Maine rulebook · checked October 2026
Watching Kids at Home in Maine: How Many Before You Need a License?
In Maine, you may watch up to 3 counted children before a license is required.
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The Maine line, in facts
Licensing agency: Maine Department of Health and Human Services — Office of Child and Family Services, Child Care Licensing
The line: In Maine, you may watch up to 3 counted children before a license is required.
The categories above the line
| Category | Capacity | What it means |
|---|
| Family Child Care Provider (licensed) | up to 12 | Day care in your home, on a regular basis, for consideration, for 4 to 12 children under 13 who are not your children or do not live in your home. License term: 2 years. |
What comes with the license
- Ratios: 10-148 CMR ch.33 §7: 6 weeks to 2 years — 1 provider to 4 children; ages 2–5 — 1:8; over 5 — 1:12. Mixed ages with one provider: 3 under 2 + 3 ages 2–5 + 2 over 5 (= 8), or 8 ages 2–5 + 2 over 5 (= 10).
- Training before you open: Orientation training within the first 90 days of service (emergency procedures in the first week): the licensing rule, SIDS/SUID and safe sleep, medication, first aid/CPR with hands-on demonstration, and mandated reporter training.
- Training to stay open: 12 hours of training every year for all providers and staff, including a health and safety review; mandated reporter retraining at least every 4 years.
- State fees:
- Realistic timeline:
What catches people in Maine
- Maine's exempt line changed on September 24, 2025 (from 'fewer than 3 children' to 3 other children, or 4 with siblings). Any source showing the old 2-child line is pre-amendment.
- License-exempt providers who want Child Care Affordability Program payment must enroll with the Department — private exempt care needs no registration.
Rules checked October 2026 · Sources: 22 M.R.S. § 8301-A(1)(C) and (3) (family child care provider; licensure — as amended by P.L. 2025, c.135, eff. Sept. 24, 2025); 10-148 CMR ch.33 (Family Child Care Provider Licensing Rule), §§ 7–8 (ratios; training). This page reads the published rules; it is not legal advice, and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services — Office of Child and Family Services, Child Care Licensing is the final word.
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