Kentucky Daycare Self-Inspection Checklist (Printable)

Recent changes (2024–2026)

2026 child care law (HB 6) 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 146 (HB 6) Centers · Family child care House Bill 6 became law without the Governor's signature on April 14, 2026.
New limits on how the Cabinet enforces center rules KRS 199.896(24)–(28) Centers HB 6 added factors the Cabinet must weigh before it issues a plan of correction, a directed plan of correction (DPOC), a suspension or a revocation.
Each staff member's annual hours include 3 on children with special needs (2 in certified homes) KRS 199.8912 Centers · Family child care
1 hour on pediatric ingestion/inhalation of controlled substances within each 3-year period (from July 2026) 2026 Ky. Acts ch. 68 (HB 778); KRS 199.896(16)(b), 199.8982(2)(b) Centers · Family child care
Child-care microcenters (coming 2027) KRS 199.8911 Centers HB 6 created a new license category for 4 to 24 children in a nonresidential setting for more than 3 hours a day.
2025 center rule amendments 922 KAR 2:120; 922 KAR 2:090 (eff. Feb. 13, 2025) Centers The February 2025 amendments added: a written procedure for keeping supervision, ratios and group size at the start of the day, during staff breaks and when moving rooms; name-to-face counts during moves; date and time…
School-age instructional programs exempted (2024) 2024 Ky. Acts ch. 87 (HB 491); KRS 199.896(21) Centers Signed April 5, 2024. Recreational, educational, sports-training or vacation programs that mainly teach a skill (for example martial arts or dance) to school-age children outside school hours are exempt from licensing…
Rules that are often cited wrongly 922 KAR Chapter 2 (LRC regulation list) Centers · Family child care 922 KAR 2:110 ("Child-care center provider requirements") is no longer in force.

Who needs a license, and what kind

License type matches the number of children (confirm with DRCC if a home has 7 to 10 children in all) KRS 199.894; KRS 199.8982(1)(a); 922 KAR 2:090, Section 2 Centers · Family child care
Operating or advertising without a license KRS 199.896(1), (13); KRS 199.990(4) Centers No one may operate, maintain or advertise a child-care center without a license.
Programs that don't need a center license 922 KAR 2:090, Section 3; KRS 199.896(19)–(21) Centers Exempt settings include youth camps permitted by the Cabinet, private K-12 schools while school is in session, preschools and programs regulated by the Kentucky Department of Education, religious summer programs a child…
Renewal form OIG-DRCC-06 and fee sent 1 month before the license anniversary 922 KAR 2:090, Sections 4, 6 and 14 Centers
Fees 922 KAR 2:090, Section 7; 922 KAR 2:100, Sections 2–3 Centers · Family child care Centers pay a nonrefundable $50 initial fee and $25 each year at renewal, by cashier's, certified or business check or money order to the Kentucky State Treasurer.
Certifying a family child-care home 922 KAR 2:100, Sections 2–3; KRS 199.8982 Family child care The applicant must be at least 18 with a high school diploma or GED (or a Commonwealth Child Care Credential).
Kentucky All STARS quality ratings 922 KAR 2:270; KRS 199.8943 Centers · Family child care Programs that receive public funds must take part in All STARS, starting at Level 1 with a preliminary license.

Staff-to-child ratios

Ratios: infants 1:5 (10); 12–24 mo 1:6 (12); 24–36 mo 1:10 (20); 3–4 1:12 (24); 4–5 1:14 (28); 5–7 1:15 (30); 7+ 1:25 before/after school, 1:20 full day (30) 922 KAR 2:120, Section 2(2) Centers
Written ratio-and-supervision procedure for opening, breaks and transitions; name-to-face counts at every move 922 KAR 2:120, Section 2(2)(e), (3) Centers
Who counts in ratio 922 KAR 2:090, Section 11(10); 922 KAR 2:090, Section 10(1)(k) Centers A person under 18 counts in ratio only when working with a qualified staff person, and staff under 18 and student trainees must be directly supervised.
Ratios in vehicles and mixing ages 922 KAR 2:120, Section 14(9); Section 5(3) Centers Ratios apply in vehicles, and a driver may supervise no more than 4 children under age 5.
Home: 6 unrelated max (10 total with related); assistant present if more than 4 infants or 6 under age 6 922 KAR 2:100, Section 10(2)–(4) Family child care

Group size and space

How groups must be kept 922 KAR 2:120, Section 2(2)(a)–(c) Centers In a Type I center, each group must have its own defined area and its own assigned staff.
Indoor and outdoor space 922 KAR 2:120, Section 4(6), (20), (22) Centers Centers need at least 35 square feet of indoor space per child, not counting kitchens, bathrooms, hallways and storage.
Space in a family child-care home 922 KAR 2:100, Section 12(12) Family child care Not counting bathrooms and storage, the indoor area used for child care must have at least 35 square feet per child, furnishings included.

