Licensing a family or group child care home in Michigan

When Michigan says you need a license

The Child Care Organizations Act defines a family child care home as a private home where 1 but fewer than 7 minor children are received for care and supervision for compensation, for less than 24 hours a day, without a parent present. Children related to an adult member of the household are not counted ⁠¹. Two details catch people out:

• The four-week trigger. The definition includes a home that cares for an unrelated child for more than 4 weeks in a calendar year ⁠¹.
• The babysitting exclusion is tied to money, not hours. You are “providing babysitting services” only if the annual pay from a family stays below $600, or below the amount that would require the parent to issue you an IRS Form 1099-MISC ⁠¹. Once one family pays you $600 or more in a year, the exclusion is gone.

Michigan does not offer a registration tier for small homes. Section 5m of the Act says no person may “establish or maintain” a family or group child care home unless MiLEAP licenses it, and MiLEAP must make an on-site visit before it issues or renews a license ⁠².

The license is tied to your residence. “Private home” means a residence where you permanently live, and that residency cannot depend on caring for children ⁠¹. The rules require you to live in the home as a member of the household ⁠⁴. If you plan to rent a separate house just for care, you need a child care center license instead. Any facility other than a private residence that cares for one or more children under 13 is a center ⁠¹. See the Michigan child care center license guide.

Family home or group home

Sources: ⁠¹ ⁠² ⁠⁴ ⁠⁵ ⁠⁶

Increased capacity is earned, not requested at the start. Under R 400.1925 you qualify once you hold a current license, have been licensed for at least 29 consecutive months, have cared for at least one unrelated child during that time, and have received a renewed regular license after at least 29 months of operation. MiLEAP cannot waive this rule by variance ⁠⁴.

If you are also a licensed foster parent, MiLEAP may refuse concurrent licensing. If it allows it, your total is capped at 12 children. That total counts your own children under 17, the foster children on your foster license, and every child in care ⁠⁴.

Ratios: your own preschoolers count

The ratio rules (R 400.1927 for family homes, R 400.1928 for group homes) are new in the April 27, 2026 rules. Both require at least 1 staff member for every 6 children present, in the home and during transportation ⁠⁴. The count covers:

• every child in care who is not related to a staff member, and
• any child under school age who is related to you, a staff member, a child care assistant, an unsupervised volunteer or anyone in the household ⁠⁴.

Licensed capacity counts unrelated children only. The ratio counts your own preschoolers too. A family home licensed for 6 with your own 3-year-old at home needs a second qualified adult when all 6 enrolled children attend.

Each staff member can have no more than 4 children under 24 months, and no more than 2 of those 4 may be under 12 months ⁠⁴. If you have increased capacity, the ratio rises to 1 to 7 ⁠⁴.

Group homes get one more option. During before- and after-school hours, a group home may take up to 3 school-age children at a ratio of 1 to 9, or 1 to 10 with increased capacity ⁠⁴. MiLEAP’s May 8, 2026 announcement describes this as part of a change to school-age ratios meant to help homes serve more families ⁠⁸.

Who can be the licensee

R 400.1902 sets the personal requirements. You must:

• be 18 or older;
• have a high school diploma, a GED, or an approved MiRegistry training track and hours for home providers;
• permanently live in the home as a member of the household;
• hold pediatric first aid and pediatric, infant, child and adult CPR certification;
• document training in recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect, and in preventing and controlling infectious disease, including immunizations;
• attend MiLEAP’s orientation ⁠⁴.

The statute also makes the orientation a condition of the license ⁠². Everyone who lives in the home, minors included, must be suitable to be around children and willing to comply with the Act and rules ⁠⁴.

Plan for this to be your full-time job. R 400.1903 requires you to be present every day the home operates and to give direct care for most of the time children are there. Your absences may not exceed 20 days of vacation or personal leave in a calendar year, apart from medical treatment and recovery. The rule says outright that holding another part-time or full-time job during your hours of operation is not an allowed absence ⁠⁴. When you are away, a qualified child care staff member with CPR and first aid fills in, and you must tell parents and log the dates ⁠⁴.

