Registering a child development home in Iowa: categories A, B and C

Child care home or child development home: where the line falls

Iowa law sorts in-home child care by how many children are present at one time. A “child care home” cares for five or fewer children, or six or fewer if at least one is school-aged, and does not have to register ⁠¹. A “child development home” is a person or program registered with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that may care for seven or more ⁠¹. Nobody may establish or operate a child development home without a certificate of registration ⁠¹.

A few points decide which side of the line you are on:

• “Child” means 12 or younger, or 13 through 18 with a developmental disability as defined in federal law ⁠².
• “School” means kindergarten or higher ⁠². HHS counts a child as school-aged from the first day of kindergarten, including school breaks and summer vacation; the summer before kindergarten, the child is still a preschooler ⁠⁴.
• Your own children count unless they are in school or in full-time child care elsewhere on a regular basis ⁠¹⁠². HHS adds that home-schooled children of the provider count in the basic number up to age 13 ⁠⁴.
• Foster children you care for count as your own ⁠¹. If you hold a foster family license, or are an approved kinship caregiver, you must register before providing any child care at all, regardless of how many children ⁠¹⁠⁴. The statute paragraph on this was amended by 2025 Iowa Acts, chapter 135 ⁠¹.

An unregistered child care home can still serve families on Iowa’s Child Care Assistance program by signing a Child Care Assistance Provider Agreement with HHS, which brings an annual unannounced inspection and reapplication every two years ⁠³. Registration is the route once you want more than five or six children; each local HHS office keeps a list of registered child development homes as a referral service to the community ⁠².

Child care for seven or more children outside a registered home is a child care center and needs a license instead; see the Iowa child care center license guide.

Choosing a category

Iowa has three categories, ranked from the least to the most demanding ⁠¹. You apply for one on the application form, and HHS’s certificate states the category and the maximum number of children you may have ⁠¹. A Category C provider must meet a stricter list of requirements; Category A is the entry point for someone with no child care track record.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Sources for the table: ⁠². Experience can be as a registered or nonregistered child care provider ⁠².

Three details trip people up:

• Category C with one provider. The application form offers “Category C (1 provider – capacity 8)” and “Category C (2 providers – capacity 16)” ⁠⁴. That follows from the rule that both providers must be present whenever more than eight children are in care ⁠². A certificate can name no more than two providers ⁠². The coprovider must meet the Category B qualifications, and if the two have different qualifications the Category C-qualified provider must always be present ⁠²⁠⁴.
• Space can cap you below the category maximum. The statute lets you register in the category you qualify for even if your home lacks the space for that category’s full capacity, but HHS then limits your number of children to what the space allows ⁠¹.
• Emergency school closings. On days schools open late, close early or cancel for weather, physical plant failure, structural damage or a public health emergency, you may go up to the emergency figures in the table, if you have prior written approval from each parent, each extra child is a short-time regular, would otherwise be unattended or is a sibling of a child you care for, and you record the date, reason and number of children ⁠². HHS states this exception does not cover in-service, conference or vacation days ⁠⁴.

The home itself

The home must be a single-family residence that you own, rent or lease; for a dual registration, at least one named provider must ⁠¹⁠². Iowa counts an apartment, condominium, townhouse or other unit in a multi-unit building as a single-family residence, but not a commercial or industrial building used mainly for something other than a residence ⁠¹. HHS allows only one registration per address ⁠⁴.

HHS’s guidelines tell applicants to check with local authorities on zoning, building and fire codes and business licensing; the state rules do not make a local permit a condition of registration ⁠⁴.

Requirements for every category, from 441 IAC 110.8 ⁠²:

• Fire safety. At least one 2A 10BC-rated fire extinguisher, visible and reachable, on each floor children use; a battery-operated, UL-approved smoke detector in each child-occupied room and at the top of every stairway, tested monthly with a written log.
• Hazards. Tamper-resistant or capped outlets, no cords under rugs or through doorways, combustibles at least 3 feet from furnaces, stoves, water heaters and gas dryers, barriers around heating stoves, and safety gates at stairs and doors as needed.
• Water and sewage. A private well needs an annual lab analysis for bacteria, plus nitrates if you care for children under 2; a private septic system must not discharge untreated wastewater.
• Lead paint. In a home built before 1978, check painted surfaces inside and out for chipping, peeling or cracking before initial registration and each renewal; repairs must be made by an Iowa certified lead-safe renovator, or you can take the training to become one.
• Telephone. A working landline or mobile phone with police, fire, ambulance and poison center numbers posted, and each child’s parent, backup contact and physician written on paper by the phone.
• Smoking. No smoking or tobacco in the home or any vehicle that carries the children at any time, or in the outdoor play area during hours of operation, with signs at every entrance and in every vehicle giving the complaint number and smokefreeair.iowa.gov.
• Pets. Tell parents about pets. Dogs and cats need an annual veterinary exam on Form 470-5153; children may not feed pets or clean up after them.
• Outdoors and pools. A play area with sun and shade, fenced if near a busy road or hazard. An unfenced pool must have a cover meeting the ASTM standard; an uncovered pool needs a nonclimbable fence at least 4 feet high. If children swim, you need written parent permission, rescue equipment and infant, toddler and child CPR.

