Michigan Daycare Self-Inspection Checklist (Printable)

Recent and upcoming changes

Licensing moved from LARA to MiLEAP MCL 388.1283 (E.R.O. No. 2023-2) Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care Executive Reorganization Order No. 2023-2 (issued as Executive Order 2023-6) moved all child care licensing powers of the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), including the Child Care Licensing Bureau,…
New child care center rules (May 7, 2025) R 400.8101 to R 400.8840 Centers MiLEAP adopted a rewritten set of center rules effective May 7, 2025 (2025 Michigan Register No. 10), and its August 6, 2025 provider notice says centers had 90 days, until August 6, 2025, to comply.
New 2026 home rule book received and QR acknowledgment completed R 400.1901 to R 400.1963 Group child care homes · Family child care
Drinking water plan on file; children's water from filtered sources; signs at outlets; testing every 2 years MCL 722.113i, 722.113j; R 400.8341 Centers
Temporary door locks allowed in centers MCL 722.113m Centers A 2025 law (Public Act 62 of 2025, effective March 24, 2026) lets a child care center install a temporary door locking device or system, such as a barricade device used during a lockdown, as long as it meets section 4i…
2026 health and safety refresher completed and showing in MiRegistry for every required person R 400.8216a(13), R 400.1924(11) Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care

Who needs a license, and from whom

Child care center MCL 722.111(1)(i) Centers A facility other than a private home that cares for one or more children under 13 for less than 24 hours a day while parents are not immediately available.
Four kinds of center R 400.8101, R 400.8103 Centers An early childhood center serves children under 13.
Never above licensed capacity (family 6, or 7 if approved; group 12, or 14 if approved) MCL 722.111(1)(v)(iii)-(iv); R 400.1925 Group child care homes · Family child care
Applying for a license, and fees MCL 722.115m Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care No one may operate a center or home without a MiLEAP license.
Original, regular and provisional licenses MCL 722.118, 722.117; R 400.8107 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care A new program gets a 6-month original license.
Home provider requirements R 400.1902, R 400.1903 Group child care homes · Family child care The licensee must be 18 or older, have a high school diploma or GED (or an approved MiRegistry training track), live in the home, hold pediatric first aid and CPR, have training in abuse and neglect reporting and…

Staff-to-child ratios

Ratios: birth-30 mo 1:4 (group 12); 30 mo-3 yr 1:8 (24); 3 yr 1:10 (30); 4 yr-school age 1:12 (40); school-age 1:18 (54) R 400.8222(4), Table 1 Centers
Second adult on site with 3+ children under 3 or 7+ children over 3 R 400.8222(2), (3), (9), (11), (12) Centers
Small capacity centers R 400.8222(14)-(15) Centers A center of 20 or fewer children uses 1 staff member for 6 children, with no more than 4 children under 30 months per staff member, and a maximum group size of 20.
Home: 1 caregiver per 6 children (own children under school age count); max 4 under 24 mo, max 2 under 12 mo R 400.1927, R 400.1928 Group child care homes · Family child care
Ratios in vehicles R 400.8760 Centers In transit: infants and toddlers 1:4 and preschoolers under 3 at 1:8, with the driver not counted; 3-year-olds 1:10, 4-year-olds 1:12 and school-age children 1:18, where the driver may count.

Group size, capacity and space

Licensed capacity and changes R 400.8222(1), (13) Centers The number and ages of children in care may never exceed what the license allows.
Center indoor and outdoor space R 400.8121, R 400.8125 Centers At least 42 square feet of usable indoor space per infant or toddler and 35 square feet per preschool or school-age child (35 for all ages in a small capacity center).
Home indoor and outdoor space R 400.1909, R 400.1912 Group child care homes · Family child care At least 35 square feet of usable indoor space per child (not counting bathrooms and storage), only in spaces MiLEAP approved for child care.

Administrator and staff qualifications

Program administrator (center director) R 400.8204 Centers At least 21, with a high school diploma or GED and 2 semester hours or 3 CEUs in child care administration within 6 months of hire, and MiLEAP approval of credentials before hire.
Lead teachers R 400.8210 Centers Required for each group of preschool age and younger, present full time (or at least 6 hours a day in programs open 6 or more hours).
Teachers and volunteers MCL 722.111(1)(a); R 400.8103 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care Child care staff members, including teachers, must be at least 16.
Home staff, assistants and MiRegistry R 400.1920, R 400.1921, R 400.1922 Group child care homes · Family child care Home staff members must be 16 or older, cleared by MiLEAP before contact with children, and hold pediatric first aid and infant, child and adult CPR before caring for children.

