Connecticut and Delaware child care license types explained
What Connecticut and Delaware call each kind of child care, how capacity and ages work, and what an active license does and does not tell you.
Child care comes in several forms, and each state uses its own labels. Knowing them makes the profiles on this site, and the state lookups, much easier to read. This guide covers Connecticut and Delaware. It is general information, not legal advice.
Connecticut
According to the Office of Early Childhood (OEC), child care centers provide regular care to more than twelve related or unrelated children outside of their homes. Group child care homes provide regular care for seven to twelve children, or meet the definition of a family child care home but operate in a facility other than a private home.
Family child care homes are private homes that care for up to six children, including the provider's own children who are not in school full-time. During the school year, providers may take up to three additional children who are in school full-time. Regular care is for no less than three and no more than twelve hours in a 24-hour period.
The OEC also describes a newer "large family child care endorsement" that allows some eligible family providers to care for up to 12 children, including their own, under a pilot program. This site lists centers, group homes and family homes; youth camps and license-exempt programs are not included.
Delaware
Delaware's Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) uses the terms licensed child care center, licensed family child care and licensed large family child care. Family and large family programs are home-based. Delaware's facility file lists capacity, the age range served, hours of operation and financial arrangements the program says it accepts, such as the Child Care Food Program or Purchase of Care. See kids.delaware.gov/occl.
A quick comparison
- Large group, non-home setting: Connecticut "child care center"; Delaware "licensed child care center".
- Small group in a private home: Connecticut "family child care home"; Delaware "licensed family child care".
- Larger home program: Delaware has "large family child care" as a standard category. In Connecticut, large family care is a newer endorsement under a pilot, so check the state record.
Why home-based programs have less detail here
For family child care homes we omit the street address and phone number from our profiles, because they are private homes. Use the state's lookup or a referral line to get in touch, and check the license there. In Connecticut, the 2-1-1 Child Care search tool and the state's eLicense lookup are both listed by the OEC for this purpose.
Capacity and ages
Capacity is the maximum the license allows, not the number of children currently enrolled. The state sets staff-to-child ratio and group size requirements by age, so ask any program how many children and adults are in the room your child would join. "Licensed for infants" in our lists means the state record shows the program may care for infants or children under three.
What an active license does and does not mean
An active license means the state has authorized the program to operate under its regulations. It is the starting point, not the finish line: licensing sets minimum standards and checks them by inspection. Quality varies above that floor, which is why visits and questions matter. Connecticut's eLicense lookup shows active licenses, licenses inactivated after 7/15/2011, and the past three years of substantiated complaint or incident history.
License-exempt care
Some care arrangements do not need a license, and we do not list them. If a program says it is exempt, ask why, and ask the state whether any other oversight applies. A relative or neighbor looking after a small number of children is a common example, but rules differ by state, so confirm with the licensing office.
Subsidies and other programs
Whether a program accepts state child care subsidies is something to confirm with the program and the state's assistance office. Delaware's profiles show the financial arrangements a program reports.
Next steps
- Look up programs in your town on this site and note each one's license type.
- Read the inspection sections: Connecticut or Delaware.
- Use questions to ask when touring.
- Questions about licensing in Connecticut: the OEC lists 860-500-4450 and 800-282-6063.
Questions to ask about the license type
- Is this program licensed as a center, a group home or a family home?
- What is the licensed capacity, and how many children are in my child's group?
- Does the license cover the age my child will be when we start, and when they turn the next age group?
- If the program is a home, who covers when the provider is sick or on vacation?
The answers help you compare a large center with a small home on equal terms. Neither is better in the abstract. Some families prefer the structure and staffing depth of a center. Others prefer the smaller group and continuity of a home. The license type simply tells you which rules apply, so you know which regulations to read about when you look at the inspection record.
Mixed-age groups and school-age care
Many programs care for children of several ages at once, and some run before- and after-school care. Ratios and group sizes depend on the ages in the room, so a program licensed for a broad range may group children differently across the day. Ask how groups are arranged at drop-off, at nap time and at the end of the day, when children of different ages are often combined. The state's record for the program shows what the license allows, and the director can explain how that works in practice.
General information only, current as of the date above. The information on CT & DE Child Care Records is not a safety rating or recommendation. Inspection records show what the state found on the dates shown; problems may since have been corrected, and a clean record does not guarantee future safety. Visit any program in person and check the state's own records before you choose. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.