Reviewed November 2026 606 CMR 7.10(9)(b) · view rule 606 CMR 7.10(9)(b) 606 CMR 7.10(4) · view rule 606 CMR 7.10(4)
Massachusetts child care is licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) under M.G.L. chapter 15D. One regulation, 606 CMR 7.00, covers family child care homes (up to 10 children) and small and large group and school age programs, and its center ratios are 1:3 for infants and 1:4 for toddlers up to 33 months. EEC makes at least one unannounced visit a year and posts visit results, regulation by regulation, on its Child Care Search. Much of what changed in 2026 came through EEC policy and new law: a stricter infant safe sleep policy, an annual EEC Essentials refresher, a rewritten emergency plan filed in LEAD, and a required policy on civil immigration enforcement.
Licensing agency: Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) · public license lookup
Inspection findings public? Yes, the state publishes licensing inspection results.
License types
- Family child care (up to 10 children in the provider's residence; 7 or more need more experience and, above 8, a second educator) — 606 CMR 7.00; 606 CMR 14.00; M.G.L. c. 15D
- Small group and school age child care (10 or fewer children, not in a residence) — 606 CMR 7.00; 606 CMR 14.00; M.G.L. c. 15D
- Large group and school age child care (more than 10 children: centers, preschools, before- and after-school programs) — 606 CMR 7.00; 606 CMR 14.00; M.G.L. c. 15D
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Recent and upcoming changes (2024–2026)
The licensing regulation itself, 606 CMR 7.00, has not been rewritten since the pandemic-era amendments (the current official text carries Mass. Register #1459, dated December 24, 2021), and EEC's proposed-amendments page listed no pending changes in November 2026. The changes since 2024 came through new laws and EEC policies, several of which took effect in 2026.
New Safe Sleep for Infants policy (effective November 1, 2026)
Replaces the October 2023 policy. Infants may no longer be swaddled unless the child's health care provider documents a medical need (EEC has a new Infant Safe Sleep Exception Form). Pacifiers are allowed only without clips or attachments. Jewelry must come off before sleep unless a parent signs a waiver. An infant found asleep in a swing, car seat, bouncer or carrier is a citation however recently they fell asleep. Weighted sleep sacks and blankets are banned. A third safe sleep citation is no longer automatically sent to EEC's Legal Unit; the Regional Director decides.
SafePass tip: SafePass nap logs record when each child went down and woke up, and parents see them. SafePass does not run timed sleep-check logs, which EEC requires after a second safe sleep citation.
Policy on civil law enforcement and immigration officers (due September 1, 2026)
An emergency law approved August 5, 2026 bars arrests for civil law enforcement, including federal civil immigration enforcement, on the premises of a licensed or EEC-funded center, family child care home or school-age program without a judicial warrant or judicial order, except as state or federal law requires. Every licensed or funded program had to adopt a policy by September 1, 2026 that names a contact person, says how staff respond to such requests and documents every interaction. EEC now checks for it as part of the emergency preparedness plan.
Rewritten emergency preparedness plan, filed in LEAD (effective September 1, 2026)
EEC's Emergency Preparedness in Child Care Programs policy replaces the 2014 Emergency Contingency Plans policy. Plans must cover 11 areas, including communication and reunification with families, loss of power, heat or water, relocation, continuity of operations, drills, and interactions with civil law enforcement. Programs had to submit the updated plan through LEAD by September 1, 2026, and must resubmit it at renewal and before structural changes to the building.
SafePass tip: SafePass's checked-in list shows who is in care right now, which is the attendance you take out the door, and parent messaging can reach every family at once for reunification. SafePass does not keep a drill log, so record each monthly drill separately.
Annual EEC Essentials Refresher (from July 1, 2026)
Everyone who works with children and counts in ratio, including volunteers, interns, substitutes and family child care assistants, must finish the roughly 12-hour EEC Essentials 2.0 package before starting work, and now also a roughly 3-hour EEC Essentials Refresher by June 30 every year. Staff who finished Essentials 2.0 on or before June 30, 2025 had to take the refresher by June 30, 2026; later hires by June 30, 2027. Licensors began checking on July 1, 2026.
SafePass tip: SafePass staff profiles store certifications and documents with expiration dates, so first aid and CPR cards, EEC Essentials certificates and education documents are in one place for your licensor. SafePass does not update EEC's Professional Qualifications Registry, StrongStart or LEAD for you.
Family child care interns, volunteers and affiliated persons (April 1, 2026)
Family child care educators now submit background checks for interns, volunteers and affiliated persons under those roles in LEAD rather than as "regularly on the premises." As a result these people are now subject to EEC's mandatory disqualifications, which carry no appeal.
Staff records checklist reviewed monthly (April 1, 2026)
Group and school age programs must keep EEC's current Staff Records Checklist template, review it monthly, and sign a yearly affidavit that it is up to date. Licensors may review it on visits.
SafePass tip: SafePass staff profiles store certifications and documents with expiration dates, so first aid and CPR cards, EEC Essentials certificates and education documents are in one place for your licensor. SafePass does not update EEC's Professional Qualifications Registry, StrongStart or LEAD for you.
C3 operational grants written into law
The fiscal 2025 budget (approved July 29, 2024) made the Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants permanent by adding an Early Education and Care Operational Grant Fund (§ 19), an operational grant program (§ 20) and a career ladder for educator pay (§ 21) to the EEC statute. EEC's August 2026 C3 brief reports 7,544 participating programs and level funding of $475 million for two years. Since November 2025 centers are expected to spend at least half of their C3 money on the workforce, and every program must attest it will enroll a child with a child care financial assistance voucher when a seat is open.
Preschool naptime staffing (January 1, 2025)
During naptime, two assistant teachers or one teacher-qualified staff member may supervise a preschool room of up to 20 children, all of preschool age, if both are CPR and first aid certified, backup staff are on site, rooms are not combined, the practice is on the staff schedule and evacuation plan, and it is used no more than 60 minutes a day per classroom. Breaking these conditions counts as a ratio violation.