Background checks

Every staff member, unsupervised volunteer and adult household member found eligible in the background check system MCL 722.115n; R 400.8201, R 400.1919 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care
Central registry clearance and barred convictions MCL 722.119 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care No one may have contact with children until they provide documentation that they are not named as a perpetrator in Michigan's child abuse and neglect central registry.
Volunteers, assistants and sex offender registries R 400.8213(2)-(3), R 400.1903(1)(r)-(s) Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care Supervised volunteers (and, in homes, child care assistants) must be cleared by the licensee against the Michigan State Police sex offender registry or the national Dru Sjodin registry before any contact with children,…
Home reporting duties R 400.1903(1)(f) Group child care homes · Family child care Within 3 business days, a home licensee must tell MiLEAP about household changes and about any arrest, conviction or qualifying arraignment, child protective services investigation, parole or probation, or admission to…

Training, CPR and first aid

Orientation topics done within 30 days; MiRegistry health and safety courses within 90 days; at least 50% of program staff with current first aid/CPR R 400.8216 Centers
16 clock hours per staff member per calendar year (10 small capacity) R 400.8216a Centers
Licensee 10 hours, staff 5 hours, volunteers and drivers 1 hour per calendar year; CPR/first aid current R 400.1923, R 400.1924 Group child care homes · Family child care

Supervision, health and safety

Supervision R 400.1929, R 400.8213(1) Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care Staff and volunteers must provide appropriate care and supervision at all times.
Lost child, injury needing treatment, evacuation or fire reported to MiLEAP within 24 hours; written report within 72 hours R 400.8266, R 400.1941 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care
Illness and communicable disease R 400.8263, R 400.1940 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care Have a written plan for telling parents about health changes, injuries and illness, and an exclusion policy.
Mandated reporting R 400.8213(1)(c), R 400.1903(1)(q) Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care All staff, volunteers and (in homes) adult household members are mandated reporters.
Parents' access and smoking MCL 722.113a, 722.113b Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care Parents may visit their child at any time during hours of operation, and prospective parents may visit before enrolling.

Facility, furniture, equipment and hazards

CPSC recall list posted or accessible; no recalled items; no trampolines; no teething jewelry R 400.8131, R 400.1909 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care
Nothing heavy mounted or shelved above sleeping equipment; no peeling paint; lead assessment on file if built before 1978 R 400.8134(2), R 400.8158, R 400.8161 Centers
Outdoor area and equipment checked daily before use R 400.8125 Centers
Firearms unloaded and locked, ammunition locked separately; radon test on file; CO detectors on each level R 400.1913, R 400.1916, R 400.1915 Group child care homes · Family child care
Home water hazards R 400.1934 Group child care homes · Family child care Pools, ponds, ditches and wells need barriers.

Emergency plans, drills and fire safety

Fire drill every 3 months; 2 tornado drills March-November; other drills yearly; drill log with date and time R 400.8269 Centers
Home fire drill every 3 months using the smoke detector; log includes evacuation time R 400.1939 Group child care homes · Family child care
Smoke detectors and extinguishers R 400.1948, R 400.8540 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care Homes need working smoke detectors on every floor including the basement and in every room where children sleep, and a 2A-10BC fire extinguisher mounted no higher than 5 feet on each child-use floor.

Medication

Written parent permission; original labeled container; each dose logged with time, amount and signature R 400.8260 Centers
Giving medication in homes R 400.1931 Group child care homes · Family child care Only the licensee or a child care staff member may give medication (never an assistant or supervised volunteer), with prior written parent permission, from the original labeled container, following the label unless a…

Immunizations and health records

Immunization record or waiver at first attendance; physicals within 30 days; immunization report to MDHHS by October 1 R 400.8112(2)-(9) Centers
Children and adults in homes R 400.1907(1)(c), R 400.1933 Group child care homes · Family child care Before a child's first day, the home documents that immunizations are complete, in progress or waived by the parent, and updates records yearly.