As a licensee you must report to MiLEAP within 3 business days any change in who lives in the home. You must also report any arrest, conviction, child protective services investigation or similar event involving a household member or staff member ⁠⁴. Parents of enrolled children may visit at any time during your hours ⁠⁴.

On business structure, MiLEAP links home licenses to the licensee’s Social Security number. If you want to use an EIN instead, MiLEAP says the business must be registered as a sole proprietorship ⁠⁵.

Background checks for everyone in the house

Under R 400.1919, MiLEAP must decide whether a person is eligible before that person has any unsupervised contact with children. That applies to you, every adult household member, each child care staff member and each unsupervised volunteer ⁠⁴. The Resource Guide also lists child care assistants as needing fingerprints and a comprehensive background check ⁠⁶.

You enroll each person through the Child Care Background Check system (michigan.gov/ccbc). Each person signs the required form before the fingerprint appointment, and you keep copies on file ⁠⁴. MiLEAP sends instructions after your application and fee are submitted ⁠⁶.

Someone found ineligible may not be on the premises at all ⁠⁴. An ineligible adult child or partner living in the home therefore blocks the license.

The house: inspections Michigan wants before day one

Several physical checks must be done before the first license is issued.

• Radon. You must test before the initial license and every 4 years at renewal. The lowest level of the home may not exceed 4 picocuries per liter of air. If it does, you must notify parents and install a mitigation system, and you have up to 12 months from the first measurement to meet the standard ⁠⁴.
• Furnace and water heater. A licensed heating contractor must inspect a fuel-fired furnace. A licensed heating or plumbing contractor must inspect a fuel-fired water heater. A local or licensed mechanical inspector must inspect a wood stove or other solid-fuel appliance. R 400.1945 requires this before the initial license and every 4 years at renewal ⁠⁴. The Resource Guide adds that the inspection must be within the past 12 months before the license is issued ⁠⁶. Portable heaters may not be used while children are in care, and combustibles must stay 3 feet from heat-producing equipment ⁠⁴.
• Well and septic. If the home uses a private well or septic system, the local health department must inspect and approve it before licensure. You request it on form CCL-1787-CC and pay the health department’s fee ⁠⁶. Otherwise the water must come from a municipal system ⁠⁴. If local health department inspections keep delaying licensing, MiLEAP may send its own staff to do them ⁠².

Source for all rows: ⁠⁴

Rooms reached only by a ladder, folding stair or trapdoor cannot be used for children ⁠⁴. If you offer care between midnight and 5 a.m., sleeping children may use no more than 2 adjoining floors, a staff member must sleep on the same floor, and play yards are not allowed for nighttime sleep ⁠⁴.

Zoning depends on whether you live in a township or a city

The Michigan Zoning Enabling Act treats family homes and group homes differently. It also treats counties and townships differently from cities and villages.

• County or township, family home. A family child care home is a residential use and is permitted in every residential zone, with no special-use or conditional-use permit ⁠⁷.

• County or township, group home. The local unit must issue a special use permit if the home meets all of the following:

  • it is at least 1,500 feet from another licensed group child care home, an adult foster care small or large group home, a licensed substance use disorder facility serving 7 or more people, or a corrections halfway house;
  • it has fencing the local unit considers appropriate;
  • it keeps the property consistent with the neighborhood;
  • it operates no more than 16 hours in 24;
  • it meets any local sign and off-street parking rules ⁠⁷.

  The township may limit, but not prohibit, operation between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. ⁠⁷.

• City or village. The Act says only that a group home “may be issued” a special use permit ⁠⁷. The township protections above do not apply, so check your city’s ordinance before you sign a lease or buy.

Counties and townships may not make their ordinances stricter than the Child Care Organizations Act. Any local unit may still inspect a home for compliance with its zoning ordinance ⁠⁷. MiLEAP requires a Zoning Approval form (CCL-3748) for group homes only ⁠⁶. Homes licensed before March 30, 1989 are exempt from section 206 ⁠⁷.