Bottle warming (August 1, 2025)
Bottles may not be warmed or thawed with water from a hot water dispenser. Only bottle warmers that heat with warm air, or electric warmers that use no water or steam, are allowed.
Electronic records accepted (August 1, 2024)
EEC formally accepts electronic records in place of paper, as long as they are stored securely, can be opened immediately during a visit, stay available during a power or internet outage, and devices are charged and in the licensed space. Emergency contacts, emergency care authorizations, medication information, current attendance and restraining orders must be portable for an evacuation, and EEC strongly recommends paper backups of those.
SafePass tip: SafePass keeps attendance, incident, medication and enrollment records in the cloud and exports attendance as PDF. EEC's policy still expects an outage backup and portable emergency information, so print or download the emergency contact and authorization pages and keep them with your go-bag.
Who needs a license, and what kind
Massachusetts child care is licensed by the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), an agency within the Executive Office of Education governed by the Board of Early Education and Care. EEC took over the former Office of Child Care Services on July 1, 2005. The licensing law is M.G.L. chapter 15D, and one regulation, 606 CMR 7.00, covers all three day-care license types: family child care (up to 10 children in a residence), small group and school age child care (10 or fewer children, not in a residence) and large group and school age child care (more than 10 children, which includes centers, preschools and before- and after-school programs). EEC's current program list (pulled October 2, 2026) showed about 3,000 licensed center-based programs and about 6,000 family child care homes.
When a license is required
No one may operate a family child care home, child care center or school-age child care program without an EEC license (government agencies get an "approval" instead). Operating without one is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000, up to 2½ years in the house of correction, or both (M.G.L. c. 15D, § 15). Advertising child care requires a license number in the ad.
Who is covered and who is not
Family child care is care in a private residence for no more than 10 children under 14 (16 with special needs). Group programs that receive more than 10 unrelated children are large group and school age programs. Not covered: public schools, private schools (unless mainly kindergarten or preschool), Sunday schools, care during religious services, informal cooperative arrangements among neighbors or relatives, and occasional care. EEC's exemption policy adds care of only related children, programs operating one day a week or no more than 10 weeks a year, and occasional care where no child attends more than 4 hours a day or 6 days a month; exempt programs must apply to EEC and get a written decision.
Application, orientation and renewal
The applicant (or a designee) must have attended an EEC-approved orientation within one year before licensure and submit the application, fee, inspection certificates, the parent information packet and record forms. Renewal applications are due at least 30 days before the license expires; if filed on time, the license stays in effect until EEC decides. Renewal includes a license renewal meeting and copies of any revised plans and current inspection certificates.
How long a license lasts
A regular family child care license lasts three years. A regular small or large group license lasts two years. New or struggling group programs may get a six-month provisional license, renewable once; by statute no one may operate on provisional licenses for more than 12 consecutive months.
Counting children in a family child care home
Count every child living in the home who is younger than school age, any home-schooled child in the home, any child under 10 who lives there and is present more than 3 consecutive hours on 5 consecutive weekdays, every non-resident under 14 present during child care, and during overnight care everyone under 18. A licensee may hold only one family child care license.
SafePass tip: SafePass Kiosk check-ins give a running count of who is in care, by child and age. Add your own young children as enrolled children if you want them in the count. SafePass does not apply EEC's family child care age-mix limits for you.
What you must report to EEC, and how fast
Immediately by phone: a child's death, any injury in care needing hospitalization or emergency treatment, a reportable disease, a medication error that needed emergency treatment or gave a child the wrong medication, a vehicle accident, or an evacuation to other shelter; then in writing within 48 hours. Within 24 hours by phone: an incident reported to police, an arrest of an educator or someone regularly on the premises, or a fire department response other than a false alarm. Within 5 days in writing: legal proceedings related to care. Before moving: 10 days' notice (family child care) or 30 days in writing (group). Closing: 30 days' written notice to EEC and parents. EEC's injury policy for group programs adds that injury report forms are due within 5 business days.
SafePass tip: SafePass incident reports record what happened, the action taken and first aid, notify the parent, and capture the parent's e-signature. Calling EEC and filing its injury report are still up to you.
Program administrator and administrative time (group programs)
Group programs must designate a qualified program administrator in writing, notify EEC before any change, and keep an administrator on the premises full time. For infant to preschool programs, the administrator's level and non-teaching time grow with capacity: a lead teacher with no set administrative time for 11 to 26 children (a Director I if 14 to 26 children attend four or more hours), a Director I half-time for 27 to 39, a Director I full-time for 40 to 79, and a Director II full-time for 80 or more. School-age programs need 20% of a full-time administrator for 11 to 52 children and a full-time one for 53 or more. Group programs serving children under school age also need a lead-teacher-qualified person on site full time for each age group, plus another for every 40 children over 39.
Staff-to-child ratios
Massachusetts sets ratios in 606 CMR 7.10. Large group programs use fixed-age or mixed-age tables; family child care and small group programs use multi-age group limits. Only EEC-qualified staff assigned to the children count, and volunteers or interns count only if they are at least 16 (group programs) or 18 (family child care) and assigned for at least three months.
Large group (center) ratios and group sizes by age
Infants (under 15 months): 1 educator for up to 3 infants; 2 educators for 4 to 7; maximum group 7. Toddlers (15 to 33 months): 1 educator for up to 4; 2 for 5 to 9; maximum group 9. Preschoolers (33 months to school age), full day: 1:10, group of 20. Preschoolers, half-day program: 1:12, group of 24. Kindergarten: 1:15, group of 30. School age: 1:13, group of 26. Each group needs at least one educator qualified for that age (infant/toddler teacher, preschool teacher, or a school-age group leader).
