Louisiana rulebook · checked October 2026
In Louisiana, you may watch up to 6 counted children before a license is required.
Licensing agency: Louisiana Department of Education — Division of Licensing (family providers register for CCAP; centers license under BESE Bulletin 137)
The line: In Louisiana, you may watch up to 6 counted children before a license is required.
Even below the line: Private-pay family care at 6 or fewer needs no registration — but a home that receives state or federal funds (CCAP, the food program) must register, and registered family providers cap at 6 children in total, including your own children and any other children living at the residence under age 13.
| Category | Capacity | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Family Child Care Provider (CCAP-registered) | up to 6 | Your home, maximum 6 children in total — including your own children and resident children under 13 (or 13–17 with special needs). Family homes are registered/certified for CCAP, not licensed as centers. |
| Early Learning Center (licensed) | up to 12 | 7 or more children unrelated to the owner is an Early Learning Center under BESE Bulletin 137 — a center license, even in a house. (Center capacities run above 12; the home question ends at 7.) |
Rules checked October 2026 · Sources: La. R.S. 46:1441.5 (registration of family day care homes receiving state or federal funds; related-only care excluded); BESE Bulletin 137, §§ 301, 303 (center licensure at 7 or more unrelated children; registered family homes exempt from center rules); LAC Title 28, Part CLXV, § 309 (family child care provider certification; 6-child cap; 6:1 ratio). This page reads the published rules; it is not legal advice, and the Louisiana Department of Education — Division of Licensing (family providers register for CCAP; centers license under BESE Bulletin 137) is the final word.