How to Start a Daycare in California

California has one rule that reorders everything else: you must attend an orientation before your application will be accepted at all. Child care is licensed by the Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division. The orientation fee is $50 per person for a child care center, or $25 for a family child care home. CDSS does not publish current application and annual fees on its website and says to contact your local licensing office, so get that number from them rather than from an article.

Every figure below is sourced to the agency that issues it.Updated October 9, 2026

The short version

Who licenses you
California CDSS, Community Care Licensing Division
Orientation
Required before applying (Applications are not accepted until you complete it)
Orientation fee
$50 per person ($25 for Family Child Care Homes. Non-refundable.)
Application fee
Charged, amount not published (CDSS says contact your local licensing agency)
Application booklet
LIC 281A (Child care centers. LIC 279A for family child care homes.)
Orientation format
Online or in person

The steps, in order

  1. Book the orientation first, because nothing moves until it is done

    Cost: $50 per person ($25 for family child care homes)

    CDSS is explicit: to get a Child Care Center License you must attend an orientation, and applications will not be accepted until after you have completed it. Orientations are offered online and in person, with in-person sessions scheduled regularly around California.

    There is an orientation fee charged to each person attending a department-sponsored orientation: $25.00 per person for Family Child Care Homes and $50.00 for all other licensing categories (except Foster Family Homes). It is non-refundable.

    Because this gates everything else, book it before you look at buildings or buy anything.

  2. Decide: child care center or family child care home

    California licenses these as different categories with different application packets and different orientation fees. A Child Care Center uses application booklet LIC 281A. A Family Child Care Home uses LIC 279A.

    The home route is the cheaper entry and the orientation is half the price, which tells you something about the relative scale of the two. It is a real business, not a lesser one.

  3. Get your real fee from the local licensing office

    CDSS charges a standard, non-refundable application fee to all new facilities at the time of applying, and an annual fee thereafter. What it does not do is publish a clear current figure on its licensing fees page, and it states that fees can change annually and that you should check with CCLD or your local licensing agency for current amounts.

    We are not going to invent a number here. Call your regional licensing office, ask for the current application fee and annual fee for your capacity, and write down who told you.

    Do not budget from a fee schedule PDF you find online. Several in circulation are a decade old. Get the current figure from your regional CCLD office.

  4. Learn the regulations before you design the space

    CDSS requires you to be familiar with all Child Care Center licensing laws and regulations. That sounds like boilerplate, and it is also the practical difference between passing and failing your first inspection.

    Ratios, square footage per child indoors and out, and staff qualifications drive your actual economics far more than the licensing fee does. Read them before you sign a lease, because a building that cannot meet the space requirements cannot be fixed with paperwork.

    Director qualifications in California include specified early childhood education units and administration coursework. The exact unit counts are in Title 22 rather than on the licensing overview page, so confirm the current requirement with CCLD before you hire or enroll in courses.

  5. Submit the application packet and complete background checks

    You complete and submit all the information and forms required in the application packet, which CDSS will not accept until your orientation is done. Background checks and fingerprinting apply to the licensee, the director and staff.

    Build your timeline around clearance rather than around your lease start date. Clearance is the step that does not respond to urgency.

    Fingerprinting and background clearance costs and processing times are not stated on the CDSS pages used here. Ask your regional office what each role requires and what it costs per person.

  6. Register the business and get your EIN

    Separate from your child care license. File with the California Secretary of State if you are forming an LLC or corporation, and get a free EIN from the IRS so you can hire and open a business bank account.

    California's annual LLC franchise tax applies regardless of profit and catches new owners out. Confirm with the Franchise Tax Board or a California CPA before you choose a structure.

  7. Use the free advisors

    California's SBDC network offers no-cost business advising. For a business whose costs are set by regulated ratios, someone who has modeled those numbers before is genuinely useful.

What it costs

ItemAmount
Orientation, child care centerNon-refundable. Required before applying.$50 per person
Orientation, family child care homeNon-refundable$25 per person
Application feeCharged to all new facilities, non-refundableNot published; ask CCLD
Annual feeVaries by capacity and can change annuallyNot published; ask CCLD
Fingerprinting and background clearancePer personConfirm with your regional office
California LLC filing and annual franchise taxConfirm with SOS and FTB
Federal EINFree from the IRS$0
Facility, ratios and staffThe dominant cost

The one fee California states plainly is the orientation: $50 for a center, $25 for a home. Everything else you should get from your regional licensing office on the phone, because CDSS itself says the amounts change annually.

This guide is the overview. A plan is the whole thing.

Everything above is free and it is the state-level picture. An Offramp plan is built around you: your city, your budget, the licenses that apply to your specific setup, the people near you to call, and the order to do it in so nothing stalls.

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Common questions

Do I have to attend orientation to open a daycare in California?

Yes, and it comes first. CDSS will not accept your application until after you have completed orientation. It is offered online and in person, and the fee is $50 per person for a child care center or $25 for a family child care home.

How much does a child care license cost in California?

CDSS charges a non-refundable application fee and an annual fee, but does not publish current amounts on its licensing fees page, and states that fees can change annually and to contact your local licensing agency. The orientation fee is published: $50, or $25 for family child care homes.

Who licenses daycares in California?

The California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD), through its Child Care Licensing Program and regional offices.

What forms do I need to open a daycare in California?

Child care centers use application booklet LIC 281A. Family child care homes use LIC 279A. Both are on the CDSS website, and the full packet has to be complete before CDSS will process it.

Can I run a daycare from my home in California?

Yes. A Family Child Care Home is a separate licensing category with its own application (LIC 279A) and a lower $25 orientation fee. It is the cheaper way in.

What qualifications does a California daycare director need?

California requires specified early childhood education units plus administration coursework for directors, set out in Title 22 rather than on the licensing overview page. Confirm the current unit counts with your regional CCLD office before enrolling in courses.

What to confirm yourself

We would rather tell you what we don’t know than make it up. These are the parts that are local, that change, or that the agency does not publish.

  • CDSS does not publish current application and annual fees in a clear form, and says they can change annually. Get them from your regional licensing office, not from an old PDF.
  • Director qualification unit counts are in Title 22. Confirm the current requirement with CCLD before you hire or enroll.
  • Fingerprinting and background clearance costs and timelines are not stated on the pages used here. Ask your regional office.
  • California's annual LLC franchise tax applies regardless of profit. Confirm with the Franchise Tax Board or a California CPA.
  • Zoning, fire clearance and local permits are city and county matters. Check the specific address before you sign a lease.

Sources

Related guides

Offramp is not a law firm, an accountant or a government agency, and nothing here is legal, tax or financial advice. Fees and requirements change. Confirm with the agency before you file or pay. See all guides.