SafePass tip: SafePass shows a live count for each room: children checked in against staff clocked in, with an alert to directors when a room goes over ratio. Set each room's ratio to Massachusetts's number. SafePass's built-in defaults (infants 1:4, toddlers 1:6, two-year-olds 1:8, school-age 1:15) are all looser than Massachusetts's 1:3 for infants, 1:4 for toddlers up to 33 months and 1:13 for school age, so the defaults would NOT flag a room Massachusetts considers over ratio. SafePass does not check group size or the qualified-teacher requirement for you.
Large group mixed-age groups
Infant/toddler: 1:3, group of 9 with no more than 3 infants. Toddler/preschool: 1:5, group of 9. Preschool/school age: 1:10, group of 20, oldest child 8. Kindergarten/school age: 1:13, group of 26. No more than two children outside a group's age range may be assigned to it, and only after a documented review with the parents (7.10(9)(a)).
Family child care and small group multi-age limits
One educator: up to 6 children, no more than 3 under age 2 (including at least one walking toddler), the rest over 24 months; or 7 to 8 children on the same terms if the children over 6 are school age. Two educators: up to 6 children, all of whom may be under 2; or 7 to 10 children with no more than 6 under 2, including no more than 3 infants. Three educators: 7 to 10 children with up to 6 infants, the rest at least 15 months old. Large group programs may use these limits only in the first and last two hours of a day longer than seven hours, or all day with EEC approval.
SafePass tip: SafePass Kiosk check-ins give a running count of who is in care, by child and age. Add your own young children as enrolled children if you want them in the count. SafePass does not check Massachusetts's under-2 and infant limits for you.
Staff schedule and a second adult (group programs)
When more than one educator works, post a current written schedule of everyone on duty, including volunteers, that shows ratios are met at all times, including breaks and planning time. Regardless of ratio, a second adult trained in the program's health and emergency procedures must always be immediately available.
SafePass tip: SafePass staff time clock records and live room counts give you dated staff hours and children-per-room. Keep the posted written schedule the rule requires as well.
Supervision rules for every program
Infants who enroll before 6 months of age must be under direct visual supervision at all times, including naps, for their first six weeks in care. Never leave a child unattended on a changing table or in a vehicle. Children 7 and older may, with written parent consent, be out of constant view inside the approved space; children 9 and older may leave the premises with written parent and educator consent naming the day, times and transportation. In family child care and small group programs, children must be on the same floor as the educator and napping children must be checked at least every 15 minutes with the door ajar (7.10(7)).
Group size and capacity
Group size limits are part of the ratio tables above. A program may never care for more children than its licensed capacity.
Licensed capacity
EEC sets each program's maximum based on space, layout, staff numbers and qualifications, equipment and the children's needs, plus the building certificate where one applies. At no time may a program admit or care for more children than its license allows.
Family child care capacity tiers
A family child care license is issued for up to 6, 7 to 8, or 9 to 10 children, and each tier requires more experience. Seven or eight requires at least two school-age children and EEC pre-service training; nine or ten requires a five-hour pre-service training, years of licensed experience and, under the multi-age table, a second educator for more than 8 children.
Sharing rooms and combining groups
EEC recommends one group per classroom; if groups share a room it must be divided into separate activity areas with partitions, storage units or other barriers. Two groups may combine for circle time only briefly (15 minutes or less) and with their staff. Group limits may be exceeded on the playground if there is enough square footage. Exceeding group sizes otherwise needs an EEC-approved plan.
Indoor space
Group programs need at least 35 square feet of activity space per child, not counting hallways, bathrooms or adult-only areas. Family child care homes need 150 square feet for 1 or 2 children, 225 for 3 to 6, and 35 per child for 7 to 10, on no more than two adjacent floors. Outdoors, every program needs at least 75 square feet per child outside at one time (7.07(7)).
Staff qualifications
606 CMR 7.09 sets the qualifications. For group and school age programs, EEC has used its workforce-shortage authority (7.09(20), added in 2021) to issue Minimum Hiring Requirements, effective December 6, 2021, which programs apply when hiring. EEC also still issues Teacher, Lead Teacher and Director certifications, and in fall 2026 began a training pilot tied to a planned new educator credential.
Family child care licensees and assistants
Educators must be at least 18. A first-time licensee needs current first aid and CPR, plus experience: for 6 or fewer children, for example, one year as a parent or one year of full-time child care experience (or shorter experience with 15 or 30 training hours). Larger tiers need years of licensed experience. Certified assistants meet the licensee's qualifications and may replace the licensee with advance notice to parents; regular assistants work under the licensee's supervision and may be alone with up to 6 children for no more than 25 hours a year or 8 hours in 7 days, with first aid and CPR.
SafePass tip: SafePass staff profiles store certifications and documents with expiration dates, so first aid and CPR cards, EEC Essentials certificates and education documents are in one place for your licensor. SafePass does not update EEC's Professional Qualifications Registry, StrongStart or LEAD for you.
Center teachers, lead teachers and directors
The regulation sets four levels: assistant teacher (16+ or a high school diploma, always supervised), teacher (21+ or a high school diploma, with 3 credits in child growth and development and 9 months' experience, or a CDA), lead teacher (21+, 12 credits in four categories of study plus 9 to 36 months' experience depending on degree) and Director I and II. EEC's Minimum Hiring Requirements, which apply to group and school age programs, let programs verify qualifications on site and allow some coursework after hire; for example, a teacher may be hired at 21 (or with a diploma) with 3 months' supervised experience and 3 credits in child growth and development, completing first aid certification within 2 months and 3 more credits within 6 months. Every new hire must have a suitable background check first.
SafePass tip: SafePass staff profiles store certifications and documents with expiration dates, so first aid and CPR cards, EEC Essentials certificates and education documents are in one place for your licensor. SafePass does not update EEC's Professional Qualifications Registry, StrongStart or LEAD for you.
