How to Start a Daycare in Florida

The first thing to establish in Florida is who regulates you, because it is not the same answer everywhere. The Department of Children and Families licenses child care in 63 of the 67 counties. Four counties (Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Sarasota) run their own local licensing agencies with their own rules. The state licensing fee itself is small: $1 per child of licensed capacity, with a $25 minimum and a $100 maximum. The real requirements are the Director Credential and 40 hours of training.

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

The short version

Who licenses you
Florida DCF, or your county (DCF covers 63 of 67 counties)
Local licensing counties
Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Sarasota
License fee
$1 per child (Minimum $25, maximum $100 per facility, s. 402.315 F.S.)
Director requirement
Active Director Credential
Staff training
40 hours (With competency exams, for child care personnel)
Where you apply
CARES (DCF's online licensing system)

The steps, in order

  1. Find out whether DCF or your county licenses you

    Do this before anything else. DCF child care licensing staff handle inspection and licensure in 63 out of 67 Florida counties. Four counties have elected to designate a local licensing agency instead: Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Sarasota.

    If you are in one of those four, your rules, your fees and your inspector all come from the county, not from Tallahassee, and most of the generic Florida daycare advice online will not apply cleanly to you.

    Note that older articles say five counties including Hillsborough. DCF's current pages say four. If your county is borderline in anything you read, call and ask rather than trusting an undated article.

  2. Decide what kind of operation you are opening

    Florida regulates a child care facility, a family day care home and a large family child care home differently, and the fees differ. The facility fee is $1 per child of licensed capacity with a $25 minimum and $100 maximum. A family day care home fee is $50 and a large family child care home is $60.

    Starting in your own home is the cheaper way in and a completely legitimate business. It changes your rule set, so decide early.

  3. Get the Director Credential

    Every licensed child care facility in Florida must have a director holding an active, non-expired Director Credential. This is the requirement that sets your real timeline, so start it first.

    The core requirements are an active Staff Credential, an accredited high school diploma or GED, the 30-hour Part I DCF Introductory Child Care Training, and 8 hours of in-service training on children with disabilities.

    There are three levels. Level I needs an approved Overview of Child Care Management course, or a director credential from another state. Level II adds at least one year of experience as an on-site director at a licensed or legally exempt facility. The Advanced level needs two years as an on-site director plus further coursework and a degree or related college credits.

  4. Get your staff trained and screened

    Child care personnel must complete 40 hours of child care training, evidenced by passing competency examinations. Budget the time and the cost for everyone you plan to hire, not only yourself.

    Background screening applies to child care personnel. Build the timeline around it: screening and training are the two things that cannot be rushed at the end.

    Screening requirements, costs and processing times are not stated on the pages used for this guide. Ask your licensing office exactly which screening each role needs and what it costs per person before you make hiring promises.

  5. Register the business and get your EIN

    Separate from the child care license. Check the name on Sunbiz, file with the Florida Division of Corporations if you are forming an LLC, and get a free EIN from the IRS so you can hire and open a business account.

  6. Apply through CARES and pass inspection

    Cost: $1 per child, $25 minimum, $100 maximum

    DCF takes applications through CARES, its online child care licensing system. DCF advises contacting your local child care licensing office for guidance before you complete an application, which is good advice: the person who will inspect you will tell you what they look for.

    Your building also has to satisfy local fire and health requirements, which are set locally and are usually the slowest part of the whole process.

    Call your local fire marshal and health department before you sign a lease on a building. This is the step most likely to add months, especially in a space that was not built as a daycare.

  7. Use the free advisors

    The Florida SBDC Network offers no-cost consulting. For a licensed, staffed, insured business like a daycare, where your ratios dictate your economics, an advisor is worth more than another evening of searching.

What it costs

ItemAmount
Child care facility license feeMinimum $25, maximum $100 per facility$1 per child
Family day care home license fee$50
Large family child care home license fee$60
Director Credential training30-hour Part I plus 8 hours disabilities trainingVaries by provider
40 hours of staff trainingPer person, with competency examsVaries by provider
Background screeningPer personConfirm with your licensing office
Florida LLC filingSee Sunbiz fee schedule
Federal EINFree from the IRS$0
Facility, fire and health compliance, staffThe dominant cost

The license fee tops out at $100, which tells you something: Florida's barrier is not money, it is the Director Credential, the training hours and the building. Plan around those.

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.

Build my Florida plan$79 $49

Common questions

How much does a daycare license cost in Florida?

Under s. 402.315 of the Florida Statutes, a child care facility pays $1 per child based on licensed capacity, with a minimum of $25 and a maximum of $100 per facility. A family day care home is $50 and a large family child care home is $60.

Who licenses daycares in Florida?

The Department of Children and Families licenses child care in 63 of Florida's 67 counties. Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Sarasota have their own local licensing agencies with their own requirements.

Do I need a Director Credential to open a daycare in Florida?

Yes. A licensed child care facility must have a director with an active, non-expired Florida Director Credential. It requires an active Staff Credential, a high school diploma or GED, the 30-hour Part I DCF Introductory Child Care Training and 8 hours of in-service training on children with disabilities.

How much training do daycare staff need in Florida?

Child care personnel must complete 40 hours of child care training, evidenced by successfully passing competency examinations.

Can I run a daycare from my home in Florida?

Yes. Florida licenses family day care homes ($50) and large family child care homes ($60) separately from facilities. It is the cheaper way in and has its own rule set.

Is Hillsborough County a local licensing county?

DCF's current pages list four local licensing counties: Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas and Sarasota. Older sources, including some that are still widely cited, list five including Hillsborough. If you are in Hillsborough, call DCF and confirm which office handles you rather than trusting an undated article.

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.

  • DCF's web pages do not publish the fee; it comes from s. 402.315 of the Florida Statutes. Confirm the current amount with your licensing office before you pay.
  • If you are in Broward, Palm Beach, Pinellas or Sarasota, your county sets the rules and the fees, and this page describes the state system rather than yours. Contact your county licensing agency directly.
  • Background screening requirements and costs per person are not stated on the DCF pages used here. Ask your licensing office.
  • Fire marshal and health department requirements are local. Call before you sign a lease, not after.
  • Zoning matters. A daycare is not permitted by right everywhere. Check with city or county planning for the specific address.

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.