Georgia Daycare Ratios and Group Sizes by Age

Georgia daycare ratios by age start at one caregiver for every six infants and stretch to one for every twenty-five school-age children, with a maximum group size that is always double the ratio. The rules sit in Rule 591-1-1-.32 of the state’s Rules and Regulations for Child Care Learning Centers and are enforced by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL).

Required Ratios and Group Sizes by Age

Every single year of age has its own required ratio and its own cap on group size. The full breakdown:

Under 1 year, or under 18 months and not yet walking: 1 caregiver per 6 children, group size capped at 12.
1-year-olds who are walking: 1 per 8, capped at 16.
2-year-olds: 1 per 10, capped at 20.
3-year-olds: 1 per 15, capped at 30.
4-year-olds: 1 per 18, capped at 36.
5-year-olds: 1 per 20, capped at 40.
6 years and older: 1 per 25, capped at 50.¹

The group-size cap is always exactly twice the ratio. That means a second caregiver lets a room reach the maximum, but a third caregiver does not let it grow further. A 2-year-old room cannot exceed 20 children no matter how many adults are present.¹

Infants and Toddlers: Mobility Matters

The line between the infant tier and the toddler tier is not purely a birthday. A 14-month-old who is not yet walking still counts as an infant under the stricter 1:6 ratio. A younger child who has started walking moves up to the 1:8 tier for 1-year-olds.¹

Mixed-Age Classrooms

Rooms combining different ages are common at drop-off, at pick-up, and in smaller programs. The rule for how to set the ratio depends on the center’s licensed size.

In centers licensed for 19 or more children, the ratio follows the youngest age group that makes up more than 20 percent of the room. A room with 12 three-year-olds and 4 two-year-olds is 25 percent two-year-olds, so the whole room drops to the 1:10 ratio for 2-year-olds.¹

Larger centers also have to keep children under three in separate physical areas from older children, with a narrow exception. The under-three group can mix with older children only during early morning arrivals and late afternoon departures, and only when the ratio and group size follow the youngest child in the room. A child who turns three during the school year can stay with the 2-year-old class for the rest of that year if the parents agree and the placement is developmentally appropriate.¹

Small centers licensed for 18 or fewer children work by a simpler rule. If any child in the group is under three, the youngest child sets the ratio. If every child is three or older, the ratio follows the age of the majority of the children.¹

When Ratios Can Be Relaxed

Nap Time

During scheduled daytime rest or sleeping periods, the required ratio may be doubled for children age three and older. A 3-year-old room that normally runs at 1:15 can be staffed at 1:30 while children sleep. Two conditions apply: at least one staff member has to remain in each room actively supervising, and every staff member who would be required at the standard ratio must stay in the building and be available to help evacuate in an emergency.¹

No such relaxation exists for infants or toddlers under three. Those groups must run at the standard ratio at all times.

Evening and Overnight Care

Programs that operate into the evening or overnight can also double their ratios once a majority of the children in a group are asleep. Every staff member who would normally be required must stay on the premises and go back to full supervision as soon as most of the children wake or an emergency occurs.¹

Group-Size Exceptions

The maximum group size does not apply during outdoor play on the center’s regular playground, although the caregiver-to-child ratio still does. It also does not apply during special activities that last no more than two hours. Small centers licensed for 18 or fewer children have no maximum group size at all, but they still have to hit the required ratios every minute the center is open.¹

Who Counts as a Caregiver

Not everyone on payroll counts toward the ratio. Directors, kitchen staff, maintenance workers, and clerical employees only count when they are giving their full attention to directly supervising children. A director who leaves the office to cover a classroom counts during that hour, but not while handling paperwork or phone calls. Service staff who regularly serve as caregivers also have to meet the same qualification requirements as the caregiving position they are filling.¹

This is where centers most often fall out of compliance in practice. A schedule may show enough people on-site, but the room slips out of ratio the moment a cook steps away from the toddler class or the director is pulled into a call. Inspectors look at what supervision actually looks like, not just the headcount on the wall.

How Georgia’s Minimums Compare to Expert Recommendations

Georgia’s legal minimums are noticeably looser than what national early childhood groups recommend. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) recommends 1:3 or 1:4 for infants, where Georgia allows 1:6. For toddlers between 12 and 28 months, NAEYC suggests 1:3 or 1:4; Georgia allows 1:8 for a walking 1-year-old. For 2-year-olds, NAEYC suggests ratios between 1:4 and 1:6, while Georgia permits 1:10.

Compliance and quality are not the same measurement. A center can meet every DECAL rule and still be staffed below what researchers consider ideal. If you are choosing a program, the state’s numbers are the floor, not the goal. Centers that voluntarily maintain lower ratios or that participate in the state’s Quality Rated program are showing a commitment above the legal minimum.

Checking a Center’s Record or Reporting a Problem

DECAL runs an online Child Care Location Search at families.decal.ga.gov where you can look up any licensed facility and read health and safety complaint findings and inspection reports from the past 18 months. A separate Enforcement Actions Search on DECAL’s website lists any formal actions taken against a facility, including fines and license restrictions.²

To report a suspected ratio violation or other safety concern, call DECAL at 404-657-5562. A complaint can trigger an investigation, and you do not have to identify yourself to the center. Once the investigation closes, the finding becomes part of the facility’s public record.³

Georgia’s Quality Rated program is a voluntary rating that awards one, two, or three stars to programs that exceed the state minimums. Independent early education reviewers assess factors including teacher qualifications, curriculum, and teacher-to-student ratios. Participation is voluntary, so an unrated center is not automatically substandard, but a star rating is a useful additional signal.⁴

1
Legal Information Institute. Georgia Comp. R. and Regs. R. 591-1-1-.32 – Staff: Child Ratios and Supervision
2
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Child Care Services
3
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. FAQ for Child Care
4
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Quality Rated Child Care