Categories B and C add more physical requirements ⁠²:

• 35 square feet of indoor child-use floor space and 50 square feet of outdoor space per child.
• A separate quiet area for sick children.
• At least two direct exits to the outside from the main floor, ending at grade with permanent steps. A basement or second floor used for care needs its own direct exit in addition to an inside stairway. A basement window can serve as the exit if it opens without tools, has a clear opening of at least 20 inches wide, 24 inches high and 5.7 square feet, and sits no more than 44 inches above the floor with permanent steps inside.
• No child care above the second floor.

Record checks for you and your household

No certificate, initial or renewal, is issued until every state and national record check is back and, where needed, evaluated ⁠². Checks cover the registrant, every substitute or assistant, anyone else with access to a child alone, and household members ⁠²:

• Iowa criminal history and child abuse registry checks for everyone above who is 14 or older, repeated at least every two years ⁠².
• FBI fingerprint checks for everyone above who is 18 or older, repeated every four years ⁠².

HHS pays for the checks themselves; you pay whatever a law enforcement agency or fingerprinting company charges to roll the prints ⁠²⁠³. HHS says staff at the Iowa child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agencies can help with fingerprinting free of charge ⁠³. HHS tells applicants to have prints rolled before submitting their materials, and the paperwork includes Form DCI-77 (Iowa criminal history), DCI-45 (waiver agreement), FD-258 (fingerprint card) and 470-3301 (abuse registry release) ⁠⁴.

Some records end eligibility permanently: founded sexual abuse, a sex offender registry listing, felony child endangerment, domestic abuse, crimes against a child, forcible felonies or arson, and certain misdemeanors against children ⁠². A controlled substance conviction or founded physical abuse bars involvement for five years, after which you can request an evaluation ⁠². For any other record, HHS sends an evaluation form that must come back within 10 calendar days or the registration is denied, and HHS decides within 30 days of receiving it ⁠².

Training and health paperwork before you apply

Before registration, you as the provider must complete ⁠²:

1. Health and safety training

   approved by HHS in 10 areas: infectious disease and immunizations, SIDS prevention and safe sleep, medication administration, food and allergy emergencies, building and premises safety, shaken baby syndrome and abusive head trauma, emergency preparedness, hazardous materials and biocontaminants, transporting children, and child development.

2. Two hours of Iowa’s mandatory child abuse reporter training

   , keeping a valid certificate with its expiration date.

3. First aid and CPR

   that includes infant and child CPR, from a recognized organization such as the American Red Cross or American Heart Association, or a department-approved equivalent. HHS does not accept online-only courses; blended courses with an in-person part can qualify ⁠⁴.

Training through a child care resource and referral agency or community college in the six months before you register counts toward your first registration period ⁠². Approved training is listed in i-PoWeR, Iowa’s workforce registry, which also records what you complete ⁠²⁠³.

You and every household member 18 or older need a preregistration physical on Form 470-5152 ⁠². Your own children living in the home need the same health and immunization records as enrolled children ⁠². Each assistant or substitute needs HHS record check clearance and a physical on file, plus the 2-hour reporter training within three months of hire; substitutes also need first aid, and the health and safety training within three months of hire or before providing care, whichever comes first ⁠².

Written policies and records the rules require

Before children arrive you need ⁠²:

• A written policy on caring for mildly ill children and excluding sick children, shared with parents, and written procedures for health emergencies.
• Written disaster plans posted by the primary and secondary exits, mapping evacuation routes and tornado and flood shelter areas, with procedures for evacuation, relocation, shelter-in-place, lockdown, family reunification, continuity of operations and children with functional or access needs. Fire and tornado drills are monthly, documented for the current and previous year.
• Safe sleep practices for infants under 1 following the American Academy of Pediatrics, including back-to-sleep, no soft bedding and no co-sleeping, and a crib or crib-like furniture for each child under 2 present.
• A discipline approach without corporal punishment, humiliation, or punishment tied to illness, toilet training, food or rest.
• Meals and snacks in amounts set by the USDA Child and Adult Care Food Program; parents cannot be required to send food.
• A file for each child with a physical dated no more than 12 months before the first day, an annual health statement for children under 6, an immunization certificate, emergency medical consent, an allergy plan where needed and a pickup authorization. Families who are homeless under the McKinney-Vento Act get a 60-day grace period for medical documents.

Serious injuries must be reported to HHS within 24 hours ⁠². Parents must have unlimited access to their children while in care ⁠².