Staff qualifications

Type I center director 922 KAR 2:090, Section 10(1)–(2) Centers A director must be at least 21 with a high school diploma or GED, and may not hold another job while the center is open (directing several sites is allowed).
Type II center director 922 KAR 2:090, Section 10(3) Centers A Type II director meets one of the Type I routes or two of these three: 12 hours of orientation and child development training, 1 year of verifiable full-time experience, or 6 more hours of training in program…
TB statement or negative test in every staff file, renewed every 2 years 922 KAR 2:090, Section 11(1)–(2), (6) Centers
Someone with current infant/child CPR and first aid is with the children at all times 922 KAR 2:090, Section 11(3)–(5); 922 KAR 2:120, Section 7(8) Centers
Family child-care home providers and assistants 922 KAR 2:100, Sections 2(3)–(4), 10(6)–(7), 10(12) Family child care The provider needs a high school diploma or GED (or Commonwealth Child Care Credential) and current infant, child and adult CPR and first aid.

Background checks

NBCP eligibility letter on file for every staff member and adult household member before they start; rechecked every 5 years 922 KAR 2:280, Sections 2–4 Centers · Family child care
People who lived in another state 922 KAR 2:280, Section 5 Centers · Family child care For anyone who has lived in another state in the last 5 years, the Cabinet requests that state's criminal, sex offender registry and child abuse and neglect registry checks.
What disqualifies someone 922 KAR 2:280, Section 6 Centers · Family child care Disqualifying results include the federal CCDBG offenses, any sex or violent crime under KRS 17.165, a drug felony within 5 years of finishing the sentence, felonies in listed chapters (such as burglary, robbery,…
Notice, reviews and removal 922 KAR 2:280, Sections 7–9 Centers · Family child care The provider must tell the staff member about a disqualifying result within 3 business days.
Staff named in an abuse report 922 KAR 2:090, Sections 8(7) and 10(1)(m) Centers · Family child care A person named as the alleged perpetrator in an accepted child abuse or neglect report must be removed from direct contact with children during the investigation and any appeal.

Training hours

6-hr orientation in first 3 months; 9 hrs in year one; 15 hrs every July–June; head trauma course every 5 years 922 KAR 2:090, Section 11(16)–(19) Centers
Family child-care home training 922 KAR 2:100, Sections 2(9), 10(1) Family child care Within 3 months of a complete application, the provider completes the same 6-hour orientation and writes a training plan: 3 hours in the first year, including 1½ hours on abusive head trauma, then 9 hours each July 1 to…
Topics the statute now requires KRS 199.896(15)–(16); KRS 199.8982(2); KRS 199.8912 Centers · Family child care The statute sets a 6-hour annual minimum that counts toward the regulation's totals.

Health and safety

Handwashing and sick children 922 KAR 2:120, Sections 3(4)–(6), 7(2)–(3) Centers Children wash with liquid soap and warm running water on arrival, before and after eating, after toileting or diapering, after handling animals or body fluids, and after play.
Injury needing medical care reported to DRCC within 24 hours; child death within 1 hour 922 KAR 2:090, Section 13 Centers
Reporting in family child-care homes 922 KAR 2:100, Section 20(11); Section 16(6) Family child care Homes report the same events within 24 hours, report a child's death within 1 hour, and notify the parent (or emergency contact) immediately of a medical emergency.
Screen time and active play 922 KAR 2:120, Section 2(4)–(5); Section 4(23) Centers · Family child care No screen time for children under 24 months.
Firearms and ammunition locked separately; no smoking or vaping near children 922 KAR 2:120, Sections 3(9)–(10); 922 KAR 2:090, Section 11(11)–(12) Centers · Family child care

Facility, furniture and hazards

Weekly sweep for broken, sharp or peeling equipment; mouthed toys sanitized daily 922 KAR 2:120, Section 13 Centers
Chemicals and staff medicines out of reach; protective surfacing under climbers; 65–82°F indoors 922 KAR 2:120, Sections 3(7)–(8), 4 Centers
Consumer Product Safety Program notice KRS 199.897; 922 KAR 2:090, Section 8(6)(d) Centers Licensed centers must post a notice about the Kentucky Consumer Product Safety Program and its website where people can see it.
Smoke detector on each floor and in sleeping areas; no accessible trampoline; outdoor equipment anchored 922 KAR 2:100, Section 12 Family child care

Emergency preparedness

Evacuation plan updated by Dec. 31; copy to every parent and to local emergency management KRS 199.895; 922 KAR 2:090, Sections 5 and 9(1)(j) Centers · Family child care
Fire drill monthly; earthquake, tornado, shelter-in-place and lockdown drills quarterly; date, time and children recorded 922 KAR 2:120, Section 3(12)–(14); 922 KAR 2:090, Section 9(1)(h)–(i) Centers · Family child care

Medication

Written parent request for every medicine; each dose logged with time, date, amount, staff, child and medication 922 KAR 2:120, Section 7(4)–(7) Centers
Epinephrine auto-injectors KRS 199.8951; 922 KAR 2:120, Section 7(6)(a)3. Centers · Family child care A center that keeps an epinephrine auto-injector must have at least one person on site trained to use it and keep it out of children's reach (not locked).
Medicine in a family child-care home 922 KAR 2:100, Section 16 Family child care Medicine is given only with a written request from the parent or prescriber, labeled, and as directed.

