Indiana licensed child care home: Class I and Class II licensing

The six-child line that triggers a license

Indiana licenses child care in a residence as a “child care home.” The rule defines one as a residential structure where at least six children receive care at any time. Children for whom you are a parent, stepparent, guardian, custodian or other relative do not count toward the six. The care must be unattended by a parent, given for regular compensation, and last more than four but less than 24 hours a day on ten consecutive days, not counting weekends and holidays.⁠² “Relatives” covers parents, grandparents, siblings, step-relatives, uncles, aunts and first cousins.⁠²

Under 470 IAC 3-1.1-26 you do not need a license if you:⁠²

• do not receive regular compensation;
• care only for children related to you;
• care for fewer than six children who are not your relatives; or
• operate to serve migrant children.

Exempt home providers can still be paid through the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) voucher program as a “legally licensed exempt provider.” That route has its own I-LEAD application and an onsite inspection.⁠¹ Two neighboring license types are often confused with this one:

• Licensed child care center. For care outside a home. See the Indiana child care center guide.
• Unlicensed registered child care ministry. A program run by a church with federal 501(c)(3) status registers as a ministry instead of being licensed.⁠⁴

A person who knowingly or intentionally violates the child care licensing chapter commits a Class B misdemeanor. For an unlicensed home, the state can also seek an injunction and a civil penalty of up to $100 a day for each day of unlicensed operation (IC 12-17.2-5-29 and -35, as reproduced in FSSA’s 2016 interpretive guide).⁠³

Class I or Class II: two tiers with different buildings

Indiana licenses child care homes in two classes. The class decides how many children you may enroll and how much work the house needs.

Sources: 470 IAC 3-1.1-7.2, 3-1.1-46, 3-1.3-1⁠²; IC 12-17.2-5-6.3 and -6.5.⁠³

Counting toward Class I capacity. In the rule, the 3 extra children must be enrolled in at least grade 1. FSSA’s program matrix quotes the statute as “at least full-day kindergarten.”⁠²⁠⁴ The extra 3 are not allowed during a school break longer than four weeks. The exception is a school-age child who attended part-time in the four months before the break, or who has a sibling enrolled. The home must then provide 35 square feet per child, keep ratios and have age-appropriate equipment. FSSA’s guide also lists two further conditions: the licensee must have held a Class I license for 12 children for at least a year without citations, and a licensee who does not live in the home needs two E-3-compliant exits with lit exit signs or emergency lighting.⁠³

Your own or related children aged 7 and older are not counted toward the 12. Under the statutory definition FSSA quotes, neither are children 14 or older who do not need care.⁠²⁠⁴ A separate cap in 470 IAC 3-1.1-24 still limits a Class I home to 15 children under age 11 present at once. That cap includes your own children.⁠²

Class II building work. IC 12-17.2-5-6.5 also requires:⁠³

• exits that meet the E-3 occupancy exit rules of the Indiana building code;
• fire drills under the Indiana fire prevention code; and
• completion of the division’s safe sleep course.

FSSA’s guide says the provider must submit a notarized design professional form showing that the home complies.⁠³ By statute, the fire commission may not classify a child care home as an E (educational) occupancy, so only the E-3 exit standard is borrowed.⁠³

Who can hold the license

To qualify for a Class I license under IC 12-17.2-5-6.3, the licensee must document:⁠³

• a high school diploma or high school equivalency certificate;
• that they have completed, are enrolled in, or agree to complete within three years a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential program or a similar program the division approves; and
• completion of the division’s safe sleep training course.

