North Carolina child care center license: from workshop to star rating

Center, center in a residence, or family child care home?

North Carolina’s child care law applies when 3 or more children under 13 who do not live where the care is given receive care at least once a week, for more than 4 hours but less than 24 hours a day, from people who are not their guardians or relatives.⁠¹ Within that definition, a child care center is any arrangement with “three or more preschool-age children or nine or more school-age children” in care at one time, unless it qualifies as a family child care home.⁠¹ A family child care home has to be in the operator’s own occupied residence and is capped at 8 to 10 children depending on their ages. Anything bigger, or anything outside your own home, is a center. The North Carolina family child care home license guide covers the smaller option.

DCDEE licenses two kinds of center:⁠⁶

• Child care center. Capacity is set by the measured space children use.
• Center located in a residence (CLIAR). A center in an occupied residence, licensed for either 13 to 15 children or 3 to 12 children. It has to meet most center rules, but it does not need a separate administrator or defined activity areas. For star ratings it is assessed on the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale. DCDEE warns that local zoning may further cap the number of children in a residence.

The statute excludes a number of programs from “child care” entirely. These include recreational programs that run less than four consecutive months a year, specialized instruction such as dance, sports or scouting, drop-in care where parents stay on the premises, public schools, vacation Bible schools, and parent cooperatives. Also excluded are programs made up of separate components of four hours or less each, with different children in each, and track-out programs for year-round-school students.⁠¹ Accredited nonpublic schools are exempt only if they run child care for under 6.5 hours a day, or for longer hours without taking NC Pre-K or subsidy money.⁠¹ A summer day camp that does not fit the recreational exclusion is licensed under its own DCDEE application packet.⁠⁵

The pre-licensing workshop comes before everything else

Under 10A NCAC 09 .0301, anyone who has not operated a North Carolina child care center before must attend a DCDEE pre-licensing workshop before the Division will schedule a pre-licensing visit. This also applies to religious-sponsored centers that will run under a Notice of Compliance.⁠⁴ You submit the application only after completing the workshop.⁠⁴

The October-December 2026 schedule lists two-day workshops from 9:30 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m. Most are virtual (you need a device with a camera). There are also in-person sessions in Morganton (October 26-27) and Charlotte (November 2-3).⁠⁷ As published, the fee is $135 per person and is non-refundable. You get one free transfer to another center workshop in the same quarter if you give three business days’ notice. Each day earns five hours of training credit.⁠⁷ You must attend both days.⁠⁶ Registration is online only. For questions, email [email protected] or call 1-800-859-0829 (in state) or 919-814-6400.⁠⁷

On day 2 you receive the Application-Facility Profile, a sample floor plan diagram and the list of Lead Child Care Consultants by county. The application and floor plan go to the lead consultant for the county where the center will be.⁠⁶ DCDEE’s packet gives two practical warnings. Consultants work from home and usually return calls on their weekly office day, and they usually schedule visits at least a month ahead. Build that into your opening date.⁠⁶

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Session Law 2025-36 (House Bill 412). It became law on July 1, 2025 and took effect immediately.⁠⁹ For centers, it:

• Raised the statutory maximum group sizes for infants from 10 to 15 and for 12-to-24-month-olds from 12 to 18. It kept the ratios of 1:5 and 1:6 and the cap of 25 children in any one group.⁠⁹⁠²
• Redefined a lead teacher as responsible for “no more than two groups”. When one lead teacher covers two groups, another adult with each group must be working on the NC Early Childhood Credential or on the five-year pathway to lead-teacher qualification.⁠⁹
• Let a building approved for school occupancy count as meeting child care space, sanitation, fire and building requirements when it serves the same school-age children in an out-of-school program.⁠⁹
• Allowed administrators of school-age-only programs to hold a School-Age Administration Credential instead.⁠⁹
• Directed DCDEE to clarify the rules for multi-use centers, including separate licenses based on each owner’s square footage.⁠⁹
• Ordered DCDEE to propose, by May 1, 2026, a plan to separate star ratings from subsidy requirements and payments. The current system stays in place until the General Assembly approves a plan.⁠⁹