School-age program staff
Assistant leader: 16+, in or finished high school, directly supervised. Group leader: 18+, with a degree and 3 months' school-age experience, a diploma and 6 months, or 9 months' experience. Site coordinator: 20+ with a degree and 6 to 9 months' experience or a diploma and one year. Program administrator: 21+, site coordinator qualifications, and 6 months of administrative experience or 9 credits in management.
Registration and health requirements for all educators
Every educator must register with EEC every year (EEC's Professional Qualifications Registry). Before working, each educator needs a physical exam within the past year, immunizations per Department of Public Health recommendations (religious or medical exemptions allowed) and a statement of any limitations, and a current physical at each license renewal. No educator may regularly care for children more than 12 hours in 24.
SafePass tip: SafePass staff profiles store certifications and documents with expiration dates, so first aid and CPR cards, EEC Essentials certificates and education documents are in one place for your licensor. SafePass does not update EEC's Professional Qualifications Registry, StrongStart or LEAD for you.
Orientation, supervision and evaluation (group programs)
No one may supervise or be alone with children before completing the program's documented orientation, which covers health and medication policies, infant sleep positions, abuse reporting, emergency plans and more. Educators must be observed at least every two months by a lead teacher, site coordinator or higher, and evaluated in writing at least once a year.
Background checks
EEC runs all background record checks (BRCs) itself under 606 CMR 14.00 (as amended effective December 25, 2020) and M.G.L. c. 15D, §§ 7–8.
Who must be checked, and which checks
Group programs: every licensee, employee and intern, whether or not they have unsupervised access (directors, teachers, drivers, janitors, kitchen and office staff), plus volunteers and contractors with unsupervised access. Family child care: the licensee, assistants, volunteers, and every household member and person regularly on the premises aged 15 or older, even if they are never around the children. Each check includes Massachusetts criminal records (CORI), Department of Children and Families abuse and neglect records, the state and national sex offender registries, state and FBI fingerprints, and records from every state lived in during the past five years.
SafePass tip: SafePass stores each staff member's background check date and flags checks more than five years old on the Compliance page. Massachusetts requires a fresh check at least every three years, so treat that flag as a late warning. SafePass is not connected to EEC's BRC system.
Working before the check is finished
After the sex offender and fingerprint checks clear and EEC's preliminary screening is done, EEC may allow a group program to use a new hire in provisional status, always under direct visual supervision (not by camera) of someone with a "suitable" determination, until EEC issues the final determination. Licensees, family child care candidates, transportation staff, temporary agency staff and contracted service providers may not work provisionally.
Annual consent and three-year rechecks
Every candidate signs a consent form at the start and must recertify consent every year while working; failing to do so is grounds for a "not suitable" finding. By statute everyone must be rechecked at least every three years. EEC can transfer a suitability finding made within the prior three years to a new program.
Disqualifications and appeals
Mandatory, lifetime disqualifications include sex offender registration and felony convictions for murder, child abuse or neglect, crimes against children, spousal abuse, rape or sexual assault, kidnapping, arson, and physical assault or battery, plus violent misdemeanors against children; these cannot be reviewed or appealed. Other findings are reviewed, and the candidate must show suitability by clear and convincing evidence. A licensee found not suitable may appeal to the Division of Administrative Law Appeals within 21 days; other candidates request an EEC hearing within 21 days.
Training hours
Massachusetts combines EEC's required health and safety courses (EEC Essentials) with annual professional development hours set in 606 CMR 7.09.
EEC Essentials 2.0 and the annual refresher
Everyone in ratio completes EEC Essentials for Early Childhood 2.0 (13 courses, about 12 hours) or the after-school version (11 courses, about 10 hours) on EEC's StrongStart system before starting work, then a roughly 3-hour EEC Essentials Refresher by June 30 each year. Only staff who completed the full early childhood package, including its two infant courses, may cover an infant room, even briefly. Drivers and transportation monitors also take the Transporting Children module every year.
SafePass tip: SafePass staff profiles store certifications and documents with expiration dates, so first aid and CPR cards, EEC Essentials certificates and education documents are in one place for your licensor. SafePass does not update EEC's Professional Qualifications Registry, StrongStart or LEAD for you.
Annual professional development hours
Family child care: 5 hours a year for educators working more than 25 hours a year but under 10 hours a week; 10 hours for more than 10 hours a week. Small group: 10 hours. Large group and school age: 5 hours (under 10 hours a week), 12 hours (10 to under 20) or 20 hours (20 or more hours a week). At least one third (one quarter in small group) must address diverse learners. First aid and CPR do not count; EEC Essentials counts the first time it is taken.
SafePass tip: SafePass keeps dated training records in each staff profile, so you can total each person's professional development hours for the year. It tracks certification expiration dates, reminds staff 30 days out and alerts directors when one expires.
First aid and CPR
At least one educator certified in first aid and age-appropriate CPR must be present whenever children are in care, and only certified staff may give first aid or CPR. Group program educators must get first aid certification within six months of hire. Family child care licensees and certified assistants may not care for children without current first aid and CPR. Since 2021, renewal follows the expiration date on the card rather than a yearly cycle, and online CPR counts only with a hands-on skills check by an instructor.
SafePass tip: SafePass staff profiles store certifications and documents with expiration dates, so first aid and CPR cards, EEC Essentials certificates and education documents are in one place for your licensor. SafePass does not update EEC's Professional Qualifications Registry, StrongStart or LEAD for you.
Medication, infection control and nutrition training
All educators must be trained in the program's emergency procedures, standard precautions, medication administration and recognizing side effects, and in USDA nutrition requirements and choking hazards. Anyone who gives medication other than topical medication must show competency first, and at least one medication-trained educator must be present at all times.
