How to start a home daycare in Maine.
Maine Department of Health and Human Services oversees home daycares in Maine. 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 Maine allows
Family child care provider
4 to 12 children under 13 who are not yours
Care happens in your own home, for pay, on a regular basis.
Source: Title 22, §8301-A: Licensure of child care facilities and family child care providers
Starting a home daycare 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 LicensingFinish the required training
Complete the training the Department approves for family child care.
Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 33: Family Child Care Provider Licensing RuleClear background checks
You, your staff and household members over 18 complete the state's background checks.
Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 33: Family Child Care Provider Licensing RuleSchedule fingerprinting
Everyone who needs a background check books a fingerprinting appointment.
Source: Child Care Provider Background ChecksPass a fire safety inspection
No license is issued until your home passes a fire safety inspection.
Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 33: Family Child Care Provider Licensing RuleGet your landlord's approval
If you rent, get your landlord's written approval to use the space for child care.
Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 33: Family Child Care Provider Licensing RuleApply on the Department's forms
Apply for your first license to Maine DHHS, on the forms it gives you.
Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 33: Family Child Care Provider Licensing RuleGet your license before you start
Your license must be issued before you begin caring for children.
Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 33: Family Child Care Provider Licensing Rule
At a glance
- Who oversees home daycares
- Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS). Licenses family child care providers in Maine.Source: Child Care
- First license
- A provisional license for 3 to 12 monthsSource: 10-148 CMR Chapter 33: Family Child Care Provider Licensing Rule
- Full license
- Good for 2 yearsSource: 10-148 CMR Chapter 33: Family Child Care Provider Licensing Rule
- Other buildings
- A building on the same property as your home may be licensedSource: 10-148 CMR Chapter 33: Family Child Care Provider 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
- Background checks
- Repeated every 5 yearsSource: Child Care Provider Background Checks
Good to know
- A license works only at the place it was issued for. A move needs a new license first.Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 33: Family Child Care Provider Licensing Rule
- Report any other business licenses you hold at your home when you apply.Source: 10-148 CMR Chapter 33: Family Child Care Provider Licensing Rule
Run a program in Maine? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works
Plan your program
- How to start a daycare in Maine
Opening a child care center: the steps and the agency.
- 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.
Questions, answered
How do I start a home 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 oversees home daycares in Maine?
Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS). Licenses family child care providers in Maine.
How many children can a home daycare in Maine care for?
Family child care provider: 4 to 12 children under 13 who are not yours.
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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