Home daycare licensing / Oregon
Home daycare licensing in Oregon
What it takes to run a licensed home daycare in Oregon — who regulates it, how many children you can care for, and what an inspector checks.
Who regulates home daycare in Oregon
Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC), Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) is the state agency responsible for licensing or registering home child care in Oregon.
Oregon runs one of the highest home-based capacity ceilings in the country: a Certified Family Child Care Home can legally serve up to 16 children — more than double the cap in many neighboring states — though reaching that number depends on your home's square footage, your own qualifications, and how many toilets you have, not just a flat rule. Licensing runs through DELC's Child Care Licensing Division, a relatively young standalone department Oregon split out specifically to focus on early learning.
Visit Oregon Department of Early Learning and Care (DELC), Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD) →License types and capacity
Registered Family Child Care Home
Up to 10 children total; of those, a maximum of 6 may be preschool-age or younger (of which only 2 may be under 24 months).
The standard solo-provider entry tier; does not require a facility inspection the way Certified homes do.
Certified Family Child Care Home
Up to 16 children; actual capacity is determined by home square footage, provider education/experience, and number of toilets.
Requires meeting facility standards and typically additional qualified caregivers as headcount and infant ratio increase.
Background checks
Central Background Registry (CBR) application for the provider, all adults 18+ living in the home, frequent visitors, and any staff — includes an FBI fingerprint-based check, Oregon State Police check, DHS Child Protective Services check, and sex offender registry check.
Advantages of running a home daycare in Oregon
- Oregon's Certified Family Child Care Home ceiling (up to 16 children) is dramatically higher than most states' home-based caps.
- The two-tier Registered/Certified structure lets a new provider start light and step up only once the business justifies the added inspection and staffing requirements.
- DELC being a dedicated early-learning department generally means clearer, education-focused guidance.
Risks and things to watch
- The Certified tier's 16-child ceiling is aspirational for most solo providers — actual capacity is gated by square footage, toilets, and staffing.
- The infant sub-limit (2 children under 24 months in a Registered home) is a hard cap regardless of your total headcount.
- Oregon's Central Background Registry applies broadly — even 'frequent visitors' to the home may need to be registered.
Practical tips for Oregon providers
- If you're growing toward the Certified tier's higher ceiling, get a square-footage and toilet-count assessment from CCLD early.
- Start as a Registered home to build your track record and revenue before investing in the facility upgrades Certified status effectively requires.
- Register anyone who visits your home regularly (not just people who live there) with the Central Background Registry proactively.
See the full record set every inspector checks for what to have ready regardless of state.
Curious about licensing in other states?
Home daycare rules — capacity limits, ratios, background checks — vary a lot from state to state. You might want to check how Oregon compares:
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