Health and safety
606 CMR 7.11 covers abuse prevention, injuries, illness, hygiene and diapering.
Abuse, neglect and mandated reporting
Every educator is a mandated reporter and must report suspected abuse or neglect to the Department of Children and Families under M.G.L. c. 119, § 51A. The licensee must notify EEC immediately when a 51A report is filed about a child in care or names an educator, household member or person regularly on the premises. In group programs, an accused educator may not work directly with children until the investigation is finished.
Injury prevention and incident records
Keep hot liquids and appliances out of reach; no alcohol or smoking on the premises during care; a stocked first aid kit, family contacts, allergy information and emergency medications must go with children whenever they leave the building. Keep a record of unusual or serious incidents, including behavior incidents and injuries, and have the administrator review them monthly. Parents must be told immediately of injuries needing more than minor first aid, at day's end of minor first aid, and in writing within 24 hours (7.08(8)).
SafePass tip: SafePass incident reports record what happened, the action taken and first aid, notify the parent, and capture the parent's e-signature. Calling EEC and filing its injury report are still up to you.
Illness and infection control
Follow Department of Public Health exclusion rules for serious, contagious and reportable diseases and notify all parents when one enters the program. Educators and children wash hands with liquid soap and running water at set times; no shared towels. Eating surfaces are disinfected before and after each use, toilets and sinks daily, and cribs, cots and bedding weekly.
SafePass tip: SafePass can run an optional health check at check-in (temperature and symptoms) and notifies directors and parents when a child doesn't pass.
Diapering
Change diapers regularly and whenever wet or soiled, on a surface used for nothing else, away from food areas, with a hand on the child at all times. Group programs must post a written diapering plan and use a disposable cover changed after each child, disinfecting the surface every time.
SafePass tip: SafePass daily logs can record each diaper change for parents to see.
Facility, furniture and hazards
606 CMR 7.07 covers the building, outdoor space and equipment. Unlike many states, Massachusetts writes a furniture tip-over standard into the rule itself.
Furniture and equipment must be non-tippable
All indoor and outdoor equipment, furnishings, toys and games must be sturdy, safely constructed and installed, non-tippable, flame retardant, easy to clean and free of lead paint, protruding nails and rust. Nothing the Consumer Product Safety Commission identifies as hazardous may be used. Arrange furniture with sharp edges protected, keep play equipment free of entrapment hazards, keep fans out of reach, lock up or make inaccessible matches, toxic substances, sharp objects, plastic bags and purses, and keep blind and curtain cords longer than 6 inches out of reach.
Daily hazard checks and inspections
Check the environment daily and remove or repair hazards; keep exits clear. Any program not in a residence, or licensed for more than 10 children, needs a building certificate of inspection; all programs must show fire code compliance; private wells need annual testing evidence; pools need current inspections.
Indoor safety specifics
Window screens and guards; rooms at least 65°F; hot water at sinks no hotter than 120°F; outlets covered where children under school age can reach; carbon monoxide detectors; handrails on stairs and permanently installed gates at the top of stairs for children under 3 (no pressure gates there); radiators and hot pipes guarded; no portable heaters during care; no pesticides during care hours. Trampolines are banned except therapeutic equipment.
Lead paint
Group programs serving any child under 5 must have a lead paint inspection and comply with the Department of Public Health lead rules, and must disclose results to families. Family child care homes must give parents written information on lead risks and a disclosure of any known lead, and notify parents in writing if chipping paint is found in a pre-1978 home.
Outdoors, water and firearms
Outdoor hazards such as busy streets, parking lots and water must be fenced with a sturdy barrier at least 4 feet high. Children must be directly supervised around any water, pools must be fenced or locked when not in use, and off-site swimming needs a lifeguard. In family child care, firearms must be unloaded and locked or trigger-locked, with ammunition stored separately, and parents must be told in writing.
Emergency preparedness
Massachusetts requires monthly evacuation drills and an emergency preparedness plan that is now filed with EEC.
Monthly evacuation drills
Hold evacuation drills with every group of children and all educators from each floor level at least monthly, at different times of day and using alternate exits. Record the date, time, exit used, number of children evacuated and how well the drill went. EEC's 2026 policy adds that you check that day's attendance at the meeting place and again on return, and encourages shelter-in-place and lockdown drills.
SafePass tip: SafePass's checked-in list shows who is in care right now, which is the attendance you take out the door, and parent messaging can reach every family at once for reunification. SafePass does not keep a drill log, so record each monthly drill separately.
Written emergency preparedness plan
The plan must cover missing children, fire, natural disasters and loss of power, heat or water, with escape routes, a meeting place, how you will contact authorities and parents, and how you make sure no child is left behind, plus the needs of infants, toddlers and children with disabilities. Under the 2026 policy it must address 11 areas, be posted next to the license, be given to staff and to parents before enrollment, and be submitted through LEAD. Staff are trained before working with children and at least yearly; a family child care educator working alone reviews the plan yearly and attests to it with the licensor. Family child care plans must also name a backup caregiver who can arrive within 10 minutes (7.11(17)(b)).
Required postings
Post a "Call 911" reminder with the program's address and location in the building, the Poison Control number, the emergency back-up person, a list (protecting children's privacy) of emergency medications and allergies by child, and the license. Group programs also post evacuation procedures next to each exit and the location of the health care policy and first aid kit (7.04(17)(p)).
Medication
606 CMR 7.11(2) and (3) include a consent table that differs by type of medicine and by program type.
Giving medication
Have a written medication policy. All medication comes from the parent in its original container (prescriptions with the pharmacy label). Store it out of reach; lock up controlled substances; refrigerate at 38–42°F; keep epinephrine immediately available. Do not give a first dose except in extraordinary circumstances. Log each dose with the medication, dose, time, method and who gave it, and tell parents daily when diaper cream is used. Prescriptions need written parent consent and a health care practitioner's authorization, and missed doses must be logged with the reason. Oral over-the-counter medicine needs parent consent renewed weekly (plus practitioner authorization in group programs). Unanticipated over-the-counter medicine for mild symptoms needs annual consent. Sunscreen and insect repellent need annual consent but no log.