FSSA’s interpretive guide adds detail. The three-year promise is recorded on an Education Commitment Form. Twelve college credit hours in early childhood education or a related field, with a C or better, can also satisfy the requirement. A one-year extension variance is possible with proof of CDA enrollment and a hardship explanation.⁠³

Other rules on who can do the work:

• Caregivers and assistant caregivers must be 18 or older.⁠²
• Assistants under 21. If an assistant caregiver under 21 is left in charge, parents must be told in writing.⁠²
• Student assistants are 14 to 17. They work under direct supervision and may never be left in charge.⁠²
• Volunteers. A volunteer counted in the ratio must be at least 14 and meet the same requirements as paid staff.⁠²
• More than one home. A licensee may hold more than one home license but can be the caregiver in only one of them. Each additional home needs its own employed caregiver.⁠²
• Who can be licensed. A licensee can be an individual or a corporation.⁠²

Background checks for you, your staff and your household

Background checks reach further for a home than for a center. The statute requires fingerprints of the applicant and the applicant’s spouse for a national FBI check. It also requires them from employees and volunteers with direct contact, and from household members 18 or older.⁠³ FSSA’s page confirms that for licensed family child care homes, checks also cover the caregiver and all household members 18 or older.⁠⁵ A complete check has four parts:⁠⁵

• a federal fingerprint-based criminal history check;
• an Indiana fingerprint-based criminal history check, including juvenile history where it applies;
• the Indiana Child Protection Index (child abuse and neglect); and
• the Indiana Sex Offender Registry.

People who lived outside Indiana may need checks from other states.⁠⁵ Every person submits State Form 53323, Consent to Release Information. Fingerprints are taken through the state’s contracted vendor, IdentoGO.⁠⁵⁠⁶

Fingerprint checks repeat every three years. They also repeat when someone has not worked for an Indiana child care provider for more than 180 consecutive days. The Child Protection Index and Sex Offender Registry checks repeat every year.⁠⁵

A new hire with OECOSL “provisional status” may start work before all results are back. Until then, a person whose qualified check is less than three years old must keep them under direct visual supervision.⁠⁵

The application also carries a statement attesting to your record. It must cover convictions and pending charges, including any felony charge and any conviction for running an unlicensed child care home or center. You must report any police investigation, arrest or conviction you know of involving you, your spouse or anyone who must be checked.⁠³

Making the house meet 470 IAC 3-1.1

It must be a residence. A child care home must be a dwelling unit, and it may be your own residence. If no one actually lives in the structure, a design professional must document that it qualifies as a residential structure before a license is issued.⁠² FSSA’s matrix describes homes as residential only, with the provider living in the home to meet residential building codes.⁠⁴

More than one home in one building. If you apply for more than one license in the same building, each home must meet the rules as an independent home. You must submit a design professional’s statement on building code compliance. Homes side by side in one residential structure must be separated by a two-hour fire-resistive wall.⁠²

Fire safety (470 IAC 3-1.1-46).⁠²

• Exits. The home needs two remotely located means of egress. Every room used for care needs two means of escape; one may be a window. A garage does not count as an exit.
• Basements. A basement used for care needs a direct exit at ground level without stairs or ramps. The interior staircase to the first floor can serve as the second exit.
• Detectors and extinguishers. You need a smoke detector at the top of each stairway and next to every sleeping area. You also need a 2.5-pound or larger ABC fire extinguisher on each floor used for care, plus another in the kitchen.
• Drills and plans. Run fire drills every quarter and keep the records for two years. Keep a written evacuation plan.
• Fire department notice. Tell your local fire department your licensed capacity and hours of operation when you apply and at each relicensure.
• State Fire Marshal. If the agency requests it, you must allow a State Fire Marshal inspection. In that case you need the Fire Marshal’s approval before full licensure.

Water and sanitation. The home needs:⁠²

• hot and cold running water;
• at least one toilet and sink that children can reach on each floor used for care; and
• window and door screens whenever windows or doors are open for ventilation.

If your water does not come from a municipal supply, you must test it every year.⁠² FSSA’s guide says the test must be no more than 60 days old when the application is received. After a positive result, two negative samples taken 24 to 48 hours apart are needed. A positive test is grounds for emergency closure.⁠³

Grounds and hazards. You must provide:⁠²

• a protected outdoor play area, enclosed by a fence or natural boundaries;
• a working telephone;
• locked storage for firearms and ammunition whenever children are present;
• in-ground and permanent above-ground pools that meet local zoning and are fenced with a locked gate; and
• a separate crib, portacrib or playpen for each infant or toddler who sleeps there (470 IAC 3-1.2-5).

