Florida child care facility license: how a center gets licensed

DCF or your county: who licenses you

Florida’s child care law lets any county whose standards meet or beat the state’s minimums run its own licensing program. The county commission has to reaffirm that choice by majority vote every year.⁠¹ DCF’s licensing page, checked on 2026-10-12, names four counties that do this: Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Sarasota. DCF licenses centers in the other 63.⁠⁴ The handbook adds that three of the four local agencies are the county health departments. Broward uses a different agency, its Child Care Licensing and Enforcement section (954-357-4800).⁠³⁠¹¹

This affects your application in practical ways. In a local-licensing county you apply on the forms that agency prescribes, and that agency coordinates your inspections.⁠¹ The state fee in s. 402.315 is what DCF charges. A county “may collect a fee for any license it issues”, and Broward publishes its own fee schedule.⁠¹⁠¹¹ Local standards can be stricter than the state’s but never looser.⁠¹

DCF’s October 2021 guide for new centers still names Hillsborough as a fifth local-licensing county. DCF’s licensing page (checked 2026-10-12) and the December 2025 handbook list only four, so in Hillsborough you apply to DCF.⁠⁵⁠⁴⁠³

Is your program a “child care facility”?

Under s. 402.302, a child care facility is any center or arrangement that cares for more than five children unrelated to the operator and receives a payment, fee or grant for any of them, “wherever operated, and whether or not operated for profit.” Child care means care for less than 24 hours a day on a regular basis.⁠¹

The statute excludes public and nonpublic schools and their integral programs, summer day camps, summer camps with children in full-time residence, vacation Bible schools, and hotel or resort child care offered only to guests (staff must still pass level 2 screening).⁠¹ Three other exemptions are narrower than many founders expect:

• Church and parochial schools. A facility that is an integral part of an accredited church or parochial school is exempt from licensing but not from background screening. If it fails screening, it loses the exemption. An exempt facility must state on its website, promotional materials and family forms that it operates under an exemption and is not regulated by DCF.⁠¹
• Employer care for employees’ families. A facility that cares only for the children or grandchildren of a business’s employees (the “eligible child” definition in s. 402.261) is exempt from licensing but not from screening, must meet local health, sanitation and safety requirements, and carries the same disclosure duty.⁠¹
• Military-certified programs. Programs certified by the Department of Defense or the Coast Guard are exempt. If they enroll children who are ineligible under DoD Instruction 6060.02, they must be licensed.⁠¹

Some formats are licensed as child care facilities with modified standards. An indoor recreational facility caring for a child no more than 4 hours a day needs no outdoor play area if it has at least 3,000 square feet of usable indoor space. Drop-in care at a mall or business, where the parent stays on the premises, needs no outdoor space or equipment.⁠¹ DCF also licenses specialized facilities for mildly ill children under a separate rule chapter.⁠⁴

Starting at home? A residence is regulated differently. A family child care home can care for up to 10 children in fixed age mixes. A large family child care home can care for up to 12, but only after operating as a licensed family child care home for 2 years with an operator who has held a CDA or equivalent for 1 year.⁠¹ For those routes, see the Florida family child care home guide.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

• New handbook, effective September 1, 2026. Rule 65C-22.001 now incorporates the Child Care Facility Handbook (December 2025), which replaces the 2021 edition. The same rulemaking adopted a December 2025 violation classification summary (CF-FSP 5316). DCF said the amendments carry out Chapter Laws 2025-58 and 2025-181 on licensing standards, exemptions and safe-school officers.⁠²⁠⁶
• Safe-school officers. A center may now partner with a law enforcement or security agency to place a safe-school officer, at its own full cost. Current and newly enrolled families must be told in writing that the center intends to use one, and officers do not count toward ratios unless a staff member also serves as a school guardian.⁠¹⁠³
• New statutory terminology. Chapter 2026-140 renamed “family day care home” to “family child care home” throughout the statutes and amended several sections of 402.301-402.319. DCF’s website still uses the older term in places.⁠¹⁠⁴

Capacity: square footage, toilets and septic

In Florida the floor plan sets your enrollment ceiling, so measure before you sign a lease. Licensed capacity is the most restrictive of four limits: usable indoor floor space, outdoor play area, sewer or septic capacity (as determined by Environmental Health), and the number of toilets and wash basins.⁠³

Sources: s. 402.305(6) and the Child Care Facility Handbook.⁠¹⁠³

Usable indoor space is measured from interior walls. Kitchens, offices, laundry rooms, storage, hallways, stairways, bathrooms and fixed furniture are left out. Every room used as a classroom must meet the 35-square-foot standard on its own, and a dining room or multipurpose room cannot be used to raise an individual classroom’s count.⁠³ The 1992 grandfather rate of 20 square feet survives a change of ownership, but only while the site stays continuously licensed.⁠¹⁠³

