Title: Family Child Care Homes | Childcare.gov
Headings: Family Child Care Homes
Family Child Care Homes
Tips for Choosing This Type of Care
Why Families Choose This Type of Care

Content: Use the See Your State's Resources feature on the website to find the licensing agency and a provider inspection reports for your state. Select the state where you live and click the Submit button. You will have access to a wide variety of child care information for your specific state including “Inspection Reports” and “Child Care Licensing” under the Understanding and Finding Child Care section. The question of whether a family child care provider is required to be licensed or is license exempt often depends on the number of children the provider cares for. For example, some states require family child care homes to be licensed if they care for more than one child who is not related to the provider. Some states don’t require any regulations unless the provider is caring for six or more children. Some license-exempt providers must follow a set of health and safety requirements and be monitored regularly, though the requirements for license-exempt providers are usually less strict than those for licensed providers. License-exempt family child care providers are often also called family, friend, and neighbor care. Family, friend, and neighbor care is provided in the caregiver’s home by a person who is a relative, friend, or neighbor. You can search for detailed information about providers in your state and find more information about your state’s child care requirements by using the See Your State's Resources feature on this website, select your state under “Get Child Care Resources” which will give you access to a wide variety of child care information for your specific state.