SafePass tip: SafePass collects the parent's signed medication request electronically, staff approve it, and each dose is logged with the time, amount and staff name, with a notification to the parent. Note missed doses and their reasons, which Massachusetts also requires.
Individual health care plans
Any child with a diagnosed chronic condition needs an individual health care plan in the record. Staff giving routine treatment must be trained for that child's condition, and consent and authorization are renewed yearly. Older school-age children may carry their own inhaler or epinephrine under a plan, with a backup supply kept on site.
SafePass tip: SafePass registration packets collect allergies and medical notes, and they show on the child's profile for staff.
Immunizations and health records
Children's health records are part of the child's file under 606 CMR 7.04(7).
Immunizations, physicals and lead screening
At admission, keep a clinician's certification that the child is immunized on the Department of Public Health schedule, a statement within one month of admission that the child had a physical within the past year, and proof of lead screening (Massachusetts requires screening between 9 and 12 months and at ages 2 and 3). Update these annually. Exemptions: a parent's written religious objection or a clinician's statement that a vaccine is medically contraindicated. For school-age children, a parent statement that the records are on file at school is accepted.
SafePass tip: SafePass lets parents upload vaccine records. Staff verify them, and the dashboard lists overdue and due-soon doses, with an exemption field. It does not track lead screening for you.
Nutrition
606 CMR 7.12 requires a USDA-based nutrition program.
Meals, menus and infant feeding
Serve snacks to children in care under four hours and meals plus snacks to those in care four hours or more. Follow parents' and physicians' directions for special diets and food allergies. Post weekly menus on request and keep them a year. Refrigerate food at 32–40°F with a thermometer in every refrigerator. Offer water often. Keep a feeding schedule for infants and toddlers, feed them on their own schedules, and always hold an infant who is drinking from a bottle. Group programs need a designated food program person and a food service permit if they cook on site.
SafePass tip: SafePass weekly menus and meal logs show parents what was served and how much their child ate.
Safe sleep
606 CMR 7.11(13) sets the basic rule; EEC's Safe Sleep for Infants policy, effective November 1, 2026, adds detail and a citation process.
Infant sleep
Place infants under 12 months on their backs in an individual crib, portable crib, play yard or bassinet with a firm, flat, properly fitted mattress and fitted sheet, unless the child's health care provider orders otherwise in writing. Cribs must meet current federal standards (made on or after June 28, 2011, shown by a tracking label, registration form or certificate). Nothing soft in the crib: no blankets, bumpers, positioners, bibs, hats or weighted items, and no mobiles. No swaddling without a provider's form. Never let an infant sleep in a swing, car seat, bouncer, carrier, bed or sofa. Infants must be seen or heard at all times while asleep (and checked every 15 minutes in family child care); monitors do not count, and rooms may not be fully dark.
SafePass tip: SafePass nap logs record when each child went down and woke up, and parents see them. SafePass does not run timed sleep-check logs, so keep your 15-minute check record and any daily sleep log EEC requires separately.
What happens after a safe sleep citation
If no safe sleep space can be found during the visit, care for that infant must stop until the program shows compliance. First citation: a letter that day to the involved infant's family (signed copy back within two business days), EEC safe sleep training within 10 business days, and an unannounced follow-up visit within 10 business days. Second citation: a letter to every infant family, an office conference, a signed Educator Safe Sleep Pledge, and a daily infant sleep log until EEC says otherwise.
Rest for older children
Children in care more than four hours get a scheduled rest or quiet period, each with their own labeled mat, cot or bed and blanket, at least 2 feet apart (or 3 feet between faces). Children who don't sleep get quiet activities. Never restrain a sleeping child.
SafePass tip: SafePass nap logs record nap start and end times.
Discipline and behavior
606 CMR 7.05 requires positive guidance; M.G.L. c. 15D, § 12A requires limits on suspension and expulsion.
Prohibited practices
Strictly prohibited: spanking or any corporal punishment; cruel or severe punishment such as humiliation, verbal or physical abuse, shaking, threats or derogatory remarks; taking away outdoor time, meals or snacks, force feeding or using food as a consequence; punishing toileting accidents; confining a child to a swing, high chair, crib or playpen instead of supervising; and time-out longer than one minute per year of age or out of an educator's view.
SafePass tip: SafePass incident reports and parent messaging give you a dated record of behavior notes shared with families.
Suspension and termination
Before suspending or terminating a child, the program must tell the parents in writing the specific reasons and any conditions for return. Group programs must have a written plan to avoid suspension and termination for challenging behavior, including a meeting with parents, referrals for evaluation or services, outside consultation for the program, and a behavior plan for home and the program, and give it to parents before enrollment.
Records and parent information
606 CMR 7.04 and 7.08 list what to keep and what parents must receive.
Children's records and retention
Each child's record holds a face sheet (parents, emergency contact, photo or description, physician, allergies and medications, schedule), custody and restraining orders provided by parents, the list of people authorized to pick up, emergency treatment and first aid permissions, field trip and other consents, health records and progress reports. Records are updated at least yearly, and consents last one year. Keep children's records five years after the child leaves, and attendance and educator records at least five years.
SafePass tip: SafePass registration packets collect guardians, emergency contacts, authorized pickups, physician and allergy information, with a parent signature. Check the result against the full list in this rule, including the annual consents.
Confidentiality and parent access
Records are confidential and may not be released without written parent consent or a court order. Parents may see their child's entire record within two business days of asking, and every release or review of a record must be entered in a permanent log in the child's file.
Progress reports
Prepare a written progress report and offer a parent conference every three months for infants and children with special needs, every six months for toddlers and preschoolers, and at least yearly for school-age children.