Urban facilities. If no outdoor play space exists, a center can substitute indoor space, but only with “urban” designation. You must get written confirmation from the local government that the area has been declared urban. The licensing authority must also agree that no suitable space exists adjacent to the site or within 1/8 mile along a hazard-free route. In place of the outdoor area, you then provide an extra 45 square feet of indoor active-play space for 25% of capacity.⁠²⁠³

The building, playground and kitchen

The handbook sets physical standards that inspectors check at the pre-licensure visit:⁠³

• Fencing. At least 4 feet high and continuous, with no gap larger than 3½ inches, and at least two exits, one of them away from the building. The play area also needs shade, and it must be fenced off from pools, ditches and retention ponds as local ordinances require.
• Classroom dividers. Where walls don’t reach the ceiling, barriers must be stable, at least 32 inches high for ages birth to 2 and 4 feet high for ages 3 and up. Curtains, mesh and see-through plastic don’t qualify.
• Environment. Indoor temperature must stay between 65 and 82°F. Lighting must be at least 20 foot-candles, and 50 at close-work surfaces. Accessible outlets must be tamper-resistant, and guardrails are required wherever there is a fall of more than 30 inches.
• New construction or renovation. You need written approval from the local governing body that includes assessments of soil, air and water contamination, lead and asbestos, and hazards in the surrounding community.
• Infant rooms. Children under 1 must nap in a crib or play yard meeting 16 CFR Parts 1219-1221, with slats no more than 2⅜ inches apart, no bumpers or loose bedding, and 18 inches of clearance around each sleeping space.

Kitchens. You need a separate food preparation area only if you actually prepare food. Warming catered meals or pre-made bottles doesn’t count as preparation. A food preparation area needs its own handwashing sink with water at 100°F or hotter, nonabsorbent surfaces and shielded lighting. Cold food must be held at 41°F or below and hot food at 135°F or above. A center that deep-fries needs an automatic range-top fire suppression hood with an annual inspection. If you use a caterer, keep a copy of its license on file.⁠³

Fire safety. Centers must meet the State Fire Marshal’s child care rule, Chapter 69A-36, F.A.C. You need extinguishers rated at least 2A:10BC within 75 feet of every room children use. Fire drills run monthly, including one during nap time and one requested by the licensing authority.⁠³ The written emergency plan must cover hurricanes, tropical storms and tornadoes, plus lockdown and parent reunification on and off site.⁠³

Ratios and the credentialed-staff count

Florida’s ratios are set in statute, s. 402.305(4), and apply at all times children are in care.⁠¹⁠³

Source: s. 402.305(4)(a).⁠¹

In a mixed group that includes an infant, one adult may supervise no more than 4 children of any age. If the youngest are 1-year-olds, the cap is 6. For mixed groups of 2-year-olds and older, the ratio follows the age group with the most children.⁠¹⁠³ Field trips need one extra adult beyond ratio.⁠³ Water activities have their own ratios: 1:1 for children under 3, 1:4 for ages 3-4 and 1:10 for school-age children. A certified lifeguard is required at pools deeper than 3 feet and at beaches and lakes.⁠³

On top of ratios, Florida requires one credentialed staff member for every 20 children in any facility open 8 or more hours a week.⁠¹ Centers with 19 or fewer children, or open fewer than 8 hours a week, are exempt. The licensing authority counts daily attendance: at 20-39 children you need one credentialed staff member, at 40-59 you need two, and so on. Each one must work at least 20 hours a week, not counting nap time.⁠³ Qualifying credentials include a CDA or another national early childhood credential, Florida’s Birth Through Five Child Care Professional Credential (at least 120 hours of instruction and 480 contact hours), or qualifying formal education.⁠³

Someone aged 21 or older must be in charge and on the premises whenever the center is open. Staff under 16 must be directly supervised and cannot count toward ratio.⁠¹⁠³

Pediatric CPR and first aid are scaled to staff size. A center with up to 25 staff in ratio needs 3 people with each certification on site. That rises to 4 for 26-50 staff, and up to 7 for more than 100. CPR courses must include an in-person, instructor-led skills check.⁠³

The director credential comes before the license

Every applicant, including a buyer applying after a change of ownership, must show that the facility director holds an active Florida Child Care and Education Program Director Credential before DCF will issue the license.⁠³ The credential has three levels, and all three satisfy licensing:⁠⁷

Source: CF-FSP Form 5290.⁠⁷

The core requirements for every level are a high school diploma or GED, the 30-hour Part I DCF training, at least 8 hours of training on children with disabilities, and an active staff credential.⁠⁷ A “year of experience” means at least 1,040 documented hours as a director, co-director or assistant director, or as a Head Start lead teacher.⁠³ The credential lasts five years.⁠³

