How to Get a Daycare License in Georgia: KOALA, Training, Fees

To get a daycare license in Georgia, you apply through the Department of Early Care and Learning (Bright from the Start, or DECAL): pick the license category that matches how many children you’ll serve, finish the required pre-service training, clear background checks for everyone who will be on site, prepare a facility that meets space and zoning rules, submit the application through the KOALA portal, and pass an onsite inspection. Opening without a license is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of $500 to $1,000 for each day you operate.¹ Work the steps in order; skipping ahead usually means redoing something.

Pick the Right License Category First

Georgia has two licensed categories, and the one you choose shapes everything that follows.

A Family Child Care Learning Home (FCCLH) is a private residence where you care for at least three but no more than six unrelated children under age 13. You must live in the home.² The regulatory load is lighter, though fire safety and local occupancy limits still apply.

A Child Care Learning Center (CCLC) covers any paid group care for seven or more children during the day without a transfer of legal custody.² Centers face stricter building codes, more detailed square-footage rules, and more frequent inspections. Settle this question before you spend money on anything else, because zoning, staffing ratios, and the application packet all branch from it.

Finish Pre-Service Training Before You Apply

DECAL will not accept your application until pre-service training is done. New FCCLH providers need a qualifying education credential plus 20 hours of pre-service training, which includes attending a Licensure Orientation Meeting (LOM). New CCLC directors also need a qualifying credential and must attend the LOM before applying.³

Within 90 days after your license is issued, FCCLH providers and CCLC directors must complete at least 10 hours of state-approved Health and Safety Orientation Training.³ The LOM certificate is a mandatory attachment to your application, so hold on to it.

Clear Background Checks for Everyone on Site

Every person who will be present while children are in care needs a satisfactory Comprehensive Records Check Determination on file before they set foot in the facility. That covers the director, employees, volunteers, student-trainees, independent contractors, and any FCCLH household member age 17 or older.⁴ An unsatisfactory determination bars that person from being there when children are present.

Checks run through the Georgia Applicant Processing Service (GAPS) and combine a Georgia Bureau of Investigation records search with an FBI fingerprint check. The combined GA/FBI check through GAPS costs $51.99 per person under the most recent fee schedule.⁵ Budget for the full roster. If a staffer has been out of the child care industry for 180 days or more, a new check is required before they can return.⁴

Get the Facility Ready

Both categories require at least 35 square feet of usable indoor space per child. For centers, kitchens, bathrooms, hallways, closets, storage, offices, and space occupied by adult-sized furniture do not count.⁶ The same 35-square-foot standard applies to the areas of a family home used for care.⁷

Outdoor play space must give at least 100 square feet per child using the area at any given time. Centers can rotate groups through to meet this.⁸ Family homes with six or fewer children follow the 100-square-foot rule; homes serving seven to twelve children need at least 1,200 total square feet of outdoor play space.⁷

Before you apply, prepare scaled floor plans showing exact room measurements and site plans marking the outdoor play areas. You also need written zoning approval from your local county or city confirming the location is legally permitted for child care.⁹ Centers additionally need ownership papers, articles of incorporation or organization, a signed lease if applicable, and HOA approval if relevant.¹⁰

Submit the Application Through KOALA

All applications go through DECAL KOALA, the provider self-service portal. Mail and walk-in applications are no longer accepted.¹¹ KOALA is also where you pay fees, submit amendments, and track your application status.¹²

You’ll identify the Legal Administrative Body responsible for the operation — your LLC, corporation, sole proprietorship, or other entity — and the licensee name must match that entity’s legal name exactly. Upload the LOM certificate, floor and site plans, zoning approval, background check determinations, and an operational plan with its corresponding checklist.¹⁰ Mismatched names and missing attachments are the usual reasons applications stall.

