New Jersey rulebook · checked October 2026

Watching Kids at Home in New Jersey: How Many Before You Need a License?

In New Jersey, you may watch up to 5 counted children before a license is required — and New Jersey counts your own children (5 or younger) in that number.

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The New Jersey line, in facts

Licensing agency: New Jersey Department of Children and Families — Office of Licensing; family registration runs through county Child Care Resource & Referral agencies

The line: In New Jersey, you may watch up to 5 counted children before a license is required — and New Jersey counts your own children (5 or younger) in that number.

Your own children: counted — New Jersey includes your own children (5 or younger) in the numbers that decide your category.

The categories above the line

Category	Capacity	What it means
Registered Family Child Care Home	up to 5	Registration is VOLUNTARY at 5 or fewer children under 13 — required only if you want subsidy payment, referrals or the food program. There is no New Jersey group family home: at 6 or more children under 13 the home must be licensed as a child care CENTER.

What comes with the license

Ratios: At most 5 children per provider at a time, and no more than 2 of them 23 months old or younger (N.J.A.C. 10:126A-2.2).
Training before you open: Pre-service training including pediatric CPR and first aid, administered through your county CCR&R sponsoring organization (the sponsoring organizations report 18 hours pre-service).
Training to stay open: The sponsoring organizations report 20 additional training hours across the 3-year certificate period.
State fees: Registration runs through your county Child Care Resource & Referral agency, which reports a $25 registration fee for the 3-year certificate.
Realistic timeline:

What catches people in New Jersey

New Jersey is the rare state where home care at 5 or fewer is never required to register — the certificate is a business choice (subsidy, referrals, food program), not a legal line.
Your own and foster children only count toward the 5 when they are 5 years old or younger.

Rules checked October 2026 · Sources: N.J.A.C. 10:126 (Manual of Requirements for Family Child Care Registration); N.J.A.C. 10:126A-2.2 (maximum children; own and foster children count only at age 5 or younger); N.J.A.C. 3A:52 (centers — 6 or more children); NJ Department of Children and Families, Office of Licensing. This page reads the published rules; it is not legal advice, and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families — Office of Licensing; family registration runs through county Child Care Resource & Referral agencies is the final word.

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