The director must be on site for most of the center’s weekday hours, and one person cannot direct two centers whose hours overlap. If you lose your credentialed director, you must notify the licensing authority within five working days. The center then receives a provisional license of up to six months.⁠³

Training every staff member must finish

All child care personnel, including volunteers who work 10 or more hours a month, must start DCF’s 40-hour Introductory Child Care Training within 90 days of starting work. They must finish it within 1 year of starting, and no later than 15 months after their hire date, by passing a competency exam for each course with a weighted score of 70.⁠¹⁠³ The 40 hours are split into two parts:⁠⁵⁠³

• Part I (30 hours): Rules and Regulations (6), Health, Safety and Nutrition (8), Identifying and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect (4), Child Growth and Development (6), Behavioral Observation and Screening (6).
• Part II (10 hours): Understanding Developmentally Appropriate Practices plus an age-specific course (infant/toddler, preschool or school-age), or the 10-hour Special Needs Appropriate Practices course.

College coursework can exempt staff from some courses, but no one is exempt from Rules and Regulations or the child abuse course.⁠³ Other training requirements:⁠³

• A 5-hour early literacy course within 12 months of hire.
• Safe-sleep and shaken baby training within 30 days of hire if the center serves infants.
• Fire extinguisher training within 30 days of hire.
• Transportation safety training before staff help transport children.
• 10 hours of in-service training every state fiscal year (July 1-June 30), logged on CF-FSP Form 5268.

DCF’s training transcript is the only accepted proof of completion.⁠³ DCF’s guidance says the license will not be issued until the required training and credentialing are done.⁠⁵

Background screening through the Clearinghouse

Owners, operators, employees and volunteers all need level 2 screening under Chapter 435. That means FBI and FDLE fingerprint checks plus searches of sex offender registries and child abuse registries in every state the person has lived in during the past 5 years.⁠¹⁠³ Fingerprints go through the Background Screening Clearinghouse. You must start the screening in the Clearinghouse before the person is fingerprinted, or the prints may have to be redone and paid for again.⁠³

DCF must return results within 3 business days of receiving the criminal history. If out-of-state records are still pending, it can grant a 45-day provisional hire, during which the new hire must be supervised by screened, trained staff.⁠¹ Other screening duties:⁠³

• Document at least three attempts to reach each employer from the past 5 years.
• Add cleared hires to your Clearinghouse roster within 5 days.
• Rescreen every 5 years, and after any break of more than 90 days out of child care work.

If the center is in or next to your home, household members over 12 are also screened. Those aged 12-17 get a juvenile records check instead of fingerprints.⁠¹⁠³ The license application also asks, under penalty of perjury, whether you have ever had a child care license denied, suspended or revoked in any state.⁠¹

Zoning, fire, radon and other local sign-offs

The state license depends on local approvals, and one statute creates an ordering problem. Under s. 402.308(5), a county or city may not issue the occupational license for a child care facility until the state or local licensing agency has licensed that location.⁠¹ Here is what to line up locally:

• Zoning. Confirming that the property can legally be used for child care is your job, not DCF’s.⁠³ DCF lets applicants sign an attestation accepting responsibility for local government, HOA and landlord compliance in place of approval documents.⁠⁵
• Fire inspection. You need an approved inspection by a certified fire inspector, or an alternative fire safety plan approved by the local fire marshal, before licensing and every year after.⁠²⁠³
• Radon. Centers in the 48 counties DCF lists as intermediate or elevated radon potential must test indoor radon within one year of opening and report the results to the Department of Health.⁠⁵
• Well water. If the site uses a well, you need annual written records showing it meets Department of Health requirements.⁠²

Applying through CARES, step by step

1. Call the licensing office first

   DCF tells applicants to contact their local child care licensing office before filling out the application. In Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas or Sarasota, that means the county agency.⁠⁵⁠⁴

2. Secure a director and staff

   Line up a credentialed director, CPR and first-aid coverage, and staff who have started the 40-hour training.⁠³⁠⁵

3. Get local approvals

   Obtain zoning confirmation (or sign the attestation) and the fire inspection.⁠³⁠⁵

4. Run screenings

   Start Clearinghouse screenings for the owner, operator and director. Their clearance documents go in with the application.⁠²

5. Submit CF-FSP Form 5017

   In DCF counties, apply online through CARES and pay the fee. The form is signed by the owner, or by a designated representative for a partnership or corporation.⁠²⁠⁴

6. Pass the pre-licensure inspection

   If anything is out of compliance, staff give technical assistance and come back to re-inspect. No license is issued until every item is corrected.⁠⁵

7. Receive the license

   DCF says it processes a complete application within 90 days.⁠⁵ The license is issued in the owner’s name and cannot be transferred to another owner or location.⁠² Post it in plain view.⁠¹

Except for applicants who have DoD screening and training, a provisional license cannot serve as your first license.⁠²⁠¹