Immunizations

Immunization certificate (or documented objection) in every child file within 30 days of enrollment 922 KAR 2:090, Section 9(1)(a); 922 KAR 2:100, Section 19(1)(a) Centers · Family child care

Nutrition

Food and drink in centers 922 KAR 2:120, Section 9 Centers Meals are served every 2 to 3 hours with children seated.
Dated weekly menu posted; substitutions written on the day; kept 30 days 922 KAR 2:120, Sections 10–11 Centers
Bottles 922 KAR 2:120, Sections 3(11), 8(9) Centers · Family child care Hold babies for bottle feeding. Never prop a bottle, leave it in a sleeping child's mouth, or heat it in a microwave.

Safe sleep

Infants on their backs in an empty CPSC crib; no sleeping in play yards; preschool rest 2 hours max 922 KAR 2:120, Section 6; 922 KAR 2:100, Section 13(7)–(12) Centers · Family child care
Nontraditional hours 922 KAR 2:120, Section 2(12) Centers For care between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. (or weekends), a child may spend no more than 16 hours in the center in 24, counting school.

Discipline

No corporal punishment or harsh discipline KRS 199.896(18); 922 KAR 2:120, Section 2(9), (11) Centers · Family child care Centers and certified homes may not use corporal physical discipline (deliberately causing physical pain, including spanking, shaking or paddling) for any reason.
KRS 199.898 rights posted and given to each parent at enrollment KRS 199.898 Centers · Family child care

Records and postings

Signed child record complete on the first day; records kept 5 years 922 KAR 2:090, Section 9(1)(b), (2)–(3) Centers · Family child care
Current-year statements of deficiency and plans of correction posted next to the license 922 KAR 2:090, Sections 8(6), 9(1)(d)–(f) Centers
Family child-care home records and parent information 922 KAR 2:100, Sections 19–20 Family child care Homes keep the same child records, immunization certificates, attendance and drill records for 5 years.

Attendance and sign-in/sign-out

Arrival and departure time recorded for every child, every day; kept 5 years 922 KAR 2:090, Section 9(1)(c); 922 KAR 2:100, Section 10(12)(b), Section 19(1)(c) Centers · Family child care
Release only to people the parent named in writing 922 KAR 2:090, Section 9(1)(b)3.c.; 922 KAR 2:100, Section 13(14), (17) Centers · Family child care

Transportation

Daily documented vehicle check before first trip; monthly transport emergency practice 922 KAR 2:120, Section 14(2)–(8) Centers
Transport log: child's full name, time on and off, filled in by a staff member other than the driver 922 KAR 2:120, Section 14(11), (17)–(18) Centers
Transportation by family child-care homes 922 KAR 2:100, Section 18 Family child care Get written parent permission, use seat belts and the right car seat, seat children under 13 in the back, and carry each child's emergency information.

Inspections and enforcement

Corrective action plan sent within 15 calendar days of a statement of deficiency KRS 199.896(5), (14); 922 KAR 2:090, Sections 6(9), 15 Centers · Family child care
Civil penalties for centers 922 KAR 2:190; KRS 199.990(3) Centers Type A violations cause harm or imminent danger, for example an injury from lack of care, a missing background check, failing to remove a disqualified person, prohibited discipline, falsified records or operating…
Directed plans, suspension and revocation 922 KAR 2:090, Sections 16–17; KRS 199.896(24)–(28) Centers · Family child care For serious violations DRCC can impose a directed plan of correction (DPOC): an agreement with more monitoring, required parent notice and possibly extra training.
Public inspection information KRS 199.896(10)–(11); KRS 199.8982(1)(d)–(e) Centers · Family child care On request, the Cabinet gives out information on license denials, suspensions, revocations and violations, and on inspections and plans of correction from the past year.

Disputing findings and appeals

Center appeals and informal dispute resolution 922 KAR 2:090, Sections 19–20; KRS 199.896(6)–(7) Centers A center may appeal a denial, suspension, revocation or civil penalty on form OIG-DRCC-02 within 20 calendar days of the notice.
Home appeals and other complaints 922 KAR 2:100, Section 9; 922 KAR 2:260 Family child care A certified home may appeal a denial, suspension or revocation on form OIG-DRCC-05 within 20 calendar days, and a revocation is stayed while the appeal is pending.

Kentucky daycare self-inspection checklist

Recent changes (2024–2026)

Who needs a license, and what kind

Staff-to-child ratios

Group size and space

Staff qualifications

Background checks

Training hours

Health and safety

Facility, furniture and hazards

Emergency preparedness

Medication

Immunizations

Nutrition

Safe sleep

Discipline

Records and postings

Attendance and sign-in/sign-out

Transportation

Inspections and enforcement

Disputing findings and appeals

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