They say that when you love your job, it does not feel like work anymore. There are people who are fond of gardening. There are those who love to cook. And some adores kids so much they turn it into a profession just for the love of children.
Little did everyone know that running a Daycare Center can be a lucrative business. In fact, most families who cannot take care of their child due to work among other reasons, spend as much money, or maybe even more on child care than families who send their child to college. That is how in demand child care in the US is.
To make a better argument, let us put in some figures. In 2016, in almost half of the US states, married couples spend over 12% of their household income in child care and around 17 to18 states with married couples spending around 10% to 12%. It even exceeds expenditures for housing, transportation, education, and food.
So, can you blame the government if it imposes strict requirements when it comes to licensing Child Care Centers and Day Care facilities?
How much does a daycare license cost in America?
Average Cost of Daycare License
The cost to get certified to run a daycare varies per state, depending on what type of child care license, the capacity, among others. Because of this, it may be difficult to address the average cost of Daycare license across the country.
Let us say, in California, the Family Child Care application fee costs $73, the license fee is also $73. The Child Care Center application fee costs $484, the license fee for one year ranges from $242 to $1,210 depending on the capacity.
In North Dakota, Family Child Care costs $20 per year and $35 for a license valid for two years. While the Group Child Care costs $25 per year and $35 for two years.
The Family Home Child Care in Washington costs $30 per year while the Child Care Centers and school age center programs cost $125 per year for the first 12 children and an additional of $12 per year for each child after the first 12. This is capped up to the maximum number of children the facility is licensed.
If you want a business that is less hassle to put up, you may want to consider franchising so you do not need to be bothered by how much does a daycare license cost. A daycare franchise costs around $59,000 up to $3 million.
Additional Costs
Expect minimal fees like fingerprinting and processing fees on top of the cost to get certified to run a daycare.
In California, you will be fined $200 per day if you are caught operating without a license, not to mention being subjected to criminal charges as it is strictly prohibited under the state’s law.
Late charges are also being imposed on certain states.
Where to Get Daycare License
To get your Daycare license and to know more about the various requirements, please contact your state’s Child Care agency through the following:
| State | Phone Number | Toll Free Number | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 334-242-1425 | 866-528-1694 | |
| Alaska | 907-269-4500 | 888-268-4632 | |
| Arizona | 602-364-2539 | 800-615-8555 | |
| Arkansas | 501-682-8590 | 800-445-3316 | |
| California | 916-229-4500 | ||
| Colorado | 303-866-5958 | 800-799-5876 | |
| Connecticut | 860-509-8045 | 800-282-6063 | |
| Delaware | 302-892-5800 | 800-822-2236 | |
| Dist. of Columbia | 202-442-5929 | ||
| Florida | 850-488-4900 | ||
| Georgia | 404-657-5562 | 888-442-7735 | |
| Hawaii | 808-586-7050 | ||
| Idaho | 211(Careline) | 800-926-2588 |
|
| Illinois | 217-785-2688 | 877-746-0829 | |
| Indiana | 317-232-1144 | 877-746-0829 |
|
| Iowa | 515-281-0429 | 877-511-1144 | |
| Kansas | 785-296-1270 | ||
| Kentucky | 502-564-7962 | ||
| Louisiana | 225-342-9905 | ||
| Maine | 207-287-9300 | 800-791-4080 |
|
| Maryland | 410-767-7805 | 800-332-6347 | |
| Massachusetts | 617-988-6600 | ||
| Michigan | 517-335-6124 | 866-685-0006 | |
| Minnesota | 651-296-3971 | ||
| Mississippi | 601-364-2827 | 866-489-8734 |
|
| Missouri | 573-751-2450 | ||
| Montana | 406-444-2012 | ||
| Nebraska | 402-471-1802 | 800-600-1289 | |
| Nevada | 775-684-4463 | ||
| New Hampshire | 603-271-4624 | 800-852-3345 |
|
| New Jersey | 609-826-3980 | 877-667-9845 | |
| New Mexico | 505-771-5901 | 800-832-1321 | |
| New York | 518-474-9454 | 800-732-5207 | |
| North Carolina | 919-662-4499 | 800-859-0829 | |
| North Dakota | 701-328-3541 | 800-472-2622 |
|
| Ohio | 614-752-0435 | 866-886-3537 | |
| Oklahoma | 405-521-3561 | 800-347-2276 | |
| Oregon | 503-947-1400 | 800-556-6616 | |
| Pennsylvania | 717-346-9320 | ||
| Rhode Island | 401-528-3624 | ||
| South Carolina | 803-898-9020 | 800-556-7445 | |
| South Dakota | 605-773-4766 | 800-227-3020 | |
| Tennessee | 615-313-4778 | 800-462-8261 | |
| Texas | 512-834-3195 | 800-862-5252 |
|
| Utah | 801-538-9084 | ||
| Vermont | 802-241-3110 | 800-649-2642 |
|
| Virginia | 804-726-7165 | 800-543-7545 | |
| Washington | 360-725-4665 | 866-482-4325 | |
| West Virginia | 304-558-1885 | ||
| Wisconsin | 608-266-9314 | ||
| Wyoming | 307-777-6595 |
Factors Affecting Daycare License Cost
How much does a daycare license cost would depend on the several factors like:
- State – your place of residence will be the foremost factor that will affect how much the cost to get certified to run a daycare will be.
- Family Child Care or Group Child Care – these two types of licenses vary in rate as the latter costs higher.
- Capacity – majority of the states base the license fee on the capacity of the building to accommodate how many children. This is in compliance with the state and federal rules to ensure that proper care and attention for each child is optimized.
- Age of the children – in some cases, the age of the children are grouped and each group has varying cost of license.