Illinois
Illinois licenses day care homes through the Department of Early Childhood, which took over child care licensing from DCFS on 1 July 2026. The licence is free and valid for three years. Before applying you complete 15 hours of pre-service training, pass background checks for everyone in the home aged 13 and over, and prepare the medical, radon and lead paperwork. A licensing representative then visits the home and sets the capacity.
Reference only, not legal advice. Requirements change; confirm with the licensing agency before you apply or renew. This page describes what the linked official sources say as of the verification date. It is not a determination that a home will be licensed.
Your licensing path
0 of 10 doneTick each step as you finish it. Ticks are saved in this browser only, per state. The order follows the agency process, with the annual obligations at the end.
A day care home license is issued only for the home where you and your family live. You cannot use a rented second home, an unattached garage or an outbuilding. Care away from your residence needs a centre license.
The department runs a free online orientation for home applicants. It explains the licensing process and helps you decide whether you meet the requirements before you spend money on medicals or home changes.
The 15 hours must be completed within one year before the application date and cover the topics in Appendix D of Rule 406. If you will care for infants, the hours must include SIDS, SUID, safe sleep and shaken baby syndrome. Mandated reporter training is required for all applicants.
Prepare a medical examination including TB, DPT and MMR; proof of high school diploma or equivalent; an affidavit that child support is current; Gateways Registry membership; radon testing within three years; and lead testing and a mitigation plan where required.
Everyone aged 13 and older living or working in the home is checked. Adults 18 and over are fingerprinted and receive a full check: Illinois State Police, FBI, state and national sex offender registries, the DCFS child abuse registry and any other state’s registry. There is no charge for the check.
Call the local licensing office before applying. The office provides the current packet, reviews your plans and takes the application. The license itself has no fee.
Once the application is complete and the background results are in, a licensing representative visits. The walk-through checks Rule 406, notes hazards, sets capacity, defines the areas used for care and explains the records you must keep.
A day care home license is valid for three years unless revoked. The licensed capacity and the ages of children allowed are printed on the license, which must be displayed in the home.
Complete 15 clock hours of in-service training per licensing year and expect annual unannounced visits from IDEC. Up to 5 excess hours can carry into the next year.
A renewal application is due at least six months before the license expires. If the application is timely, the existing license continues in full force while the renewal is processed.
Permit types
Illinois uses the categories below. Your numbers decide which one applies, and the category sets the fee and the inspection schedule.
| Type | Who it fits | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Day care home | The caregiver lives in the home. A high school diploma or equivalent, a medical exam and the pre-service training are required. | Up to 8 children under 12 alone, with age limits: up to 5 under 5 and 3 under 24 months, or up to 6 under 5 and 2 under 30 months. |
| Day care home with an assistant | A qualified assistant is present. Assistants are at least 14 and at least 5 years older than the oldest child they supervise. | The same 8-child group plus up to 4 additional school-age children, for a maximum of 12. |
| Group day care home | A separate license under Rule 408 for a larger home with a full-time qualified assistant. | 12 or more children with a full-time qualified assistant. This pack covers the day care home path. |
Fees
State fees are listed below. Local inspections, fingerprint vendors and tests can add costs that the state does not set.
| Item | Amount | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Application | $0 | Illinois does not charge for the day care home license. |
| License | $0 | No state license fee. |
| Background checks | $0 | The state check has no cost to the applicant. Fingerprinting is arranged through the state process. |
| Medical, radon and lead testing | Provider pays | These are not state license fees, but the applicant pays for the exam and home tests. |
| Fire and local inspections | Set locally | State fire marshal and municipal inspections can add fees. Confirm with the local authority. |
Forms index
The forms the agency publishes for this path. Links open the official form or the agency’s form page. Confirm the current version with your licensing office before you submit.
Application for Child Care Facility License ↗
Core application. Submit through the local IDEC licensing office.
Licensing Standards for Day Care Homes ↗
The standards the home visit is measured against, including Appendix D training topics.
Child Care Licensure rules and monitoring ↗
Current agency page for licensing, background checks and annual visits.
Commonly Used Provider Forms ↗
Form library still linked from the licensing process page.
Background checks
Illinois checks the whole household, not only the caregiver.
- Everyone aged 13 and older living or working in the home is subject to a check.
