Maryland Child Care Ratios by Age, Center, and Home

Maryland child care ratios are set by age: licensed centers must keep one staff member for every 3 infants or toddlers, every 6 two-year-olds, every 10 preschoolers, and every 15 school-age children, with group-size caps that match each ratio. Family child care homes follow a separate framework, capped at 8 children in a small home and 12 in a large home. The rules sit in COMAR 13A.16.08.03 for centers and in COMAR 13A.15 and 13A.18 for homes, and the Office of Child Care at the Maryland State Department of Education enforces them.¹

Center Ratios and Group Sizes by Age

For a same-age classroom in a licensed Maryland child care center, the required ratios and maximum group sizes are:²

Infants, 6 weeks to 18 months: 1:3, group of 6.
Toddlers, 18 months to 2 years: 1:3, group of 9.
Two-year-olds: 1:6, group of 12.
Three- and four-year-olds: 1:10, group of 20.
Five and older: 1:15, group of 30.

Infants and toddlers share the same 1-to-3 ratio but not the same room size. A toddlers-only room can hold up to 9; an infant room caps at 6. When infants and toddlers are mixed and three or more infants are present, the stricter 6-child cap applies to the whole group.²

Centers running a Department-approved educational program during school hours get slightly looser ratios for the three- and four-year-old band: 1 staff to 12 children with a group cap of 24, instead of the standard 1-to-10 with a cap of 20. Two-year-old and school-age ratios do not change in these programs.²

How Mixed-Age Rooms Change the Math

Most real classrooms hold children of more than one age, and Maryland’s rule is that the youngest children in the room drive the requirements. The group gets smaller and the staffing goes up to match the youngest ages present.

If a group includes one or two infants, it needs at least two staff members and caps at 9 children. Add a third infant and the cap drops to 6 children, still with two staff. A group with four or more toddlers needs a minimum of three staff and still caps at 9.³

In a mixed preschool group where every child is at least three, the standard 1-to-10 ratio applies with a 20-child cap. When two-year-olds join older preschoolers, the staffing turns on how many twos are in the room. A group of 7 to 10 children with one to three two-year-olds needs one staff member; four or more twos triggers a second. In a group of 13 to 20, no more than six children can be two-year-olds, and minimum staffing climbs to two or three depending on the mix.³

School-age rooms that fold in a handful of three- and four-year-olds enrolled in school follow another table. Up to five preschoolers can sit inside a group of 30 school-age children with two staff. Once ten or more preschoolers are present, the room has to flip to preschool rules: a 20-child cap staffed by a preschool teacher and an aide.³

Does Staffing Drop at Nap Time?

For children under two, no. The full ratio stays in place for the entire rest period, and every assigned staff member has to stay in the room.⁴

For children two and older, the rules relax a little, but only after every child is actually resting quietly. At that point, at least one teacher or aide assigned to the group must stay in the room; additional staff can step out as long as they remain on the premises and within hearing range. Until the children settle, the standard ratio still applies.⁴

Who Actually Counts Toward the Ratio

Not every adult in the building counts. The minimum staff age at a center is 16, so aides can be 16 or older, but they have to work under the direct supervision of the person in charge of their group. Child care teachers must be at least 19, hold a high school diploma or equivalent, and finish required preservice training.⁵

Volunteers — unpaid individuals aged 13 or older — never count toward ratios. Neither do support personnel handling cooking, cleaning, transportation, or administrative work, even if they happen to be in the classroom.⁶ If a room looks well-staffed but half the adults are parent volunteers or kitchen staff, the center may not actually be meeting the ratio.

All staff who do count must pass FBI and state criminal background checks along with child abuse and neglect clearances before being credited toward ratios.⁶

Family Child Care Home Limits

Home-based care in Maryland is regulated separately from centers, and the two home categories have their own subtitles in COMAR.

Small Family Child Care Homes

Small family child care homes operate with a single provider under COMAR 13A.15 and are generally capped at 8 children. The provider’s own children under 6 count toward that total. No more than two children in care can be under age 2 unless a second adult is present.

Large Family Child Care Homes

Large family homes fall under COMAR 13A.18 and cap at 12 children total. Any child living in the home who is younger than 6 counts toward that number, and visiting children under 8 who are there without an accompanying adult count against the capacity while present.⁷ A large home must have at least one additional staff member beyond the primary provider, and the group-size and ratio tables under COMAR 13A.18.08.03 are separate from the center-based tables.

If You Think a Center Is Out of Ratio

Complaints go to the Regional Licensing Office covering the county where the facility sits. Maryland has 13 of these offices, and you can file anonymously.⁸ Each complaint triggers an investigation that may include an unannounced inspection.

Give the office enough detail to act on: the facility’s name, the specific classroom, the date and approximate time, and what you observed. Vague reports are harder to work from. Current employees who report genuine regulatory violations are generally protected from retaliation under Maryland’s whistleblower framework, though the scope depends on your employment situation.⁹

1
Maryland OneStop. Child Care Licensing and Registration
2
Cornell Law Institute. Maryland Code of Regulations 13A.16.08.03 – Group Size and Staffing
3
Maryland State Department of Education. Staff-Child Ratio Chart – Child Care Centers
4
Library of Maryland Regulations. COMAR 13A.16.08.08 – Rest Time Supervision
5
Library of Maryland Regulations. COMAR 13A.16.06 – Staff Requirements
6
Maryland State Department of Education. Hiring Staff – Staff/Child Ratio Requirements for Centers and Large Family Homes
7
Library of Maryland Regulations. COMAR 13A.18 – Large Family Child Care Homes
8
Maryland State Department of Education. File a Complaint
9
Maryland State Department of Education. Licensing