Written information for parents and open visits
Parents may visit unannounced at any time while their child is present. Before enrollment, give parents in writing: the open-visit policy, medication and emergency policies, the transportation plan, fees and calendar, illness exclusion criteria, safe sleep information, that staff are mandated reporters, your EEC regional office's address and phone, and that they may ask EEC about your compliance history. Give seven days' written notice of policy changes (7.08(8)(h)).
SafePass tip: SafePass can send policies to every family and keeps a dated record of parent messages. Keep each family's signed acknowledgment in the child's record.
Attendance and sign-in/sign-out
Massachusetts is explicit that you must know exactly who is present at every moment.
Daily attendance and knowing who is present
Keep daily attendance showing each child's arrival and departure times and "a method of knowing exactly who is present on the premises at any given point in the day." Records must be legible, dated and signed by the person making the entry, and attendance records are kept at least five years. EEC accepts electronic attendance if it is immediately available on a charged device in the licensed space, backed up for outages, and current attendance is portable for an evacuation.
SafePass tip: SafePass Kiosk records each check-in and check-out with a timestamp, so you can see who is present at any moment, and it exports attendance reports as PDF. To meet EEC's electronic records policy, keep a charged device on site, back up or print the day's list, and make sure it leaves with you in an evacuation.
Release only to authorized people
Keep a list of everyone the parent has authorized in writing to pick up the child, and keep any custody or restraining orders the parent provides. Drivers may release a child only to someone known or identified and authorized in writing.
SafePass tip: At check-out, SafePass shows staff the child's guardians and authorized pickups, with photos, and records who picked the child up.
Transportation and field trips
606 CMR 7.13 applies whenever a program provides or contracts transportation; 7.11(6) covers off-site trips.
Transportation plan, drivers and vehicles
Have a written transportation plan and each parent's consent to their child's plan. Vehicles carrying more than 8 passengers must meet Massachusetts school bus rules; smaller vehicles must meet M.G.L. c. 90, § 7D. Assign one regular driver per route, keep someone certified in first aid and CPR on every vehicle, and insure vehicles for at least $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident and $5,000 property damage.
Attendance and checking the vehicle
The driver takes attendance before and after each trip and inspects the whole vehicle after every trip so no child is left behind. EEC's policy requires a passenger log with each child's first and last name and pick-up and drop-off times. Every child rides in a proper seat or restraint; no child under 12 sits in front of an airbag; an attendant is required when more than 8 children ride; regular trips may not exceed 45 minutes one way.
SafePass tip: SafePass doesn't keep vehicle or passenger logs. Use its checked-in list to confirm every child who boarded arrived, and keep the passenger log separately.
Field trips
Written parent consent is required for off-site activities; a general annual consent can cover listed common outings, and other trips need a specific permission with date, destination and transportation. Notify parents before leaving, and each child must carry the program's name, address and phone number.
Inspections and enforcement
EEC's enforcement rules are in 102 CMR 1.00, a regulation adopted by EEC's predecessor (the Office of Child Care Services) that EEC still lists as current; EEC's statutory authority is now M.G.L. c. 15D, §§ 9–10.
Visits
EEC may visit at any reasonable time and investigate complaints. Under its policy, EEC makes at least one pre-licensing visit and at least one unannounced visit every year, using differential monitoring to decide what each visit covers. A visit report names each regulation violated, and the program must submit a corrective action plan, generally within 14 days and never more than 30.
SafePass tip: SafePass attendance, incident and medication records can be pulled up on a tablet during a visit.
Sanctions, fines and license actions
EEC may issue a deficiency correction order and impose sanctions such as stopping new enrollment, reducing capacity, requiring a consultant or monitor, or restricting a staff member's contact with children. Civil fines are $50 to $250 per violation for family child care and group programs when a plan or order is not followed. EEC may make a license probationary, suspend, revoke or refuse to renew it, and may suspend immediately in an emergency. After a revocation or refusal, the person may not be licensed again for five years.
What parents can see online
EEC posts licensing visits and investigations closed since October 1, 2019 on its Child Care Search: each item checked, the regulation, whether it was compliant, and for every non-compliance the statement and the program's corrective action plan, with a flag if a death, serious injury or substantiated abuse was tied to it. Results are posted within 90 days after the visit closes and stay up for five years. Corrective action plans must be written in English, without children's names, medical information or DCF details.
Disputing findings and appeals
How far you can contest a finding depends on what EEC does with it.
Disputing a non-compliance
A citation by itself has no formal appeal: your response is the corrective action plan, written in your own words. Report factual errors in a posted report to your licensor; EEC decides within seven days whether to correct or remove it.
Reconsideration and hearings
Within 7 days of a sanction or deficiency correction order, the licensee may ask EEC's General Counsel for administrative reconsideration, which is decided within 15 business days. To contest a denial, refusal to renew, revocation, probation, suspension or fine, file a notice of claim and answer within 21 days for a hearing at the Division of Administrative Law Appeals; after an emergency suspension, within 5 business days (the hearing is held within 10 business days). The EEC Commissioner issues the final decision, which can be appealed to court under M.G.L. c. 30A, § 14.
Frequently asked questions
Who licenses daycares in Massachusetts?
The Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), under M.G.L. chapter 15D. EEC took over from the Office of Child Care Services in 2005. Its licensing rules are 606 CMR 7.00 (programs), 606 CMR 14.00 (background record checks) and 102 CMR 1.00 (enforcement and appeals). Programs apply, renew and answer citations through EEC's LEAD portal.
What are the staff-to-child ratios for Massachusetts child care centers?
Under 606 CMR 7.10(9)(b): infants under 15 months 1:3 (group of 7); toddlers 15 to 33 months 1:4 (group of 9); preschoolers full day 1:10 (group of 20) or half day 1:12 (group of 24); kindergarten 1:15 (group of 30); school age 1:13 (group of 26). Mixed-age groups have their own limits in 7.10(9)(c).