Ratios and supervision

Home ratios are set by 470 IAC 3-1.1-36.5. Only direct child care providers count as staff.⁠²

Indiana’s center ratio chart, which took effect December 1, 2025 under Senate Enrolled Act 463, does not apply to licensed homes. FSSA says so on its 2025 legislative changes page.⁠⁷ By that arithmetic, a Class I home with 11 or 12 children of mixed ages, and any Class II home with more than 12 children present, needs a second direct care provider on duty.⁠²

Training and health records

Training deadlines under 470 IAC 3-1.1-33.5.⁠²

• Within one week of starting: fire prevention and safety training, for everyone who provides care, including volunteers.
• Within 30 days: the home inspection checklist, confidentiality, child abuse and neglect reporting, and universal precautions.
• Within 90 days: a first aid course, repeated every three years.
• At all times: at least one person with current pediatric CPR certification must be on the premises.

A 2025 law tightened CPR and first aid. Every provider type must train all staff and volunteers in pediatric CPR and pediatric first aid within 90 days of starting. At least one certified person must be present whenever children are in care. A certification counts only if it included a live return demonstration of skills.⁠⁷

Health records. The rule requires an initial physical and an annual Mantoux TB test or chest X-ray for two groups: providers who work in the home more than three times a month, and household members who have direct contact with children.⁠² Senate Enrolled Act 486 (2025) removed the statutory TB requirement for unlicensed registered ministries and legally licensed exempt providers, but the rules for licensed homes still require it, so FSSA tells licensed homes to file one variance per site to omit TB testing. Your licensing consultant can start that variance.⁠⁷

Records you keep in the home. 470 IAC 3-1.1-32 requires:⁠²

• an enrollment form for each child;
• an emergency medical release for each child;
• each child’s health statement within 30 days of admission;
• a discipline policy signed by each parent;
• daily attendance records, kept for two years;
• rabies vaccination records for pets; and
• fire drill dates, kept for two years.

Applying through I-LEAD, step by step

1. Tell FSSA you are starting. Fill out the Emerging Provider Referral Form on FSSA’s “Become a Child Care Provider” page. A specialist will contact you. The Emerging Provider Support team’s address is [email protected].⁠¹
2. Complete Orientation 1 and Orientation 2 in I-LEAD. Orientation 1 covers start-up for all providers. Orientation 2 is the version for child care home providers. Both are in Indiana Learning Paths on the I-LEAD portal.⁠¹
3. Prepare the house and the paperwork. You need:
   • the criminal-history attestation;
   • fingerprints for you, your spouse and household members 18 or older;
   • proof of your diploma, and your CDA or Education Commitment Form;
   • safe sleep training;
   • a water test if you have a private water supply; and
   • for Class II, the notarized design professional form.⁠²⁠³
4. Submit the application online in I-LEAD.⁠¹ FSSA’s guide treats an application as complete only when all attachments and the FBI fingerprint results are in. If items are missing, you are notified in writing and have 90 days to send them. After that the application is treated as abandoned.⁠³
5. Pass the pre-licensing inspection. This is an announced visit by appointment. It covers the building, toilets and handwashing, equipment, personnel and children’s files, policies, training and education. A State Fire Marshal check is included where one is required.⁠⁸⁠¹
6. Receive a decision. The rule gives the agency 60 days from receipt of the application to approve or deny it.⁠² A home that cannot yet show full compliance because it is not in full operation may receive a provisional license. It can last up to 12 months and is reviewed every three months.⁠² FSSA says the first provisional inspection should be largely technical assistance.⁠⁸

Fees

We found no license or application fee for child care homes in 470 IAC 3-1.1 or on FSSA’s provider pages as of 2026-10-12.⁠¹⁠² The real costs are third-party ones the rules require: fingerprinting through IdentoGO, a CDA program, first aid and CPR courses, water tests for private wells, and design professional work for Class II.⁠⁶⁠³⁠² FSSA describes IdentoGO’s charge only as a “slight increase in fees” over older methods. It does not publish the amount.⁠⁶

Inspections, renewal and enforcement

The license is valid for two years. It covers only the named licensee and address, cannot be transferred, and must be displayed in the home.⁠³ OECOSL monitors every licensed home unannounced at least once a year.⁠⁸ Renewal also needs a satisfactory full renewal inspection before the new license is approved.⁠⁸ For relicensure you submit:⁠²

• a new signed application;
• the criminal-history attestation;
• TB proof, unless you hold the variance; and
• water testing where it applies.