The law told the Child Care Commission to amend its rules to match.⁠⁹ As of 2026-10-12, rule 10A NCAC 09 .0713 (July 1, 2025 compilation) still sets infant and toddler group sizes at 10 and 12, and DCDEE’s July 2026 packet for new centers prints the same numbers.⁠⁴⁠⁶ Rule .0714(c) still says each lead teacher is responsible for one group at a time.⁠⁴ Until the rules change, confirm with your lead consultant which group sizes and lead-teacher arrangements DCDEE will accept before you plan classrooms around the new statutory limits.

Pathways to the Stars. A new Section .3200 of the star-rating rules took effect July 1, 2025. It offers three pathways to a two- to five-star license.⁠¹¹⁠⁴ Since October 2025, consultants have been discussing the pathways during licensing visits and setting a timeline of up to 12 months for each facility to move to a new rated license.⁠¹¹

DCDEE’s new office. On October 1, 2025, DCDEE moved to 1915 Health Services Way, Raleigh. Its mailing address is still 2201 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-2200 (919-814-6300).⁠⁵

Picking a building: space, plans and three inspections

The statute and rules set the space floor:

• Indoor: at least 25 square feet per licensed child, plus 200 cubic feet of air space per child during rest periods.⁠²⁠⁴ Only “primary space” counts. Closets, hallways, storage, kitchens, bathrooms, utility areas, thresholds, foyers, administrative space and floor under adult furniture or built-ins are all excluded.⁠⁴ DCDEE measures the space itself, rounding to the nearest inch, or reviews drawings signed and sealed by a North Carolina-licensed architect or engineer.⁠⁴ Your licensed capacity comes from this number. (In a CLIAR for 3 to 12 children, a kitchen dining area used for activities can count.)⁠⁴
• Outdoor: at least 75 square feet per child using the outdoor area at one time, fenced, with shade.⁠⁴⁠² A center open only between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. does not need an outdoor area.⁠²

The building must meet the child care provisions of the North Carolina State Building Code, which rule .1301 incorporates.⁠⁴ It must also be free of lead poisoning hazards and asbestos.⁠⁶ Firearms are banned except when carried by law enforcement.⁠⁶ Zoning is local. DCDEE notes that towns and counties may add lot-size, space and fencing requirements, so check zoning before you sign a lease.⁠⁶

Three local inspections must be passed before a license is issued: building, fire and sanitation. Their reports go in with your application.⁠⁴⁠⁶

1. Plans first

   Plans drawn to scale for a new center that is not a chain or franchise go to the local health department for approval before construction starts. Prototype plans for chain or franchise centers go to the DHHS Division of Public Health, Environmental Health Section. Renovations of existing centers also go to the local health department.⁠¹⁰ DCDEE adds that plans should also go to the local building inspector, and a floor plan to your DCDEE consultant.⁠⁶

2. Sanitation

   The health department must inspect within 30 days of your request.⁠¹⁰ When the inspection is for a new operator’s license, the report is sent to DCDEE only if the center earns a “superior” grade: 15 demerits or fewer, with no 6-point item violated. A second sanitation inspection follows within 30 days of opening, once children are present.⁠¹⁰ After that, the health department makes unannounced visits at least once every six months.⁠¹⁰

3. Lead in water

   A center applying for a license must collect water samples from every drinking and food-preparation outlet during the application, following EPA’s “3Ts” guidance. A lab certified by the State Laboratory of Public Health must test them. Testing repeats every three years.⁠¹⁰

4. Fire

   A local fire department inspects each center at least once a year.⁠²

Ratios and group sizes

Ratios count every child under 13.⁠² For single-age groups in a regular center, rule .0713(a) (as compiled July 1, 2025) sets:⁠⁴

