How to start a daycare in Maine.

Maine Department of Health and Human Services licenses child care centers in Maine. These are the steps, each with the state's own page.

Steps checked on the state's own pages, November 4, 2026.

Opening a child care center in Maine, step by step

Register for the provider portal
Register for the online provider portal. You create and send your licensing application there.
Source: Child Care Provider Licensing
Finish the required training
Complete the training the Department approves. You need it before a license is issued.
Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 32: Child Care Facility Licensing Rule
Request background checks
Request fingerprint background checks for yourself and your staff.
Source: Child Care Provider Background Checks
Schedule fingerprinting
Everyone who needs a background check books a fingerprinting appointment.
Source: Child Care Provider Background Checks
Pass a fire safety inspection
No license is issued until your site passes a fire safety inspection.
Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 32: Child Care Facility Licensing Rule
Check local codes and zoning
Keep proof that you meet local codes and zoning, or a note that no approval is needed.
Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 32: Child Care Facility Licensing Rule
Apply on the Department's forms
Apply for your first license to Maine DHHS, on the forms it gives you.
Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 32: Child Care Facility Licensing Rule
Get your license before you open
Your license must be issued before you start operating.
Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 32: Child Care Facility Licensing Rule

Who licenses centers: Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS). Licenses child care providers in Maine.Source: Child Care
Child care center: 13 or more children under age 13Source: Title 22, §8301-A: Licensure of child care facilities and family child care providers
Small child care facility: 3 to 12 children, in a place that is not the operator's homeSource: 10-148 CMR Chapter 32: Child Care Facility Licensing Rule
Nursery school: 3 or more children from 33 months to 8 years, in sessions up to 3.5 hoursSource: 10-148 CMR Chapter 32: Child Care Facility Licensing Rule
Surprise inspection: At least one, between 6 and 18 months after your license is issuedSource: Title 22, §8301-A: Licensure of child care facilities and family child care providers

If you rent your space, get your landlord's written approval.Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 32: Child Care Facility Licensing Rule
Your fire approval names where care may happen, such as basements or upper floors.Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 32: Child Care Facility Licensing Rule

Run a program in Maine? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works

How to start a home daycare in Maine
The kinds of home daycare the state allows, and the steps.
Maine licensing guide
Ratios, trainings and the checklist the state asks for.
Child care grants in Maine
Grants the state runs for providers.
Daycare startup costs in Maine
Revenue, staff pay and rent from your own numbers.
Daycare business plan
How to write a plan for funding and licensing.
Tuition calculator
Typical rates by state and age group.
Ratio calculator
Staff needed for each age group, by state.

How do I start a daycare in Maine?

The first step: Register for the provider portal. All 8 steps are on this page, each with the state's own link.

Who licenses child care centers in Maine?

Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS). Licenses child care providers in Maine.

Steps checked on the state's own pages, November 4, 2026.

This page is a summary of the state's own pages. It is not legal advice, and rules change.

Tell us what you run or plan to open. A person on our team answers.