Part 1: Understanding Types of Child Care Available in Maine

[Español] [Français] [Português] [Soomaali]

A multi-ethnic group of toddlers sitting on the floor playing with plastic blocks.

What are the types of child care in Maine?

Family Child Care – A program operated in the applicant’s or provider’s private residence, caring for consideration, for 3 to 12 children under 13 years of age who are not the children of the provider or who are not residing in the provider’s home.

Child Care Facilities – Child Care Facility means:

A house or other place in which a person maintains or otherwise carries out a regular program, for consideration, for any part of a day providing care and protection for 13 or more children under 13 years of age.

  • Any location or locations operated as a single Child care program or by a person or persons when there are more than 12 children being cared for.
  • Any program for children under 5 years of age that is located in a private school and programs that contract with one or more Child Development Services System sites are required to be licensed as a Child Care Facility (i.e., collaborative Public Pre-K programs that include Head Start, Child Development Services, or privately funded child care).

Small Child Care Facility – A house or other place, not the residence of the operator, in which a person maintains or otherwise carries out a regularly scheduled program, for any part of a day, providing care and protection for 3 to 12 children between 6 weeks and 12 years of age.

Nursery School – A house or other place in which a person provides care for 3 or more children between 33 months and 8 years of age, for a session no longer than three-and one-half hours in duration.

License Exempt Child Care

A Family Child Care Provider who is eighteen (18) years of age or older and a Maine resident is not required to be licensed if they are caring for children living in the Provider’s home and caring for:

  • 3 additional children
  • or 4 additional children, if at least 2 of those children are siblings
  • and no more than 3 of the total children in their care are under 2 years old

There are Child Care Licensing Specialists (CCLS) throughout the state of Maine who are here to support you in your journey of becoming licensed. To make a connection with the CCLS in your area, please call (207) 287-5020 or 624-7900 and ask for Child Care Licensing, or follow the link to view their website.