Fees, as published

As published on 2026-10-12, s. 402.315 sets DCF’s license fee at $1 per child of licensed capacity, minimum $25, maximum $100. The same fee applies at every annual renewal.⁠¹⁠⁵ A 60-child center pays $60, and any center licensed for 100 or more pays $100. The licensing office sets your capacity and tells you the amount.⁠⁵ Counties with local licensing set their own fees. Broward, for example, gives qualified Gold Seal providers a 10% discount on license fees.⁠¹⁠¹¹

Other charges:

• A $100 late fine if the renewal application arrives less than 45 days before expiration.⁠⁶
• Fingerprinting fees, paid to a Clearinghouse-compatible LiveScan vendor; prints submitted before the screening is started in the Clearinghouse may have to be redone and paid for again.⁠³

After you open: inspections, renewal and fines

The license lasts one year. DCF’s October 2021 guide says to expect at least three onsite inspections during that year and a reminder no later than 90 days before expiration.⁠⁵ Submit the renewal at least 45 days before the expiration date. A late renewal counts as a violation and brings the $100 fine.⁠²⁠⁶ Every year the center must also file an affidavit of compliance with Florida’s child abuse reporting law, s. 39.201.⁠¹

Violations are graded Class I (most serious), Class II and Class III. Fines escalate under rule 65C-22.010:⁠⁶

• Class I: $100-$500 per day for a first or second violation. A third brings suspension, denial or revocation.
• Class II (same standard repeated): $50 for a second violation, $60 a day for a third, $75 a day plus up to six months’ probation for a fourth, and $100 a day with suspension or revocation for a fifth.

Citations that lead to disciplinary action must be posted next to your license for one year, with a plain-language explanation and the corrective action taken.⁠¹ After two consecutive years of licensure with no Class I violations, no more than three of the same Class II violation, two full renewal inspections, no uncorrected violations and no open complaints or child protective investigations, a center becomes eligible for abbreviated inspections.⁠¹ Every advertisement for the center must show its license number. Leaving it off is a first-degree misdemeanor.⁠¹⁠²

If you sell the center, the buyer must apply before the sale closes, and DCF has 45 days to act on the application. Parents must be notified at least one week before the transfer. A sale to a new corporation that has some of the same members does not count as a change of ownership.⁠²

Gold Seal, VPK and School Readiness

Florida’s two publicly funded early learning programs are run by local early learning coalitions under the Department of Education, and a licensed child care facility is eligible for both.⁠⁹⁠¹⁰

• School Readiness (subsidized care). You sign the statewide provider contract and use an approved curriculum. Each child must be screened within 45 days of enrolling, and you need general liability insurance of at least $100,000 per occurrence and $300,000 aggregate. A coalition may refuse to contract with a provider cited for a Class I violation.⁠¹⁰
• Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK). Each school-year program runs at least 540 instructional hours, in classes of 4 to 20 children. Every class needs a lead instructor with a CDA or equivalent credential. Classes of 12 or more also need a second, screened adult. The center needs a VPK director credential, registration with the coalition, and the same insurance minimums. A provider on a probation-status license cannot deliver VPK.⁠⁹ DCF notifies the coalition if a designated VPK teacher’s credential lapses.⁠³
• Gold Seal Quality Care. Centers accredited by a Department of Education-approved accrediting association can apply for this designation. They must not have been the primary cause of a Class I violation in the prior 2 years, among other conditions. Gold Seal centers qualify for a property tax (ad valorem) exemption as educational institutions and receive at least a 20% higher School Readiness reimbursement rate. Gold Seal is also one route to VPK eligibility.⁠⁸⁠⁹

Sources

1. 1
   The Florida Legislature, Florida Statutes ss. 402.301-402.319, child care facilities (chapter 402) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   Florida Administrative Code, Department of Children and Families, Rule 65C-22.001, General Requirements (effective 9/1/2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   Department of Children and Families, Child Care Facility Handbook (December 2025), incorporated in rule 65C-22.001 Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   Florida Department of Children and Families, Child Care Licensure Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   Florida Department of Children and Families, Opening a Licensed Child Care Facility (October 2021) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
6. 6
   Florida Administrative Code, Department of Children and Families, Rule 65C-22.010, Enforcement (effective 9/1/2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
7. 7
   Department of Children and Families, CF-FSP Form 5290, Florida Child Care and Education Program Director Credential and Renewal Application Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
8. 8
   The Florida Legislature, Florida Statutes s. 1002.945, Gold Seal Quality Care Program Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
9. 9
   The Florida Legislature, Florida Statutes s. 1002.55, school-year prekindergarten program delivered by private prekindergarten providers Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
10. 10
    The Florida Legislature, Florida Statutes s. 1002.88, school readiness program provider standards Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
11. 11
    Broward County, Child Care Licensing and Enforcement Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑

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