When ages are combined, the whole group takes the ratio for the youngest child. All ages may be combined during the first and last operating hour of the day. Children under 1 are kept apart from children 2 and older, with narrow exceptions.⁠⁴ Each classroom must post its ratio where parents can see it. If only one caregiver is needed, you must post the name and number of an adult who has agreed in writing to provide emergency relief.⁠⁴ Staff counted in ratio cannot cook or do other non-care tasks. The exception is a single caregiver with no children under 2 present.⁠⁴

A center can choose multi-age groups instead, at different ratios: 1:4 (group of 8) for 0-36 months, 1:5 (10) for 12-36 months, 1:6 (10) for 24-47 months, 1:9 (18) for ages 4-6, and 1:19 (25) for ages 6-12. You must notify DCDEE in writing before you switch.⁠⁴ Centers in a residence have their own tables. A 13-to-15-child residence center uses 1:10 (group of 15) for ages 2-13 and 1:15 for ages 3-13. A 3-to-12-child residence center can add school-age children on top of its infant ratios.⁠⁴

Credentials: the administrator and the lead teachers

Administrator. Every center needs a child care administrator who is at least 21.⁠² The administrator must hold the NC Early Childhood Administration Credential or an equivalent. Someone who does not yet hold it must start working toward it within six months of taking the job and finish within two years.⁠² Until then, rule .0704 sets preservice minimums.⁠⁴ The administrator needs a high school diploma. They also need one of the listed experience or education options, such as two years of full-time child care center work or a degree with 12 semester hours in child development. Finally, they need two semester hours or 32 clock hours of early childhood administration training (completed or in progress), or one year of administrative experience. Two people can share these requirements as long as the one running the daily program is full-time and on site.⁠⁴ The administrator’s required on-site hours scale with capacity:⁠⁴

A credentialed administrator or lead teacher must be on site whenever the center is open. The exception is the opening or closing period, when no more than 10 children are present. A staff member who is at least 18, has a high school diploma, has a year of center experience, has worked at your center three months and has finished orientation may cover it then.⁠⁴

Lead teachers. Each group needs a lead teacher who holds the NC Early Childhood Credential or an equivalent. A lead teacher without it must enroll in the coursework within six months of hire and finish within 18 months of enrolling. Five years of documented teaching in a North Carolina licensed facility counts as equivalent.⁠² Until credentialed, a lead teacher or teacher must be 18 or older and have a high school diploma.⁠⁴ They also need one year of center experience, two years as a licensed family child care home operator, a two-year high school early childhood program, or 20 hours of child development training within the first six months.⁠⁴ The rule requires a lead teacher with each group for at least two-thirds of the daily operating hours.⁠⁴ Within six months, each administrator’s and lead teacher’s file must hold the credential, an equivalency letter, an equivalency request, or proof of enrollment.⁠⁴

Staff counted in ratio must be at least 16. Anyone under 18 must work under the direct supervision of a credentialed staff member aged 21 or older, and no one under 18 may be left in charge of a group.⁠²⁠⁴

The training calendar for a new staff

Rules 10A NCAC 09 .1101-.1103 and DCDEE’s packet set training deadlines that start on each employee’s hire date:⁠⁴⁠⁶

• Orientation: 16 hours on site within the first six weeks, six of them within the first two weeks. Child abuse reporting and the center’s safe sleep, transportation and emergency plans are covered first.⁠⁴
• CPR and First Aid: within 90 days, for everyone who gives direct care or goes on outings. In-person only; distance learning does not count. At least one certified person must be present at all times.⁠⁴
• ITS-SIDS (infant safe sleep): within two months of anyone starting work in the infant room (within 90 days of hire for the administrator), retaken every three years.⁠⁴⁠⁶
• Recognizing and Responding to Suspicions of Child Maltreatment: within 90 days.⁠⁶
• Health and safety training: within the first year, covering 11 topics, including medication administration, shaken baby syndrome and emergency preparedness.⁠⁴
• Emergency Preparedness and Response in Child Care: one staff member, within one year of the initial license. If that person leaves, a replacement must be trained within four months.⁠⁴
• Playground safety: one staff member, within six months.⁠⁶⁠⁴