Pass the Initial Licensing Study

After the application is approved, a consultant from the Application Support Unit sets up a phone conference to review the initial licensing checklist, then schedules the onsite Initial Licensing Study (ILS). The consultant walks the building, reviews staff and children’s files, inspects any vehicles, and examines equipment used in care. Each item is marked “met,” “not met,” “not applicable,” or “not evaluated” in a written report.¹⁰

Clear the threshold and the consultant grants permission to operate. Fall short and you get time and support to correct the violations, with a follow-up visit scheduled.¹⁰ Treat the checklist as a punch list: emergency exits, stocked first aid kits, posted emergency protocols, and everything else should be resolved before the visit, not during it.

Pay the Annual License Fee

Fees are tied to licensed capacity. For the 2026 calendar year:

25 children or fewer: $50
26 to 50 children: $100
51 to 100 children: $150
101 to 200 children: $200
More than 200 children: $250

Late fees apply if payment misses the annual deadline — $25 for a facility licensed for 25 or fewer, scaling up to $125 for more than 200.¹³ Pay through KOALA.¹² Keeping the license alive means ongoing compliance with DECAL rules, including annual inspections and current background checks for every staff member. Enforcement for lapses runs from corrective plans to revocation.

Get CPR and First Aid Certified Before You Open

Directors and FCCLH providers must hold current CPR and first aid certifications before they start operating. Other staff providing direct care — lead teachers, assistants, substitutes, and transportation staff — must obtain both within 90 days of hire. At least one CPR- and first-aid-trained staff member must be on the premises whenever any child is present.¹⁴

Renew CPR every two years and first aid every three, regardless of the date printed on the card.¹⁴ These hours don’t count toward your required annual training hours, so plan continuing education around them. One lapsed card can put you out of compliance overnight if no other certified staffer is on site.

Rules That Sit Alongside Your License

A few obligations aren’t part of DECAL licensing but will apply to your operation and are easy to overlook.

Child immunization records. You’re responsible for collecting and maintaining proof of immunization for every enrolled child, under Department of Public Health rules. Those records must be available during inspections, and some vaccine requirements can be waived with serologic proof of immunity or, for varicella, a provider’s documented diagnosis of prior disease.¹⁵

ADA compliance. The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to child care centers regardless of size and is enforced at the federal level, separate from DECAL. You must make reasonable modifications to integrate children, parents, and guardians with disabilities unless doing so would fundamentally alter the program, and provide auxiliary aids and services for effective communication when the cost would not impose an undue burden. Existing facilities must remove architectural barriers when readily achievable; new construction must meet the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design.¹⁶ Passing your state inspection doesn’t mean you’ve met federal accessibility standards.

Workers’ compensation. If you employ three or more people in Georgia, state law requires workers’ compensation insurance.¹⁷ Even a small home-based operation with a helper and a part-time substitute can cross that line.

1
Justia. Georgia Code 49-5-12 – Child Welfare Agencies
2
Justia. Georgia Code 20-1A-2 – Definitions
3
Decal.ga.gov. Training Requirements
4
Cornell Law School. Georgia Comp R and Regs R 591-1-1-.09 – Criminal Records and Comprehensive Background Checks
5
Georgia Bureau of Investigation. GCIC Fees Effective January 1, 2025
6
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Rules and Regulations for Child Care Learning Centers – Section: License Capacity
7
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Rules and Regulations Family Child Care Learning Homes
8
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Rules and Regulations for Child Care Learning Centers – Section: Playgrounds
9
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Applicant Guide to Licensing for Child Care Learning Centers
10
Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. Initial License Policy and Procedures
11
Decal.ga.gov. Starting a Child Care Program
12
Decal.ga.gov. DECAL KOALA
13
Decal.ga.gov. License Fee Information
14
Decal.ga.gov. First Aid and CPR
15
Georgia Secretary of State. Subject 511-2-2 Immunization of School Children
16
ADA.gov. Commonly Asked Questions about Child Care Centers and the Americans with Disabilities Act
17
Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Workers Compensation Insurance FAQs