Arkansas writes home staffing as a table in PUB-001 section 301. One caregiver may have six children with no more than three under two, seven with two under two, eight with one under two, nine with none under two and no more than three aged two to three, or ten when every child is three or older. Above ten a second caregiver is required, and two caregivers may reach nine or fourteen children with no more than four under two, or sixteen with no more than two under two. A home specializing in infant care keeps one caregiver for every three infants under 302.1. The caregiver’s own preschool children count in the ratio.
Every tier, every cap
Child Care Family Home (Licensed Home)
No more than 16 children in care at once PUB-001 (Rev. 12/01/2020) §102.4
Option 1: up to 6 children, max 3 under2 PUB-001 (Rev. 12/01/2020) §301 Staff to Child Ratios, table row group 301.1, table rows transcribed cell by cell under the column headers "Adult Caregiver(s)" = ONE, "Number of Children", "Ages of Children"
Option 2: up to 7 children, max 2 under2 PUB-001 (Rev. 12/01/2020) §301 Staff to Child Ratios, table row group 301.1, table rows transcribed cell by cell under the column headers "Adult Caregiver(s)" = ONE, "Number of Children", "Ages of Children"
Option 3: up to 8 children, max 1 under2 PUB-001 (Rev. 12/01/2020) §301 Staff to Child Ratios, table row group 301.1, table rows transcribed cell by cell under the column headers "Adult Caregiver(s)" = ONE, "Number of Children", "Ages of Children"
Option 4: up to 9 children, max 0 under2, max 3 2to3 PUB-001 (Rev. 12/01/2020) §301 Staff to Child Ratios, table row group 301.1, table rows transcribed cell by cell under the column headers "Adult Caregiver(s)" = ONE, "Number of Children", "Ages of Children"
Option 5: up to 10 children, max 0 under2, max 0 2to3 PUB-001 (Rev. 12/01/2020) §301 Staff to Child Ratios, table row group 301.1, table rows transcribed cell by cell under the column headers "Adult Caregiver(s)" = ONE, "Number of Children", "Ages of Children"
With an assistant: an additional adult is required above 10 children.
Your own children: count toward these caps.
Registered Child Care Family Home
No more than 5 children in care at once PUB-003 (Rev. 12/01/2020) §201.6 (Administrative Procedures)
Your own children: count toward these caps.
Relative Child Care Family Home
No more than 5 children in care at once PUB-003 (Rev. 12/01/2020) §103.2
Your own children: count toward these caps.
In-Home Child Care Provider
No more than 5 children in care at once PUB-003 (Rev. 12/01/2020) §103.3
Your own children: count toward these caps.
How Arkansas defines the age bands
under 2 years: 0 to 24 months
between 2 and 3 years: 24 to 36 months
2 up: 24 to open months
3 up: 36 to open months
0 up: 0 to open months
Infants (children twelve (12) months and below): 0 to 12 months
Mixed ages in one room
Under two and two to three are the only age lines in the table. There is no separate infant band; the one-to-three infant figure is a whole-home rule for infant-specialty homes.
Real questions, short answers
How many children under two can one Arkansas caregiver have?
Three in a group of six. Each additional child above six removes one under-two slot until the group reaches nine with none under two.
When does an Arkansas licensed home need a second caregiver?
Above ten children, per PUB-001 301.2. Two caregivers reach sixteen with no more than two under two.
What is the ratio in an Arkansas infant home?
One caregiver for every three children, per PUB-001 302.1.
Ark. Code Ann. Title 20, Chapter 78, Subchapter 2, current through the 2025 Regular Session 20-78-202, 20-78-203, 20-78-208, 20-78-221
Minimum Licensing Requirements for Child Care Family Homes, PUB-001, revised December 1, 2020 102.4, 102.7, 301, 302.1
Registration Requirements for Registered Child Care Family Homes, PUB-003, revised December 1, 2020 103.2, 103.7, 201.6
DaycareRules is an informational reference about home child care licensing rules in the United States. It reprints thresholds, capacity limits, ratios and citations from state statutes and regulations, together with the date each state was last verified. Nothing on this site is legal advice, and rules change. Confirm with your state licensing agency before acting on any number printed here.