After the first year, the annual training requirement depends on education. A four-year degree in a child care field needs 5 clock hours a year. A two-year degree or the Administration Credential needs 8. A certificate or the Early Childhood Credential needs 10. Ten years of documented experience needs 15. Everyone else needs 20. CPR and First Aid do not count toward these hours.⁠⁴

Background checks through ABCMS

Before DCDEE issues a license, and before each employee starts work, each child care provider must submit fingerprints for a state and national check through the Automated Background Check Management System (ABCMS).⁠⁴ Anyone who lived outside North Carolina in the past five years must also attest that they requested checks from each of those states’ criminal, sex offender and child abuse registries.⁠⁴ If the owner is a company, the CEO or the person designated to run the facility completes the check.⁠⁴ Your application must include this qualification letter.⁠⁴

New hires can work as “provisional” providers while results are pending. They count in ratio, but they must be supervised at all times by someone with a qualifying check from the past five years and may never be alone with children.⁠⁴ DCDEE must issue a qualification letter within 45 days of granting provisional status unless disqualifying results come back. If an employee is disqualified, you must end their employment, even while they appeal.⁠⁴

From application to temporary license

1. Attend the workshop

   Complete both days of the DCDEE pre-licensing workshop.⁠⁴⁠⁶

2. Secure and plan the site

   Confirm zoning, get plan approvals from the health department and building inspector, and draw a floor plan with room measurements, ceiling heights, bathrooms, doors and exits.⁠⁴⁠⁶⁠¹⁰

3. Pass inspections

   Get building, fire and sanitation (superior grade) inspections, and collect lead-in-water samples.⁠⁴⁠¹⁰

4. Submit the Application-Facility Profile

   It lists the owner, center name and address, requested ages, hours, type of care, building and business, proposed opening date and capacity, and your licensing history. It is signed by the responsible individual or an officer of the entity.⁠⁴ Attach the background check qualification letter, the inspection reports, the floor plan, and your emergency medical plan, activity plans, discipline policy, incident report form and incident log.⁠⁴ The discipline policy must state that corporal punishment is prohibited and must be given to each parent before their child’s first day.⁠² DCDEE screens the application against the denial grounds in rule .2215.⁠⁴

5. Pre-licensing visit

   DCDEE schedules an announced visit once you say you are ready.⁠⁴ Be ready to explain room arrangement, staffing patterns and equipment for your capacity. Have your staff and children’s record systems, attendance and sign-in sheets, monthly fire drill and playground checklists, medication and lockdown drill logs, and a center email address ready.⁠⁴

6. Temporary license

   When the application and required documents are in, DCDEE issues a temporary license, which you post where parents see it daily. It lasts six months or until DCDEE issues a star-rated license or takes administrative action.⁠⁴

Fees, as published

As published on 2026-10-12, the annual license fee by licensed capacity is:⁠³⁠⁸

Invoices go out in October, based on your licensed capacity on October 1.⁠⁶ Payment is online only. Unpaid fees carry a 10% late fee plus interest, and nonpayment can lead to revocation.⁠⁸ As checked on 2026-10-12, DCDEE’s fee page still describes the 2025 invoice year. The amounts above are also the statutory maximums.⁠⁸⁠³ Religious-sponsored centers under a Notice of Compliance and publicly operated centers do not pay the fee.⁠³⁠⁶

The other state-published charge is the $135 per-person workshop fee.⁠⁷ The rules publish no separate application fee for a center.

