How to start a home daycare in Delaware.
Delaware Department of Education oversees home daycares in Delaware. These are the kinds it allows and the steps, each with the state's own page.
Steps checked on the state's own pages, November 4, 2026.
The kinds of home daycare Delaware allows
Level I family child care home
Up to 5 or 6 children, by age
Care is in a private home. The ages of the children set the limit.
Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care HomesLevel II family child care home
Up to 9 children, by age
Allows more children than Level I. The ages of the children set the limit.
Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care HomesLarge family child care home
Up to 12 children
The children's ages decide how many staff you need.
Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care Homes
Starting a home daycare in Delaware, step by step
Attend an information session
Go to an OCCL information session and orientation to learn the process and rules.
Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care HomesSend the initial license application
Send the initial license application for a family or a large family child care home.
Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care HomesShow zoning approval
Show that your home meets zoning codes.
Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care HomesTest for radon
Show each room used for child care is free of radon hazards, using EPA guidelines.
Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care HomesGet an electrical inspection
Have your home's wiring inspected by an agency the State Fire Marshal recognizes.
Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care HomesClear fingerprint checks
You and every adult in your home need state and federal fingerprint checks. So do staff, substitutes and adult volunteers.
Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care HomesFinish pre-service training
Send proof of pre-service training, if you will work with the children.
Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care HomesPass the inspection
A licensing specialist reviews your application and inspects your home.
Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care Homes
At a glance
- Who oversees home daycares
- Delaware Department of Education, Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL). Writes and enforces child care rules, and licenses child care facilities.Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care Homes
- Who counts
- Children living in the home who are not yet in kindergartenSource: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care Homes
- Health checks
- You and every adult in the home, with a TB test or risk assessmentSource: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care Homes
- CPR and first aid
- Current, for the ages of the children in careSource: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care Homes
- First license
- A six-month initial provisional licenseSource: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care Homes
- Older homes
- A lead-paint risk assessment if built before 1978Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care Homes
Good to know
- To move from Level I to Level II, you need written approval from OCCL first.Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care Homes
- Paid care only for your own children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews or stepchildren needs no license.Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care Homes
- A large family child care home may be in the licensee's own home or in a non-residential building.Source: DELACARE: Regulations for Family and Large Family Child Care Homes
Run a program in Delaware? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works
Plan your program
- How to start a daycare in Delaware
Opening a child care center: the steps and the agency.
- Delaware licensing guide
Ratios, trainings and the checklist the state asks for.
- Child care grants in Delaware
Grants the state runs for providers.
- Daycare startup costs in Delaware
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 home daycare in Delaware?
The first step: Attend an information session. All 8 steps are on this page, each with the state's own link.
Who oversees home daycares in Delaware?
Delaware Department of Education, Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL). Writes and enforces child care rules, and licenses child care facilities.
How many children can a home daycare in Delaware care for?
Level I family child care home: Up to 5 or 6 children, by age. Level II family child care home: Up to 9 children, by age. Large family child care home: Up to 12 children.
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.
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