- Adults 18 and over are fingerprinted and receive a full check.
- The full check covers Illinois State Police, FBI, state and national sex offender registries, the DCFS child abuse and neglect tracking system, and the child abuse registry of any other state of residence.
- There is no cost for the check.
Training hours
Illinois sets both a pre-service requirement and an annual one.
- 15 hours of pre-service training, completed within one year before the application date.
- Topics follow Appendix D of Rule 406, including child development, health, safety, nutrition and business practices.
- Infant caregivers must cover SIDS, SUID, safe sleep and shaken baby syndrome.
- Mandated reporter training is required for all applicants.
- 15 clock hours of in-service training per licensing year, with up to 5 excess hours carried into the next year.
Capacity and ratios
One caregiver can care for up to 8 children under 12, but the age mix narrows the group.
A caregiver with an assistant may add up to 4 school-age children who attend school full time, for a maximum of 12. Night care is capped at 8 children.
The caregiver’s own children, related children and unrelated children under 12 living in the home count toward the 8.
| Group | Under 12 | Under 5 | Under 24 or 30 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mixed A | 8 | Up to 5 | Up to 3 under 24 months |
| Mixed B | 8 | Up to 6 | Up to 2 under 30 months |
| School age | 8 | 0 | 0 |
Space requirements
Illinois sets a floor area per child, with extra room for the youngest children.
- At least 35 square feet of floor space for each child in care.
- An additional 20 square feet for each child under 30 months.
- Space must be available for child care and must not be used for other purposes during operating hours.
- When licensed capacity exceeds 8 children, the home must meet the larger space and physical plant requirements in Rule 406.
Inspections
There is a home visit before the license, then annual unannounced monitoring.
- A licensing representative completes a walk-through before the license issues, checking Rule 406 and setting capacity.
- IDEC makes annual unannounced visits to all licensed child care programs.
- Monitoring reports are public through the Illinois Sunshine website.
Renewal and the three-year cycle
The license runs for three years, with annual training and visits in between.
- Renewal application due at least six months before the license expires.
- If the renewal application is timely, the existing license continues while it is processed.
- 15 in-service hours each licensing year.
- Annual unannounced monitoring visit.
- Report a change of address, capacity or household composition to the licensing office.
Document checklist
0 of 9 gathered9 items to gather before or during the application. Ticks are saved in this browser only.
Contacts and complaints
Who to call for the application, a complaint about a home, or a question about the license.
Licensing agency
Illinois Department of Early Childhood
Child Care Licensure, Questions.IDEC@illinois.gov.
Local office
Your local IDEC licensing office
Call before applying; the office provides the packet and reviews your plans.
Provider support
Local Child Care Resource and Referral agency
Help with training, the registry and business planning.
Licensing complaint
Your local IDEC licensing office
Or email Questions.IDEC@illinois.gov with the provider name and address.
Monitoring reports
Illinois Sunshine
Public licensing status and monitoring reports.
Official sources
Every requirement above is tied to one of these pages. They were fetched and read on 21 October 2026; the date is repeated on each entry.
- Agency pageChild Care LicensureIllinois Department of Early Childhoodhttps://idec.illinois.gov/forproviders/licensure.html
- Agency pageAn Overview of the Licensing ProcessIllinois Department of Children and Family Serviceshttps://sunshine.dcfs.illinois.gov/Content/Licensing/BecomeLicensed.aspx
- RuleLicensing Standards for Day Care Homes (89 Ill. Adm. Code 406)Illinois Department of Children and Family Serviceshttps://dcfs.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dcfs/documents/about-us/policy-rules-and-forms/documents/rules/rules-406.pdf
- FormCFS 597, Application for Child Care Facility LicenseIllinois Department of Children and Family Serviceshttps://dcfs.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/dcfs/documents/about-us/policy-rules-and-forms/documents/cfs-500/cfs-597-application-for-child-care-facility-license.pdf
Not verified here, confirm with the agency
- The licensing agency changed on 1 July 2026. Some DCFS pages still host the process description and forms. Confirm the current form version with your local IDEC office before submitting.
- The department does not publish a fixed processing time for a home license on the pages reviewed. Timing depends on the home visit, fire and local inspections and background results.
- Fire marshal and municipal inspection fees are set locally and were not confirmed in this review.