Child Care Facility Licensing

Increase the quality and amount of child care in your community.

By opening your own licensed facility, you can provide families with more high-quality options for care and help support the economic health of your community.

To get licensed, owners must:

Complete orientation and training
Submit an application
Complete background checks
Pay an application fee (if applicable)

Depending on the facility, there may be more requirements, like Fire Safety approval. Explore the details of opening each type of facility or download a handy application checklist below.

Child Care Center, Preschool, and Head Start
Forms | Checklist

Licensed and Group Day Care Homes
Toolkit (Spanish) | Forms

School Age Program
Forms | Checklist

School Age Drop-In Program
Forms | Checklist

Required Orientation

Before submitting an application, you must complete orientation. These are required as part of the process of opening a licensed facility. DO NOT submit an application until you have scheduled and attended a required Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) orientation.

Schedule your orientation by contacting the child care licensing program in your county. View County Contact List.

Your county contact can also help you if you have additional questions.
Note: You may also need to verify that you can open a licensed facility with HOA, city, or county building codes office.

KDHE orientation overview

During orientation, you will learn about the policies and practices of opening and running your chosen type of facility, including duties and responsibilities for the care and supervision of children.

Some of the topics you may cover include:

Licensing regulations
Emergency procedures
Behavior management and discipline practices
Importance of daily activities
Importance of outdoor play
Health and safety practices, i.e. safe sleep, storage of hazardous materials, etc.
Confidentiality, i.e. child records
Required Health and Safety training topics
Required Pediatric CPR & First Aid

Orientation will set you, your facility, and your families up for success.

Employee Orientation Requirements

Orientation is a critical part of opening a facility. Anyone in child care centers, preschools, Head Start programs, licensed day care homes and group day care homes is required to undergo orientation and training programs before caring for children.

KDHE requires that all those caring for children undergo orientation. In addition, you can also supplement with your own orientation. Consider covering more facility-specific topics like activities, employment requirements, and more.

Required Training

Health and Safety Training, including medication administration, is required in addition to orientation. Requirements are to be completed no later than 30 days following application or before given sole responsibility for the care and supervision of children.

These training requirements apply to each applicant, each applicant with a temporary permit, each licensee and each provider.

Program directors, teaching staff, and licensed daycare/group daycare providers must obtain annual clock hours of approved KDHE training each year. In-service training must relate to the work of the participants.

The Kansas Professional Development Initiative has published the Core Competencies for Early Care and Education Professionals in Kansas and Missouri for professionals working with young children that identify what is approved content for licensure or re-licensure in-service training.

Licensing Forms & Applications

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is the licensing authority in the state. KDHE requires licensing to keep children in care safe, healthy, and growing. Licensure is required regardless of the motivation for providing care or payment.

You can also create an account through the Child Care Provider Portal and submit the application and supporting forms online.

Licensing in home-based care is not required when:

Child care is provided for not more than two children unrelated to the provider for 20 hours a week or less, and the home has not been closed as a result of enforcement action.
- Total time is determined by adding the hours each child is cared for weekly.
Irregular child care is arranged between friends and neighbors on an exchange basis.
Child care is provided in the child’s own home.
Child care is provided in the home of the child’s relative.

Licensing Fees

Each program has a licensing fee that must be paid. State fees are currently waived through September 2024. Some counties may require their own licensing fee, though.

How to Open a Licensed Child Care Facility

The main purpose of child care regulation is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of children receiving care. Regulated child care includes family child care, homes, and centers, and most care providers are required to obtain a license to operate.

1Schedule your orientation

Applicants must schedule and attend a required licensed child care facility orientation. DO NOT submit an application until you have scheduled and attended a required orientation.

Schedule your orientation by contacting your county’s child care licensing program. View County Contact List.
Your county contact can also help you if you have additional questions.
Note: you may also need to verify that you can open a licensed facility with HOA, city, or county building codes office.

2Submit an application

After you have attended a required orientation and verified you can open a licensed facility at your location, follow these steps to submit your application:

Create an account through the Child Care Provider Portal and submit the application and supporting forms online.

OR
Complete and submit a paper application and supporting forms and mail with payment to:

Child Care Licensing
1000 SW Jackson, Ste 200
Topeka, KS 66612

NOTE: A new application may take up to 90 days to process once an application is complete. Your application cannot be completed without attending a required orientation.

3Complete a background check.

Kansas law (KSA 65-516) requires a background check for each individual residing, working or regularly volunteering in a licensed child care facility to lower the risk of neglect or abuse in child care settings.

Complete Background Check

4Obtain fire marshal approval

Some child care facilities are required to obtain approval from the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM). If you’re unsure if your facility needs approval or not, or have questions about the approval process, email the Kansas Fire Marshal’s Office directly.

Learn more about fire marshal approvallaunch

5Pay the applicable license fee

You will also have to pay a State License Application Fee (some counties may also require a fee). State fees are waived through September 2023.

6Complete required training

Health and Safety Requirements are to be completed no later than 30 days following application. These training requirements apply to each applicant, each applicant with a temporary permit, each licensee, and each provider. 16 hours of approved training are then required annually.