Wisconsin Department of Children and Families - Division of Early Care and Education
Bureau of Early Care Regulation
Child Care Certification Policy Manual
Family Child Care Centers are facilities operated by a person required to be licensed under s. 48.65, Wis. Stats., and licensed by the department under s. 48.66, Wis. Stats., to provide care and supervision for between four and 12 (effective August 1, 2026) children under seven years of age for less than 24 hours a day.
Group Child Care Centers are facilities operated by a person required to be licensed under s.48.65, Wis. Stats., and licensed by the department under s. 48.66, Wis. Stats., to provide care and supervision for 13 or more (effective August 1, 2026) children under seven years of age for less than 24 hours a day.
Pursuant to s. 48.65 (1), Stats., No person may for compensation provide care and supervision for 4 or more children under the age of 7 for less than 24 hours a day unless that person obtains a license to operate a family or group child care center from the Department of Children and Families.
“Person” above refers to an entity. If two (2) individuals are providing care in one residence, the total number of children under 7 years of age cannot exceed 3 unless the home/facility is licensed.
Licensing is administered by the Bureau of Early Care and Regulation (BECR) through its regional offices.
The following scenarios are exempt from the licensing law:
A parent, grandparent, great-grandparent, stepparent, brother, sister, first cousin, nephew, niece, uncle, or aunt of a child who provide care and supervision for the child.
A guardian of a child who provides care and supervision for the child.
A public, parochial, private, or tribal school.
A person employed to come to the home of the child’s parent or guardian.
A county, city, village, town, school district or library that provides programs primarily intended for recreational or social purposes.
Note: The Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy Program may pay subsidy to programs operated by a public school district. If a child receiving subsidy attends a program operated by a private or parochial school, the program must obtain a license (or certification) before authorizations can be created and subsidy payments can be made.
There are three categories of licensed child care:
Effective August 1, 2026: Group child care centers are licensed to provide care and supervision to 13 or more children. Usually, this is care in a more formal setting outside the home. The rules for licensed group centers are listed in DCF 251, Wis. Admin. Code.
Effective August 1, 2026: Family child care centers serve four (4) to 12 children. The rules for licensed family centers are listed in DCF 250, Wis. Admin. Code.
Day camps provide care for four (4) or more children three years of age and older for less than 24 hours per day. In order for a day camp to receive Wisconsin Shares Child Care Subsidy, it must be licensed by the state. The rules for licensed day camps are found in DCF 252, Wis. Admin. Code.
This page last updated 07/2026.