Michigan Childcare Square Footage Requirements (2026)

Child care centers must provide at least 42 square feet of usable indoor activity space per child for infants and toddlers and 35 square feet per child for preschoolers and school-aged children (35 square feet regardless of age at small capacity centers), excluding hallways, bathrooms, reception/office areas, kitchens, and storage areas/closets (Mich. Admin. Code R 400.8121)

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the outdoor play area for a center operating 3 or more continuous hours a day must be not less than 1,200 square feet total (not less than 600 square feet for small capacity centers) rather than a per-child figure (Mich. Admin. Code R 400.8125).

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A family child care home may care for up to 6 children and a group child care home up to 12 children (a licensee may request a capacity increase to 7 or 14 respectively after holding a license for at least 29 consecutive months), at a minimum ratio of not less than 1 member of personnel to 6 children present in the home at any one time, so a second caregiver is required once more than 6 children are present

a licensee may request a capacity increase to 7 or 14 respectively after holding a license for at least 29 consecutive months

for each member of personnel, not more than 4 children may be under the age of 30 months, with not more than 2 of those 4 under the age of 18 months (Mich. Admin. Code R 400.1910 ratio

not more than 2 of those 4 under the age of 18 months (Mich. Admin. Code R 4

Child care centers have maximum group sizes of 12 (birth-30 months, 1:4), 24 (30 months-3 years, 1:8), 30 (3-4 years, 1:10), 40 (4 years-school age, 1:12), and 54 (school-age, 1:18) per Mich. Admin. Code R 400.8222 (small capacity centers use a minimum 1:6 ratio with a maximum group size of 20)

per Mich. Admin. Code R 4

family and group child care homes have no separate statewide group-size cap beyond their total capacity limits.

per Mich. Admin. Code R 4

How much indoor space per child does Michigan require?

Child care centers must provide at least 42 square feet of usable indoor activity space per child for infants and toddlers and 35 square feet per child for preschoolers and school-aged children (35 square feet regardless of age at small capacity centers), excluding hallways, bathrooms, reception/office areas, kitchens, and storage areas/closets (Mich. Admin. Code R 400.8121); the outdoor play area for a center operating 3 or more continuous hours a day must be not less than 1,200 square feet total (not less than 600 square feet for small capacity centers) rather than a per-child figure (Mich. Admin. Code R 400.8125).

Does Michigan require outdoor play space too?

Child care centers must provide at least 42 square feet of usable indoor activity space per child for infants and toddlers and 35 square feet per child for preschoolers and school-aged children (35 square feet regardless of age at small capacity centers), excluding hallways, bathrooms, reception/office areas, kitchens, and storage areas/closets (Mich. Admin. Code R 400.8121); the outdoor play area for a center operating 3 or more continuous hours a day must be not less than 1,200 square feet total (not less than 600 square feet for small capacity centers) rather than a per-child figure (Mich. Admin. Code R 400.8125).

What space is excluded when calculating capacity in Michigan?

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 Michigan rule above.