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DaycareRules

Massachusetts EEC

How many kids can you watch without a license in Massachusetts?

Verified September 5, 2026

Massachusetts does not print a number of children you may keep before a license. A private residence that on a regular basis receives children under 7 for care is a family child care home and needs an EEC license; what falls outside is the occasional care of children, with or without compensation, and informal cooperative arrangements among neighbors or relatives, per M.G.L. c. 15D section 1A. Licenses come in three sizes: six or fewer children, seven to eight, and nine to ten, and once more than six children participate in child care the home must have at least one approved assistant.

The Massachusetts ladder, tier by tier

Massachusetts home child care tiers with capacity and age limits
TierChildrenAge limitsYour own kids
Family child care home (license to care for six or fewer children)fcc licenseup to 6
  • No more than 6 children in care at once M.G.L. c. 15D §1A 'Family child care home'
  • No more than 3 under 2y 606 CMR 7.10(4)(d), the multi-age grouping table; the column headers are quoted and the row this encodes is in the tier's ratioTable
Count
Large family child care home (license to care for seven or eight children)fcc license7 to 8
  • No more than 8 children in care at once 606 CMR 7.10(4)(e), the multi-age grouping table; the column headers are quoted and the row this encodes is in the tier's ratioTable
  • No more than 3 under 2y 606 CMR 7.10(4)(e), the multi-age grouping table; the column headers are quoted and the row this encodes is in the tier's ratioTable
  • At least 2 school age 606 CMR 7.09(15)(b)2
Count
Large family child care home (license to care for nine or ten children)fcc license9 to 10
  • No more than 10 children in care at once 606 CMR 7.10(4)(g), the multi-age grouping table; the column headers are quoted and the row this encodes is in the tier's ratioTable
  • No more than 6 under 2y 606 CMR 7.10(4)(g), the multi-age grouping table; the column headers are quoted and the row this encodes is in the tier's ratioTable
  • No more than 3 infant 606 CMR 7.10(4)(g), the multi-age grouping table; the column headers are quoted and the row this encodes is in the tier’s ratioTable
Count

Age limits and totals for every tier, with row-level citations, live on the Massachusetts home daycare ratios page.

What changes this answer

Occasional is not defined

Neither the statute nor 606 CMR 7.00 gives a number of hours or days for occasional care; the exclusion turns on the care not being regular. A standing weekday arrangement is regular.

The relative list

A relative under 606 CMR 7.02 is a parent, grandparent, great grandparent, aunt, uncle, great aunt, great uncle or sibling by blood, marriage or adoption. Cousins are not on it.

Educators set the under-two count

One educator: at most 3 children under two, with at least one walking toddler among them. Two educators: up to 6 under two. The nine-to-ten license runs at 6 under two with at most 3 infants under 15 months, and 6 infants only with three educators.

Seven and eight need school-age kids, and an assistant on staff

The seven-to-eight license requires that children beyond six be school-age, and the licensee must meet the experience requirements in 606 CMR 7.09(15) for each license size. Two texts share this ground. M.G.L. c. 15D section 1A makes an approved assistant part of the home’s staffing once more than six children participate, while the 606 CMR 7.10(4)(e) row says how many educators must be with the group, which is one for seven or eight.

Real questions, short answers

How many kids can you watch without a license in Massachusetts?

The law does not set a number: regular care of children under 7 in your home is licensable from the first unrelated child. Occasional care and informal cooperatives among neighbors or relatives are outside the definition, per M.G.L. c. 15D section 1A.

Can I watch my grandchildren and a neighbor's child?

Grandparents are relatives under 606 CMR 7.02, and an informal cooperative among neighbors is excluded; a regular paid arrangement for a neighbor's child is family child care that needs the license.

How many children fit a Massachusetts family child care license?

Six or fewer on the basic license, seven or eight with an approved assistant and school-age children beyond six, nine or ten with an assistant on the 606 CMR 7.10(4) rows, counting participating children who live in the residence.

How many infants can one Massachusetts educator have?

Three children under two, at least one of them a toddler walking independently, per 606 CMR 7.10(4)(d). With two educators the home may have six under two.

Who must the assistant be?

A certified assistant or regular assistant holding an EEC certificate. M.G.L. c. 15D section 1A requires a large family child care home to have at least one approved assistant once the total number of children participating in child care exceeds six.

Other states we have verified

Sources for Massachusetts

  • M.G.L. c. 15D section 1A, definitions c. 15D, 1A
  • 606 CMR 7.00, Standards for the Licensure or Approval of Family Child Care, Secretary of the Commonwealth publication 7.02, 7.09(15), 7.10(4)

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.