Staff, assistants and training after you open

Michigan’s home rules recognize several roles:

• Child care staff member. At least 16 years old, found eligible through the background check, and holding pediatric first aid and CPR before caring for children. Counts in the ratio and can stand in for you ⁠⁴.
• Child care assistant. 14 or 15 years old, always directly supervised, never counted as a substitute, never a driver. Needs CPR and first aid within 90 days of hire ⁠⁴.
• Unsupervised volunteer. At least 16, unpaid, found eligible by MiLEAP. May count in the ratio ⁠⁴.
• Supervised volunteer. At least 16, unpaid, supervised at all times, and never counted in the ratio ⁠⁴. You must check assistants and supervised volunteers against the state or national sex offender registry before they have any contact with children. You also need a written policy on screening and supervising personnel and volunteers ⁠⁴.

Within 30 days of starting, every staff member needs an individual MiRegistry account and a verified employment entry with your program ⁠⁴. Within 90 days, and before working unsupervised, each staff member must complete your home’s new-hire training. It covers 14 topics, including:

• shaken baby and abusive head trauma prevention;
• safe sleep;
• abuse reporting;
• infectious disease;
• your emergency plans;
• medication;
• food allergies;
• hazards and transportation;
• child development ⁠⁴.

Annual professional development is set at:

• 10 clock hours for you as licensee;
• 5 hours for other personnel;
• 1 hour each for unsupervised volunteers and drivers ⁠⁴.

CPR and first aid hours count in the year you take them ⁠⁴. For about two years after the rules took effect, you keep training records in the home. After that, MiLEAP expects them to be verified in MiRegistry ⁠⁴.

Policies and plans the consultant will ask for

The rules require these written documents before you open:

• Emergency plan. It must cover fire, tornado, serious injury, water emergencies (if applicable), floods, power outages, extreme weather, other disasters, bomb threats, and intruders or active shooters. It must address evacuation, relocation, shelter-in-place, lockdown, family reunification and continuity of operations, and how infants, toddlers, children with disabilities and children with chronic medical conditions will be handled ⁠⁴. Fire drills are required at least every 3 months, and at least 2 tornado drills between March and November. Drills for the other plans are held once a year, and all drills go in a log ⁠⁴.
• Discipline policy. The policy must be written, age-appropriate and non-severe. Corporal punishment is prohibited ⁠⁴.
• Personnel and volunteer screening policy. It must state that anyone on a sex offender registry may have no contact with children ⁠⁴.

The Resource Guide says your licensing consultant may ask for your emergency plans, discipline policy and daily schedule before the inspection ⁠⁶.

Applying, step by step

MiLEAP’s apply page says licensing takes 3 to 6 months on average and starts in MiLogin, with paper applications available if you cannot apply online ⁠⁵. The Resource Guide (revised May 11, 2026) calls the online system the Child Care Hub Information Records Portal (CCHIRP). It sets out the order below ⁠⁶.

1. Read the rules and Act, then apply online

   Submit the application and the non-refundable fee: $50 for a family home or $100 for a group home, as published on 2026-10-12 ⁠⁵ ⁠⁶.

2. Zoning approval (group homes only)

   Get form CCL-3748 signed by your local zoning authority ⁠⁶.

3. Medical clearance

   Form CCL-3704 is completed by you and your physician, attesting to your physical and mental health. Staff and assistants complete one too ⁠⁶.

4. Safe sleep training

   You must document it before the license is issued. Training is available on MiRegistry ⁠⁶.

5. Health and safety training

   MiLEAP recommends the “Health & Safety for Licensed Child Care Providers” Modules A, B and C on MiRegistry ⁠⁶.

6. CPR and first aid

   These must come from an organization MiLEAP approves ⁠⁶.

7. Furnace and water heater inspection

   The inspection must be within the past 12 months before the license is issued ⁠⁶.

8. Fingerprinting

   This covers you, adult household members, staff, assistants and unsupervised volunteers ⁠⁶.

