Louisiana Department of Education Licensing
Louisiana does not license home child care at all. An individual who cares for six or fewer children in a private residence as the sole caregiver is a family child care provider, and registration with the Department of Education is required only if the provider directly or indirectly receives state or federal funds for the care, per R.S. 17:407.62 and 17:407.63. Seven or more unrelated children on a regular basis for at least 12.5 hours a week makes the place a child day care center that must be licensed as an early learning center.
| Tier | Children | Age limits | Your own kids |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family Child Care Providerfcc registration | up to 6 |
| Count |
| In-Home Child Care Providerinhome registration | up to 6 |
| See rule |
Age limits and totals for every tier, with row-level citations, live on the Louisiana home daycare ratios page.
The licensing law counts a caregiver's natural or adopted children, grandchildren and legal custody children as related. The registration law and Bulletin 139 add nieces and nephews. Which list applies depends on whether the question is a center threshold or a registration one.
Providers who receive no state or federal funds related to the care, and individuals caring only for related family members, are not required to register, per R.S. 17:407.63(B). Registration must precede any such funds.
Bulletin 139 caps a family child care provider at 6 children under 13, including the provider's own children under 13, with a flat 6 to 1 ratio and no age rows.
A child day care center is a place caring for seven or more children not related to the caregiver, on a regular basis, for at least 12.5 hours in a continuous seven-day week; operating one without a license can draw fines of up to 1,000 dollars a day under Bulletin 137.
Up to six in a private residence as the sole caregiver, because Louisiana has no home license; only the center threshold of seven or more unrelated children triggers licensing, per R.S. 17:407.33(3) and 17:407.62(5).
Only if you directly or indirectly receive state or federal funds for the care. Providers paid entirely by parents and relatives caring only for related children are not required to register, per R.S. 17:407.63.
Under Bulletin 139 section 309, the provider's own children under 13 count toward the six-child cap of a registered family child care provider.
Care on a regular basis for at least twelve and one-half hours in a continuous seven-day week, counting transport time, per R.S. 17:407.33(3).
A registered provider who cares for up to six children in the children's own home rather than the provider's, under Bulletin 139 section 311; the same funding rule decides whether registration is required.
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.