Types of Care

In North Dakota, families can choose from a variety of child care options, from small, home-based programs to larger child care centers. This flexibility helps families find care that best fits their needs.

Licensed Child Care

Any person caring for more than 5 children, or more than 3 children under the age of 24 months, must be licensed. A provider's own children under age 12 must be counted in the total.

Setting

  • Programs are often in free-standing buildings, businesses, community centers, or places of worship.
  • They may be privately-owned, for-profit business or a non-profit entity that is governed by a board of directors.

Age range

  • Infants through 11 years old

Number of children

  • 19 or more children

Regulations

Monitoring

  • 1 announced monitoring visit per year
  • 1 unannounced monitoring visit per year

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) eligible

  • Yes

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligible

  • Yes

Setting

  • Private residence

Age range

  • Infants through 11 years old

Number of children

  • Up to 7 children (maximum 3 under 24 months), plus 2 school-age children.
    • Or: Up to 4 children under 24 months, plus 2 school-age children.
  • A provider’s own children under age 12 must be included in the total.

Regulations

Monitoring

  • 1 announced monitoring visit per year
  • 1 unannounced monitoring visit per year

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) eligible

  • Yes

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligible

  • Yes

Setting

  • Private residence (group-home license)
  • Non-residential building (group-facility license)

Age range

  • Infants through 11 years old

Number of children

  • Up to 30 children, dependent upon square-footage requirements, staffing ratios and local ordinances.
  • A provider’s own children under age 12 must be included in the total.

Regulations

Monitoring

  • 1 announced monitoring visit per year
  • 1 unannounced monitoring visit per year

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) eligible

  • Yes

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligible

  • Yes

Setting

  • Programs are often in free-standing buildings, businesses, homes, community centers, or places of worship.
  • They may be privately-owned, for-profit business or a non-profit entity that is governed by a board of directors.

Age range

  • 2 through 5 years old

Number of children

  • Varies, dependent upon square-footage requirements.

Regulations

Monitoring

  • 1 announced monitoring visit per year
  • 1 unannounced monitoring visit per year

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) eligible

  • Yes

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligible

  • No

Setting

  • Programs are often in free-standing buildings, businesses, homes, community centers, or places of worship.
  • They may be privately-owned, for-profit business or a non-profit entity that is governed by a board of directors.

Age range

  • 5 through 11 years old

Number of children

  • Varies, dependent upon square-footage requirements.

Regulations

Monitoring

  • 1 announced monitoring visit per year
  • 1 unannounced monitoring visit per year

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) eligible

  • Yes

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligible

  • Yes

What is a multiple licensed facility?

  • Multiple-licensed facilities are licensed to provide more than one type of early childhood service.
    • Center and Preschool license, or
    • Group and Preschool license

Setting

  • Programs are often in free-standing buildings, businesses, homes, community centers, or places of worship.
  • They may be privately-owned, for-profit business or a non-profit entity that is governed by a board of directors.

Age range

  • Infants through 11 years old

Number of children

  • Varies depending on license types.

Regulations

Monitoring

  • 1 announced monitoring visit per year
  • 1 unannounced monitoring visit per year

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) eligible

  • Yes

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligible

Yes

License Exempt Child Care

Any person caring for 5 or less children can choose to become a license-exempt provider. No more than 3 children may be under the age of 24 months. A provider's own children under age 12 must be counted in the total.

Setting

  • Private residence

Age range

  • Infants through 11 years old

Number of children

  • Up to 5 children (maximum 3 under 24 months)
  • A provider’s own children under age 12 must be included in the total.

Regulations

Monitoring

  • 1 announced monitoring visit per year
  • 1 unannounced monitoring visit per year

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) eligible

  • Yes

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligible

  • Yes

Setting

  • Child’s home

Age range

  • Infants through 11 years old

Number of children

  • Up to 5 children (maximum 3 under 24 months)

Regulations

Monitoring

  • Registered in-home providers are not licensed or monitored by Early Childhood Licensing.

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) eligible

  • No

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligible

  • If a child’s health would be at risk
    • Written documentation from a health care professional must be submitted to the CCAP State Administrator satisfactorily demonstrating the health risk to the child if the child is taken to an outside provider.
  • If a child has a disability
    • Written documentation must be provided to the CCAP State Administrator demonstrating that the child’s disability is such that taking the child to an outside provider creates an undue hardship.

Who can be an approved relative provider?

  • Approved relatives must be related by marriage, blood relationship or court order, including:
    • Grandparents.
    • Great-grandparents.
    • Aunts and uncles.
    • Sibling age 18 or older and who does not live in the same home as the children.

Setting

  • Private residence

Age range

  • Infants through 11 years old

Number of children

  • Up to 5 children (maximum 3 under 24 months)
  • A provider’s own children under age 12 must be included in the total.

Monitoring

  • Approved relative providers are not monitored by Early Childhood Licensing.

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) eligible

  • No

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligible

  • Yes

Learn more about becoming an Approved Relative Provider

Other Types of Care

Four-Year Old Programs are an approved child care program operated by a public or private educational entity designed to serve children in the year before kindergarten. 

Setting

  • Public or private school
  • Programs are open only during the school year and days/hours vary with each school district. 

Age range

  • Infants through 11 years old

Number of children

  • Varies by school

Monitoring

  • Four-Year Old Programs are not monitored by Early Childhood Licensing.

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) eligible

  • Yes

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligible

  • No

Learn more about Four-Year Old Program Approval

Head Start and Early Head Start are child development programs, serving children from birth to age five, expectant mothers and families. 

The overall goal of Head Start is to increase the social ability of children in low-income families and children with disabilities and improve the chances of success in school.

Setting

  • Programs may be based in centers, schools, or family child care homes.

Age range

  • Birth to age 3 (Early Head Start)
  • 3 to 5 years old (Head Start)

Number of children

  • Varies by school

Monitoring

  • It is not required for these programs to be state licensed; however, the programs that choose to become licensed are monitored by Early Childhood Licensing.

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) eligible

  • Yes

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligible

  • No, unless licensed by Early Childhood Licensing.

Learn more about Head Start

Setting

  • A government agency may operate a child care program, such as:
    • Family child care
    • Group child care
    • Preschool
    • School-age child care
    • A child care center
  • The agency must receive Early Childhood Licensing approval before operating.

Age range

  • Infants through 11 years old, dependent upon early childhood service type.

Number of children

  • Varies by early childhood service type.

Regulations

Monitoring

  • Public approval programs are not monitored by Early Childhood Licensing.

Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) eligible

  • No

Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) eligible

  • No

Questions? Contact us.

Early Childhood
600 E. Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 325
Bismarck, ND 58505-0250

Phone: (701) 328-2115
Toll-Free: (800) 997-8516
Relay ND TTY: 711
Email: dhsec@nd.gov