How many children can a family child care provider have in Massachusetts?
Up to 10, depending on the license. One educator may care for up to 6 children with no more than 3 under age 2, or 7 to 8 if the extra children are school age. Above that, or with more young children, a second educator is needed (606 CMR 7.10(4)). The provider's own children younger than school age count (606 CMR 7.03(5)(c)).
How often do Massachusetts daycares have to hold fire drills?
At least monthly, with every group and from every floor, at different times of day and using alternate exits, and each drill must be logged with the date, time, exit, number of children and how it went (606 CMR 7.11(7)(h)). EEC's 2026 emergency preparedness policy adds that staff check that day's attendance during the drill.
Can babies be swaddled at Massachusetts daycares?
Not without a health care provider's written statement of medical necessity. EEC's Safe Sleep for Infants policy, effective November 1, 2026, also bans weighted sleep products, pacifier clips and letting an infant sleep in a swing, car seat or bouncer, and requires infants to sleep on their backs in an individual crib that meets current federal standards (606 CMR 7.11(13)(e)).
Who needs a background check at a Massachusetts daycare?
In group programs, every licensee, employee and intern, plus volunteers and contractors with unsupervised access. In family child care, the provider, assistants and everyone 15 or older who lives in or regularly visits the home. Checks include CORI, DCF, sex offender registries, fingerprints and out-of-state records, consent is renewed every year, and a full recheck is due at least every three years (606 CMR 14.05; M.G.L. c. 15D, § 8).
What training do Massachusetts child care staff need?
EEC Essentials 2.0 (about 12 hours) before starting work, an EEC Essentials Refresher by June 30 every year, first aid (within six months in group programs) and CPR, and annual professional development: 20 hours a year for center staff working 20 or more hours a week and 10 hours for full-time family child care educators (606 CMR 7.09; EEC Policy FO-26-04).
Do Massachusetts daycares have to anchor furniture?
The rule doesn't use the word "anchor," but 606 CMR 7.07(13) requires all furniture and equipment to be "sturdy, safely constructed and installed, non-tippable." Securing tall shelves, dressers and TVs is the practical way to meet that. Blind and curtain cords longer than six inches must also be out of reach.
Can I look up a Massachusetts daycare's inspection results?
Yes. EEC's Child Care Search shows each program's licensing visits and investigations since October 1, 2019, item by item with the regulation, any non-compliance and the program's corrective action plan, kept online for five years. Parents can also ask EEC about a program's compliance history (606 CMR 7.08(6)(n)).
Can immigration agents enter a Massachusetts daycare?
Under M.G.L. c. 15D, § 23, added by an August 2026 law (St. 2026, c. 163), arrests for civil law enforcement, including federal civil immigration enforcement, are not allowed on licensed or EEC-funded child care premises without a judicial warrant or judicial order, except as state or federal law requires. Every licensed program had to adopt a policy by September 1, 2026 naming a contact person and setting out how staff respond and document such contacts.
Sources
- 606 CMR 7.00, Standards for the Licensure or Approval of Family Child Care; Small Group and School Age and Large Group and School Age Child Care Programs (official PDF, Mass. Register #1459, 12/24/21) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- 606 CMR 14.00, Criminal Offender and Other Background Record Checks (EEC PDF; amended eff. Dec. 25, 2020) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- 102 CMR 1.00, Enforcement Standards and Definitions for Licensure or Approval (EEC PDF) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Laws and Regulations (list of current EEC regulations) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Proposed Amendments to Regulations (no pending amendments) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 15D, § 6 (license required) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 15D, § 7 (licenses, background checks, provisional licenses) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 15D, § 8 (regulations, background check frequency, fines) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 15D, § 9 (inspections) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 15D, § 10 (suspension, revocation) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 15D, § 12A (suspension and expulsion standards) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 15D, § 15 (penalties) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- M.G.L. c. 15D, § 20 (operational grant program) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- St. 2024, c. 140, § 36 (FY2025 budget; added c. 15D §§ 19–21) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- St. 2026, c. 163 (H.5620), § 3 (added c. 15D § 23; approved Aug. 5, 2026) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Policy FO-26-05, Safe Sleep for Infants (eff. Nov. 1, 2026) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Policy FO-26-04, EEC Essentials 2.0 Training Requirements (eff. July 1, 2026) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Policy FO-26-01, Emergency Preparedness in Child Care Programs (eff. Sept. 1, 2026) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Policy Advisory BRC-26-01, Interns, Volunteers and Affiliated Persons (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Policy Advisory FO-26-02, Staff Records Checklists (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Policy Advisory FO-24-19, Supervision of Preschool Children During Naptime (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Policy Advisory FO-25-03, Bottle Warming Safety (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Policy, Use of Electronic Records (eff. Aug. 1, 2024) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Policy, CPR and First Aid Training and Certification (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Minimum Hiring Requirements for Educators (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Policy, Staff Ratios and Groupings (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Policy, Reporting Injuries to EEC (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Policy, Criteria for Exemption from Licensing (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Transportation Policy (drop-off, pick-up and passenger logs) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Inspections and Visits Policy (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Process for Contesting Findings from Visits and Investigations (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Posting Visits and Investigations to the Consumer Education Website (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) Data Brief, August 2026 (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Data on Massachusetts Child Care Programs (EEC; links to E2C Research and Data Hub) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- Current Licensed and Funded Early Education and Care Programs (E2C Hub dataset iyks-y3g6; program counts) (accessed November 8, 2026)
- EEC Child Care Search (consumer lookup of programs and visit results) (accessed November 8, 2026)
Educational information, not legal advice. Rules change and inspectors apply them to your specific program. Always confirm requirements with your state child care licensing agency: Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC). How we handle your information: privacy policy.