How to start a daycare in Michigan.
Michigan Department of Lifelong Education licenses child care centers in Michigan. 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 Michigan, step by step
Find a location
After you make a business plan, find a location for your center.
Source: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in MichiganCheck local requirements
Check with your city or township offices, building inspectors and fire marshal. Some towns add their own rules.
Source: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in MichiganApply in CCHIRP
Submit your application and other papers in the Child Care Hub Information Records Portal, called CCHIRP.
Source: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in MichiganPass a fire safety inspection
The Bureau of Fire Services does a plan review and inspection for every new center.
Source: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in MichiganGet an environmental health inspection
Contact your local health department to schedule an environmental health inspection.
Source: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in MichiganComplete background checks
After you apply, you get directions for the comprehensive background checks.
Source: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in MichiganPass the on-site inspection
Once all your paperwork is in, your consultant schedules an on-site inspection.
Source: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in MichiganGet your original license
When you meet the rules and the law, you get a 6-month original license.
Source: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in Michigan
At a glance
- Who licenses centers
- Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), Child Care Licensing Bureau. Issues state child care licenses, does routine inspections and looks into complaints.Source: Child Care Licensing
- Child care center
- A place that is not a home, caring for children under 13Source: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in Michigan
- Certificate of occupancy
- Needed before a center can legally operate in a buildingSource: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in Michigan
- Buildings from before 1978
- Need a lead-based paint inspection and a lead hazard risk assessmentSource: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in Michigan
- Raised playground equipment
- Needs an inspection by a Certified Playground InspectorSource: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in Michigan
- After the original license
- A regular license, valid for 2 yearsSource: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in Michigan
Good to know
- Before you buy or rent a space, the state suggests getting its inspections done first.Source: Resource Guide to Child Care Center Licensure in Michigan
Run a program in Michigan? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works
Plan your program
- How to start a home daycare in Michigan
The kinds of home daycare the state allows, and the steps.
- Michigan licensing guide
Ratios, trainings and the checklist the state asks for.
- 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.
Questions, answered
How do I start a daycare in Michigan?
The first step: Find a location. All 8 steps are on this page, each with the state's own link.
Who licenses child care centers in Michigan?
Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), Child Care Licensing Bureau. Issues state child care licenses, does routine inspections and looks into complaints.
About this page
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.
Questions about childcare in Michigan?
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