After an inspection with violations, you have 10 days to answer the plan of correction. Violations of CCDF voucher rules get 21 days.⁠⁸ Inspection results are published on Child Care Finder.⁠⁸

If you are temporarily out of compliance without an immediate threat to children, the agency can issue a probationary license with an approved correction plan. It lasts up to six months and can be extended once for six more. Under IC 12-17.2-5-14, the division must publish notice and write to the parents of every enrolled child within seven days.⁠³ A denial, suspension or revocation can be appealed by a written hearing request filed within 30 days of receiving the official notice.⁠² Variance and waiver requests get a decision within 60 days.⁠²

A 2025 law gives some building stability. Programs are not subject to new or revised building, fire safety or equipment requirements for two years after an inspection or plan review.⁠⁷

CCDF vouchers in a licensed home

Many Indiana homes serve families paying with CCDF vouchers. Eligibility is governed by 470 IAC 3-18. That rule applies to every provider paid through the voucher program, “regardless of whether the child care facility is licensed or registered.”⁠² Its biggest extra for homes is drug testing. Results are required for:⁠²

• the provider;
• every person 18 or older living in the home; and
• all employees and volunteer caregivers.

The test must be a DOT-style urine panel processed by a SAMHSA-certified lab. It must be done no more than 60 days before the initial application, and you must take part in a random testing program. A positive result makes the provider ineligible for voucher payments until the person leaves the home or stops providing care.⁠²

The rewrite coming in 2027 (LSA 26-158)

FSSA’s Division of Family Resources has proposed rewriting 470 IAC 3-1.1 and 3-1.2 under LSA Document #26-158. The first comment period ran from June 3 to July 6, 2026. A second hearing was scheduled for October 2, 2026. FSSA’s docket lists January 1, 2027 as the anticipated effective date and says the dates may change.⁠¹⁰⁠⁹ As proposed in the September 2, 2026 notice:⁠⁹

• Physicals and TB. The staff physical exam requirement is eliminated. The TB test and water test are struck from the initial application list.
• Orientation. The rule-level orientation item is removed. Staff instead complete OECOSL-approved orientation topics through the state learning system within 90 days.
• In-service hours. All staff must complete 12 in-service training hours a year after their first year, citing IC 12-17.2-3.5-8.
• Inspections. The annual visit becomes an “annual unannounced visit” by OECOSL.
• Ratios. The numbers stay the same. The count now includes your related children under 7, and the “and walking” condition is dropped.
• Toddler definition. “Toddler” becomes a child from 12 months to less than 23 months, matching the center rules.
• Records. Electronic attendance records, including through child care management software, are allowed.
• Class I definition. The definition points to IC 12-7-2.1-68 instead of restating capacity in the rule.

FSSA’s response to comments says the educational requirements for homes did not change.⁠⁹ Until the final rule is filed, the current 470 IAC 3-1.1 governs your application.

Sources

1. 1
   Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning, Become a Child Care Provider Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   Indiana Administrative Code, 470 IAC 3, Child Care (Rule 1.1 Child Care Homes; Rule 1.2 Infant and Toddler Services; Rule 1.3 Class II Child Care Homes; Rule 18 CCDF Provider Eligibility) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Interpretative Guide for Child Care Home Rules (effective February 2016), including IC 12-17.2-5 Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Matrix for Indiana Child Care Programs Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Background Check Requirements Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
6. 6
   Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Provider Fingerprinting Services Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
7. 7
   Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Early Child Care and Education Legislative Changes (2025) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
8. 8
   Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, The Monitoring Process for Child Care Programs in Indiana Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
9. 9
   Indiana Register, LSA Document #26-158, Child Care Homes: Notice of Second Public Comment Period and proposed rule Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
10. 10
    Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, FSSA Rulemaking Docket, LSA Document 26-158 (Child Care Homes) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑

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