9. Environmental health inspection

   Needed only if you have a private well or septic system ⁠⁶.

10. Radon results

    Documentation must show 4 pCi/L or less in the lowest level ⁠⁶.

11. Orientation

    MiLEAP sends a link to a self-paced orientation after it approves your documents ⁠⁶.

12. On-site inspection

    Your licensing consultant inspects the whole home and premises, reviews your paperwork, and sets the ages served and hours on your license. If something needs fixing, you get a corrective action plan, and a follow-up visit or electronic proof may be needed ⁠⁶.

The statute gives MiLEAP 6 months from a completed application to issue or deny the license. If the application is incomplete, MiLEAP must notify you within 30 days, and the 6-month clock pauses while you supply information or complete a corrective action plan ⁠². If MiLEAP misses the deadline, it must return your application fee and cut your next renewal fee by 15% ⁠².

Original license, regular license, renewal

Your first license is an original license, and it expires 6 months after it is issued ⁠³. Before it expires, MiLEAP sends a renewal packet. You submit it with the renewal fee, and MiLEAP inspects again ⁠⁶. At that point MiLEAP issues a regular license, refuses renewal, or issues a provisional license ⁠³. The Resource Guide says the regular license is valid for 2 years ⁠⁶.

Renewal fees under MCL 722.115m(11) are $25 for a family home and $50 for a group home, as published on 2026-10-12 ⁠². Every renewal requires an on-site visit ⁠², and radon and heating inspections are repeated every 4 years at renewal ⁠⁴. You must post your license where parents can see it during hours of operation ⁠⁴.

Getting paid through the CDC scholarship

Michigan’s subsidy is the Child Development and Care (CDC) scholarship, administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). Once you are licensed, the parent of an eligible child completes the Provider Verification form (DHS-4025) naming you as provider and submits it to MDHHS ⁠⁵. MiLEAP’s apply page also points applicants to a notice about reimbursement from MDHHS on its provider resources page ⁠⁵. The apply page also says a SIGMA account is required if you accept CDC scholarships ⁠⁵. The official pages reviewed for this guide do not state payment rates or the remaining provider enrollment steps. MiLEAP’s CDC page points providers to a CDC Handbook and billing guidance, so ask your licensing consultant or the CDC office for current rates and enrollment steps before you count on subsidy income.

What changed in 2026

Child care licensing now sits with MiLEAP, which the rules define as “the department” ⁠⁴. Older materials name LARA. The revised home rules took effect April 27, 2026 ⁠⁴. MiLEAP announced them on May 8, 2026, and said educators will have at least 90 days to come into compliance ⁠⁸. According to MiLEAP:

• tuberculosis testing for staff and household members was dropped;
• school-age ratios were adjusted;
• food allergy plan requirements were added;
• emergency preparedness, fire safety and transportation standards were updated;
• training is now tracked in MiRegistry ⁠⁸.

If you are reading older guidance, check it against the new numbering. The separate family and group ratio rules (R 400.1927 and R 400.1928) are new, and R 400.1926 has been rescinded ⁠⁴.

MiLEAP’s Child Care Licensing Bureau can be reached at 517-284-9730 or [email protected], according to the May 2026 Resource Guide ⁠⁶.

Sources

1. 1
   Michigan Legislature, MCL 722.111, Child Care Organizations Act definitions (1973 PA 116) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   Michigan Legislature, MCL 722.115m, Licensure of child care centers, group and family child care homes; fees Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   Michigan Legislature, MCL 722.117, Original license; renewal; provisional license Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, Licensing Rules for Family and Group Child Care Homes, R 400.1901 et seq. (updates effective April 27, 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, Apply for a Child Care Home License Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
6. 6
   Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, Resource Guide to Child Care Home Licensure in Michigan (revised May 11, 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
7. 7
   Michigan Legislature, MCL 125.3206, Michigan Zoning Enabling Act, residential use of property Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
8. 8
   Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential, New Child Care Home Licensing Rules Strengthen Safety, Clarity, and Access for Michigan Families (May 8, 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑

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