How to start a home daycare in Illinois.
Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC) oversees home daycares in Illinois. 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 3, 2026.
The kinds of home daycare Illinois allows
Early care and education home
More than 3 and up to 12 children
The rules still call it a day care home. A caregiver alone may care for up to 8.
Source: 225 ILCS 10/2.18Group early care and education home
More than 3 and up to 16 children
The rules still call it a group day care home. More than 12 children takes two assistants.
Source: 225 ILCS 10/2.20License exempt family child care
Up to 3 children, or children from one family
No license is needed at this size.
Source: Child Care Licensure: Provider Licensing Information
Starting a home daycare in Illinois, step by step
Finish 15 hours of training
Within a year before you apply, finish at least 15 hours of pre-service training.
Source: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4, Application for License (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes)Join the Gateways Registry
You and your assistants join the Gateways to Opportunity Registry. Enter your education and training there.
Source: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4, Application for License (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes)Test your home for radon
Show that your home was tested for radon in the last 3 years.
Source: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4, Application for License (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes)Write a hazard plan
Write down the hazards in your home and yard, and how you will keep children safe.
Source: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4, Application for License (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes)Sign up for background checks
You, anyone who helps you and everyone 13 or older in your home sign for a background check.
Source: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4, Application for License (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes)Send a complete application
Send the Application for Home License with everything it asks for.
Source: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4, Application for License (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes)Get fire safety approval
Your home needs written fire safety approval before you get a permit or a license.
Source: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4, Application for License (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes)Have your home visit
A licensing representative visits your home before a permit is issued.
Source: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.7, Provisions Pertaining to Permits (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes)
At a glance
- Who oversees home daycares
- Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC). Licenses child care programs, homes included, and holds them to health and safety standards.Source: Child Care Licensure: Provider Licensing Information
- Where care happens
- Only in the home where you and your family liveSource: An Overview of the Licensing Process
- Your own children
- Your own children under 12 who live with you count toward the limitSource: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.13, Number and Ages of Children Served (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes)
- Education
- A high school diploma, an equivalent certificate or a degreeSource: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4, Application for License (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes)
- First approval
- A permit, with 2 months to meet the rest of the license rulesSource: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.7, Provisions Pertaining to Permits (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes)
- Rules for homes
- 23 Ill. Adm. Code Part 2007, which replaced 89 Ill. Adm. Code 406Source: Child Care Licensure: Provider Licensing Information
Good to know
- Licenses issued before July 1, 2026 came from DCFS. Since then, IDEC issues them.Source: 225 ILCS 10/3
- To care for children away from your own home, you need a day care center license.Source: An Overview of the Licensing Process
- Your home must also follow local and city rules. A home that does not may be stopped from operating.Source: 23 Ill. Adm. Code 2007.4, Application for License (Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes)
Run a program in Illinois? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works
Plan your program
- How to start a daycare in Illinois
Opening a child care center: the steps and the agency.
- Illinois 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 home daycare in Illinois?
The first step: Finish 15 hours of training. All 8 steps are on this page, each with the state's own link.
Who oversees home daycares in Illinois?
Illinois Department of Early Childhood (IDEC). Licenses child care programs, homes included, and holds them to health and safety standards.
How many children can a home daycare in Illinois care for?
Early care and education home: More than 3 and up to 12 children. Group early care and education home: More than 3 and up to 16 children. License exempt family child care: Up to 3 children, or children from one family.
About this page
Steps checked on the state's own pages, November 3, 2026.
This page is a summary of the state's own pages. It is not legal advice, and rules change.
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