Food and nutrition

Center meals and infant feeding R 400.8330, R 400.8335 Centers Meals must meet the CACFP pattern (7 CFR 226).
Written food allergy plan; each allergic child's care plan on file and taken on field trips R 400.8269a, R 400.1937 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care
Home meals R 400.1938 Group child care homes · Family child care Meals and snacks meet the CACFP meal pattern unless parents provide the food (with a written agreement).

Safe sleep

Infants on back, alone, in a crib; nothing soft in the crib; sleeping infants checked in person R 400.8219, R 400.8134 Centers
Home safe sleep R 400.1930, R 400.1910 Group child care homes · Family child care Infants sleep on their backs, alone, in a crib, portable crib or play yard meeting federal standards (play yard mattresses from the play yard's maker and made after February 19, 2014), with no soft objects or pillows.

Discipline and behavior management

Written discipline policy given to staff and parents; no time-out under age 3 R 400.8280, R 400.1942 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care

Records and postings

Licensing notebook (3 years of reports and summary sheet) available to parents MCL 722.113g; R 400.8110(4), R 400.1906(3) Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care
Center postings and parent handbook R 400.8110(3), R 400.8113 Centers Post the license (and any variance), make the rules available to parents, and post a notice that the center requires background checks.
Child and staff files R 400.8112(1), R 400.8112a, R 400.1906, R 400.1907 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care A child information card, signed by the parent, before or at the first day (homes also use MiLEAP's child in care statement, which records the discipline policy, health, food arrangements, firearms on the premises and…

Attendance, sign-in and release of children

Daily sign-in/out with child's full name and times; release only to authorized people R 400.8112(10)-(12), R 400.1907(3), R 400.1903(1)(i) Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care

Transportation and field trips

Center vehicles and drivers R 400.8720, R 400.8750 Centers Vehicles get a yearly inspection by a licensed mechanic (school buses as directed by the State Police).
No child left in a vehicle; routes under 1.5 hours for children under school age; transport permissions on file R 400.8760(3)-(5), R 400.8770, R 400.8780 Centers
Home transportation R 400.1951, R 400.1952 Group child care homes · Family child care Drivers are adults with a valid license, registration and insurance; a driver who counts in ratio or is alone with children needs a background check.

Inspections and enforcement

Inspections MCL 722.113h, 722.115m(2), 722.120 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care MiLEAP must make an on-site visit before issuing or renewing a license, and licenses renew every 2 years (MCL 722.118).
Special investigations and parent notice MCL 722.113f Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care When MiLEAP opens a high-risk special investigation, the program must make a good-faith effort within 24 hours to tell the parents of children who were there when the incident happened (or who are in contact with the…
Provisional licenses, revocation and refusal to renew MCL 722.121, 722.117a Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care For willful and substantial violations, MiLEAP may modify a license to provisional, refuse renewal, revoke it, or deny an application.
Penalties for violations and unlicensed care MCL 722.125 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care Violating the act, including operating without a license, is a misdemeanor punishable by a $100 to $1,000 fine and up to 90 days in jail.

Variances, disputes and appeals

Calendar the 30-day appeal deadline the day a notice arrives MCL 722.121(2) Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care
Background check redetermination MCL 722.115n(11) Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care A person found ineligible may ask MiLEAP for a redetermination within 30 calendar days of the notice, with court or other records if a conviction or registry case was expunged or set aside.
Rule variances R 400.8104, R 400.1908 Centers · Group child care homes · Family child care On written request, MiLEAP may grant a variance from a rule if the alternative gives clear and convincing evidence that children's health, welfare and safety are protected.

Michigan daycare self-inspection checklist

Recent and upcoming changes

Who needs a license, and from whom

Staff-to-child ratios

Group size, capacity and space

Administrator and staff qualifications

Background checks

Training, CPR and first aid

Supervision, health and safety

Facility, furniture, equipment and hazards

Emergency plans, drills and fire safety

Medication

Immunizations and health records

Food and nutrition

Safe sleep

Discipline and behavior management

Records and postings

Attendance, sign-in and release of children

Transportation and field trips

Inspections and enforcement

Variances, disputes and appeals

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