From temporary license to star rating

A center that meets every minimum standard during its six-month temporary period gets a one-star license.⁠⁶⁠⁴ After it has shown compliance on the temporary license, it can apply for two to five stars.⁠⁴ Under Section .3200 you choose one pathway, and pathways cannot be mixed:⁠⁴

• Program Assessment Pathway (rules .3203-.3204)
• Classroom and Instructional Quality Pathway (rules .3205-.3206)
• Accreditation and Head Start Pathway (rule .3207)

Depending on the pathway, evidence can include enhanced ratios or space, education levels, family engagement, a continuous quality improvement plan, program assessment, an approved curriculum, formative assessments or accreditation.⁠⁶ For reference, the rules’ enhanced space standard is 30 square feet indoors per child of licensed capacity and 100 square feet outdoors per child.⁠⁴ Since February 1, 2025, program assessments have used the third editions of the environment rating scales (ECERS-3, ITERS-3, FCCERS-3).⁠¹¹

Religious-sponsored centers

A center operated by a church or a school of religious charter can be licensed, or it can operate under a Notice of Compliance under G.S. 110-106.⁠⁶ For the second route:⁠⁶

1. Send a Letter of Intent to DCDEE’s Regulatory Services Section at least 30 days before opening. Include the sponsor and center details, proposed capacity and ages, opening date and background check qualification letters.
2. Wait for DCDEE’s Response Letter, which sets the date you may begin.
3. Complete the two-day pre-licensing workshop before opening.
4. DCDEE makes an announced visit within 30 days after you open.

These centers are exempt from the activity, policy and staff-qualification and training rules. However, a center that takes subsidy must still meet the orientation and health and safety training rules and the rule that health and safety topics be covered in ongoing training (.1101, .1102 and .1103(b)).⁠⁶

Subsidy and NC Pre-K

To serve families in the Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program, a center must hold a North Carolina license (religious centers under G.S. 110-106 excepted). It must enroll through providerportal.nc.gov, hold a payment contract with the program’s vendor and sign the Provider Agreement every year.⁠¹² Star ratings are currently tied to subsidy requirements and payments. S.L. 2025-36 asked DCDEE to plan a separation, but the current arrangement stays until the General Assembly approves a change.⁠⁹ Classrooms serving NC Pre-K children must be in a center with a four- or five-star license.⁠⁴

Inspections, compliance history and penalties

DCDEE makes at least one unannounced visit a year, plus visits after complaints.⁠⁴ Each visit is scored. Supervision, ratios, discipline and adequate space carry 6 points each, and your compliance history is the average over the last 18 months.⁠⁴ DCDEE’s packet says a center must keep its compliance history at 75% or higher to keep its license.⁠⁶ Each year you schedule your own fire inspection within 12 months of the last one and send DCDEE the report within a week. You also need an annual sanitation grade of approved or superior.⁠⁴

A license is tied to its owner and address. A buyer must apply at least 30 days before taking ownership, and any change of 5% or more in equity counts as an ownership change.⁠⁴⁠⁶ A move requires a new license before you serve children at the new site.⁠⁴ Civil penalties go up to $1,000 per violation for ratio, supervision, capacity, unreported ownership or location changes and similar violations, and up to $500 for violations such as staff qualifications.⁠⁴

Sources

1. 1
   North Carolina General Assembly, G.S. 110-86, Definitions (Chapter 110, Article 7, Child Care Facilities) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
2. 2
   North Carolina General Assembly, G.S. 110-91, Mandatory standards for a license Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
3. 3
   North Carolina General Assembly, G.S. 110-90, Powers and duties of the Department (license fee) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
4. 4
   NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, 10A NCAC 09, Child Care Rules (compilation effective July 1, 2025) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
5. 5
   NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Getting a License Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
6. 6
   NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Child Care Centers: Basic Information for Potential Providers (revised July 2026) Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
7. 7
   NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Child Care Center or Center Located in a Residence Pre-Licensing Workshops Schedule, October-December 2026 Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
8. 8
   NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, Annual License Fee Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
9. 9
   North Carolina General Assembly, Session Law 2025-36 (House Bill 412), child care regulatory reforms Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
10. 10
    NC Commission for Public Health (posted by DCDEE), 15A NCAC 18A .2800, Sanitation of Child Care Centers Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
11. 11
    NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, QRIS Modernization: Pathways to the Stars Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑
12. 12
    NC DHHS, Division of Child Development and Early Education, 10A NCAC 10, Subsidized Child Care Rules Checked 12 Oct 2026 · Back to text ↑

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