Applying, step by step

1. Pick your category

   using the qualifications and space rules above; HHS’s checklist and guidelines walk through each standard ⁠³⁠⁴.

2. Finish the pre-registration training and physicals

   listed above.

3. Submit Form 470-3384

   , Application for Child Development Home Registration, with the record check forms and rolled fingerprints ⁠²⁠⁴. HHS’s guidelines say the form comes from your local HHS office or child care resource and referral agency or can be filed online through the KinderTrack system ⁠⁴; the HHS child care page points applicants to its Child Care Provider Portal ⁠³. The form lists every adult and child in the home, your hours, whether you will transport children, and any assistant, substitute or coprovider ⁠⁴. The 04/24 guidelines name KinderTrack as the online channel while the HHS page names the Provider Portal, so ask your local HHS office or CCR&R agency which one takes new applications.

4. Pre-registration inspection

   HHS visits to check health, safety and fire standards before registering the home ⁠²⁠³.

5. Certificate

   When all requirements and record checks are met, HHS issues Form 470-3498, Certificate of Registration ⁠². Post it where parents can see it ⁠².

If HHS denies the application, you can request a hearing within 30 days after the notice was mailed ⁠⁴.

Fees

Iowa Code 237A.4A sets a ceiling on any child care regulatory fee for registered homes: $150 for Category A and B and $187 for Category C ⁠¹. Neither 441 IAC 110 (IAC 2/5/25) nor HHS’s registration guidelines (rev. 04/24) states a fee amount for child development homes ⁠²⁠⁴. The official sources reviewed do not say whether HHS currently bills child development homes a registration fee or how much, so ask HHS before you apply. HHS does pay for the record checks; the only cost the rule assigns to you is fingerprint rolling ⁠²⁠³.

After you open

• Inspections. HHS makes at least one unannounced visit a year covering health, safety, fire and all registration standards, and visits after any complaint ⁠². Inspection and complaint findings are published online, and the statute’s target for issuing an inspection report is 60 calendar days ⁠¹⁠⁴.
• Changes. Report changes in assistants or substitutes, household members, address or criminal convictions within 10 days. No new assistant, substitute or coprovider may work, and no new person may move in, until HHS approves them ⁠². Missing the 10-day deadline can lead to revocation or recoupment of child care assistance payments ⁠².
• Substitutes. You must be present except in emergencies or planned absences covered by an HHS-approved substitute aged 18 or older, with 24 hours’ notice to parents for planned absences ⁠². Substitute use is capped at 25 hours a month plus up to two weeks in a 12-month period ⁠²; by statute, any cap does not count jury duty or service on a state board or committee ⁠¹.
• Training. Complete 24 hours of approved training in each two-year registration period, from eight listed content areas, without repeating the same class within five years ⁠². HHS counts one college credit hour in early childhood or elementary education as 15 hours ⁠⁴.
• Renewal. Renew every 24 months by filing Form 470-3384 again with proof of training; record checks are rerun ⁠¹⁠².
• Immunization notices. Since 2025, any communication to parents about required immunizations must include information about Iowa’s exemptions ⁠¹.

If HHS denies or revokes a registration for continued or repeated noncompliance, you may not run a registered home for 12 months, and HHS will not act on a new application in that time ⁠¹⁠². A letter starting denial or revocation must be posted where parents can read it until the matter is resolved ⁠².

What is changing

Chapter 110 carries a rescission date of January 1, 2028 under Iowa Code 17A.7, the date the current rules are scheduled to lapse unless HHS readopts them ⁠². HHS has also proposed replacing it: Notice of Intended Action ARC 0540D, published 9/2/2026, would rescind Chapter 110 and adopt a new Chapter 110 that combines child development homes with child care homes holding a Child Care Assistance Provider Agreement (public comment closed September 23, 2026) ⁠⁵. As of 2026-10-12 it appears as a proposal, not an adopted rule; confirm what is in force with HHS before relying on any figure here. The 2026 Iowa Code shows two 2025 amendments affecting homes: the immunization-exemption notice requirement (2025 Acts, chapter 106) and the amended foster and kinship caregiver registration paragraph (2025 Acts, chapter 135) ⁠¹.

For other Iowa care licenses, see the Iowa state page and the family child care overview.

Sources

1. 1
   Iowa Legislature, Iowa Code chapter 237A, Child Care Facilities (Iowa Code 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   Iowa Legislature, Iowa Administrative Code, 441 Iowa Administrative Code chapter 110, Child Development Homes (IAC 2/5/25) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Child Development Home Registration Guidelines, Comm. 143 (rev. 04/24) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Iowa Administrative Rules, Notice of Intended Action ARC 0540D, Child development homes and child care homes with a child care assistance provider agreement, ch 110 Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑

Was this information accurate? Report an errorPrint or save as PDF