Types of care

In Wisconsin there are two regulatory agencies for child care programs: State Licensed Child Care and County Certified Child Care.

State Licensed Child Care:
• Wisconsin law requires that a person must obtain a license (from WI DCFS) to operate a child care business if they care for four or more unrelated children, under the age of seven years. Child care licensing regulations require that a child care program meet minimum health, safety and training regulations.
• The Wisconsin Department of Children & Family Services, Division of Community Services regulates child care programs referred to as group child care centers and family child care programs.

Group child care centers:
Licensed group child care centers provide child care for 9 or more children at one time and care is provided outside of a residential home.
The age of the children that care is provided for may be infants, toddlers, preschoolers and/or school-age children, or any combination.
Care may be offered for the full day or on a part time basis.
Different types of group child care programs include:
• Public or private
• Preschools
• Nursery Schools
• Private kindergartens
• Head Start programs
• Parent cooperatives

The number of children and teachers in a class depends on the ages of the children in each group. See chart in a new window.

Educational Requirements:
A lead teacher at a group child care center is required to complete at least 80 hours of early childhood education.
Assistant teachers at a group child care center is required to complete at least 40 hours of early childhood education.
When caring for children under the age of 2, teachers and assistant teachers are required to complete an infant/toddler course.
All staff are required to complete 25 hours of continuing education each year.

Licensed Family Child Care:
State licensed family child care programs care for up to 8 children in their own home.
The age of the children that care is provided for may be infants, toddlers, preschoolers and/or school-age children, or any combination.
Care may be offered for the full day or on a part time basis.
The number of children allowed in family child care varies by the ages of the children present. See chart for child to staff ratios.

Educational Requirements:
A family child care provider is required to complete at least 40 hours of early childhood education.
When caring for children under the age of 2, family child care providers are required to complete an infant/toddler course.
Family child care providers are required to complete 15 hours of continuing education each year.


County Certified Child Care:
• In Wisconsin, county human service departments, or tribal agencies, can certify a family child care provider to care for up to 6 children. There are two levels of county certification ~ regular certification (see below) and provisional certification(see below).
• Certified family child care providers may care for up to three unrelated children. An additional three children may be cared for in some cases. See chart for child to staff ratios.

Regular certification requires that a regularly certified provider complete 15 - 20 hours of training in early childhood education, and requires 5 hours of continuing education each year.

Provisional certification requires no initial, annual or on-going training. A provisional certified provider is not required to have any training in early childhood education and is generally only caring for relatives.

Unregulated Child Care:
Anyone caring for 1 to 3 children in the caregiver’s own home, who is not county certified or state licensed.

Illegal Child Care:
Anyone caring for more than 3 children, in the caregiver’s home, without obtaining a license from the State, or certification from the County is providing child care illegally.