How to start a daycare in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) licenses child care centers in Rhode Island. 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 Rhode Island, step by step
Take orientation and pre-licensure training
Anyone opening a child care program completes the state's orientation and pre-licensure training.
Source: 218-RICR-70-00-1: Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for LicensurePass building and fire checks
Show a building inspection or certificate of occupancy. Show a State Fire Marshal inspection too.
Source: 218-RICR-70-00-1: Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for LicensureGet a playground inspection
A new facility needs a playground inspection before it is licensed.
Source: 218-RICR-70-00-1: Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for LicensureClear staff background checks
Every employee and volunteer who works with children completes a full background check.
Source: 218-RICR-70-00-1: Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for LicensureGet staff into the registry
Every staff member needs an approved RISES workforce registry profile before you are licensed.
Source: 218-RICR-70-00-1: Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for LicensureApply for each location
Send one digital application in RISES for each location, with all supporting documents.
Source: 218-RICR-70-00-1: Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for LicensureStart with a provisional license
Your first license is a provisional license for your first six months.
Source: 218-RICR-70-00-1: Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for Licensure
At a glance
- Who licenses centers
- Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Child Care Licensing. Licenses child care centers and school age programs.Source: 218-RICR-70-00-1: Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for Licensure
- Child day care center
- Care for children under 16, outside a home or residenceSource: R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-12.5-2. Definitions.
- License length
- One year, with continued complianceSource: R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-12.5-5. General licensing provisions.
- Buying a center
- The buyer still goes through the full first applicationSource: 218-RICR-70-00-1: Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for Licensure
- Unfinished applications
- Expire six months after you submit themSource: 218-RICR-70-00-1: Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for Licensure
- Unannounced visits
- At least two each yearSource: 218-RICR-70-00-1: Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for Licensure
Good to know
- State law says no one may provide child daycare services without a license.Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-12.5-4. License required.
- Your building also needs a lead check, unless it was built after 1978 or is a public school.Source: 218-RICR-70-00-1: Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for Licensure
- A program in a school that already passed fire, building and radon checks needs no separate ones.Source: R.I. Gen. Laws § 42-12.5-5. General licensing provisions.
Run a program in Rhode Island? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works
Plan your program
- How to start a home daycare in Rhode Island
The kinds of home daycare the state allows, and the steps.
- Rhode Island licensing guide
Ratios, trainings and the checklist the state asks for.
- Child care grants in Rhode Island
Grants the state runs for providers.
- Daycare startup costs in Rhode Island
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.
Questions, answered
How do I start a daycare in Rhode Island?
The first step: Take orientation and pre-licensure training. All 7 steps are on this page, each with the state's own link.
Who licenses child care centers in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Child Care Licensing. Licenses child care centers and school age programs.
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 Rhode Island?
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