to six children under eighteen months when an approved assistant is present and assisting (Infant and Toddler Restriction, Conn. Agencies Regs. 19a-87b-1 et seq.).
Infant and Toddler Restriction, Conn
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Connecticut License Exemption Threshold: Frequently Asked Questions
How many children can I care for in Connecticut without a license?
A Connecticut license is required to provide child care to even one unrelated child on a regularly recurring basis; a private home caring for not more than six children (including the provider's own children not in school full time) is a "family child care home" that must be licensed. The only relevant no-license exemptions are informal arrangements among neighbors and formal or informal arrangements among relatives in their own homes within limited degrees of kinship by blood, marriage or court order (grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling, aunt or uncle), per Conn. Gen. Stat. 19a-77(a)(3) and the exemption at 19a-77(b)(4).
What is the penalty for operating unlicensed in Connecticut?
Operating above the Connecticut exemption threshold without the required license, registration, or certificate is generally unlawful and can carry fines and cease-and-desist orders. Contact the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), Division of Licensing about the correct credential before you begin.
Does Connecticut offer a voluntary registration for small providers?
Some states let providers below the exemption threshold register voluntarily. Confirm whether Connecticut offers a voluntary registry with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), Division of Licensing.
Connecticut childcare licensing rules are amended regularly. This page is compiled from published Connecticut administrative codes and statutes for informational purposes only — always verify current requirements with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC), Division of Licensing before relying on them. TotReady provides information and document templates, not legal or regulatory advice.