North Dakota daycare licensing is administered by the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Early Childhood Division. Infant ratios start at 1:4. Eight to fifteen clock hours depending on role of annual training for licensed staff is the headline training requirement. The full guide below covers what each area requires, the citation patterns that catch otherwise-good operators, and the application arc for a new license. Always verify specifics with the agency before acting.
North Dakota regulates child care through the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Early Childhood Division. The Bakken oil region has reshaped North Dakota child care demand over the last decade. Williston, Watford City, and Dickinson swing on oil prices, and waiting lists for licensed infant care in those communities run long when drilling activity is high. The state has worked to streamline applications to encourage new program openings; the rules themselves are roughly mid-pack among states. Always verify specifics with the Early Childhood Division before acting.
Ratios and group sizes in North Dakota
Ratios are the single most important number in any state's framework, including North Dakota's. They define how many children one staff member can supervise, broken down by age band. Group size is the maximum number of children in a single classroom regardless of how many staff are present.
| Age band | Ratio (1 staff to N children) | Group size cap |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (under twelve months) | 1:4 | (varies) |
| Toddler (twelve to twenty-four months) | 1:5 | (varies) |
| Preschool (two to three years) | 1:7 | (varies) |
| Preschool (three to five years) | 1:10 | (varies) |
| School-age | 1:18 | (varies) |
Operating note: the most common ratio violations are during transition windows, drop-off, lunch, nap, pickup, and shift change. The fix is staffing the transition, not just the steady state. See the staffing-shortage solutions guide for the operational pattern.
Training hours and staff qualifications
Beyond background checks, North Dakota regulates the hours of training each caregiver must complete and refresh.
- Annual training for licensed staff: Eight to fifteen clock hours depending on role.
- Pediatric CPR and first aid: Required and kept current.
- Pre-service orientation: Required within first thirty days.
Tracking expirations is the single highest-leverage admin task. The director who knows on January 1 that two teachers have CPR expiring in March is in a different position from the one who finds out on March 28.
Background checks for staff and adults on premises
North Dakota requires fingerprint-based state and FBI criminal history plus the North Dakota child abuse and neglect registry check for every adult with unsupervised access to children, including all household members in family home licenses. Plan four to eight weeks for clearance turnaround.
How to get a daycare license in North Dakota
The application arc takes most new operators six to twelve months for a center, faster for a home-based program. The steps below summarize the standard North Dakota pattern; each step links back to the agency for the current forms.
- Pick the program category. North Dakota licenses Family Child Care (in the provider home, up to seven children), Group Child Care (up to eighteen), Multiple Site Family Child Care, Center Based Child Care, Preschool, and School Age Care.
- Submit the application packet. Application, business documents, floor plan, and fees go to the DHHS Early Childhood Division.
- Background checks for all adults. Fingerprint-based state and FBI criminal history plus the state child abuse and neglect registry check for every adult with unsupervised access, including household members for family homes.
- Pass inspections. State fire marshal or local fire authority and Department of Health inspection precede license issuance.
- Complete required training. Operator and lead staff complete pre-service orientation and register on the Growing Futures registry.
- Receive the license. DHHS issues the license; enroll children only after issuance.
For the national framework that surrounds these state-specific steps, see our 2026 operator's guide to daycare licensing.
The most common reasons North Dakota centers get cited
Independent centers usually do not fail a North Dakota inspection because of headline issues. They get cited for the same handful of small things, over and over. Knowing the list lets operators self-audit before the inspector does.
- Ratio drift during transitions
- Annual training hours behind schedule
- Sleep environment violations for infants
- Background clearance gaps for a household member
- Fire drill log gaps
Renewals and ongoing compliance in North Dakota
North Dakota licenses are issued for two years with annual monitoring. Self-audit ninety days before renewal.
The operators who renew without drama do four things: they self-audit twice a year against the most recent inspection report, they keep a single binder of staff credentials and expirations, they fix small citations before they compound, and they treat the renewal inspector as a partner. Plan a self-audit ninety days before the renewal date.
Phone coverage and licensing in North Dakota
Licensing rules force operators into a quiet contradiction. Ratios mean teachers cannot leave the classroom to take a parent call. The director is rarely sitting at a desk during business hours. Yet several licensing-relevant moments depend on the center being reachable: a parent reporting a contagious illness, a state inspector confirming a visit window, a referring agency verifying availability, mandatory-reporter requirements that depend on the director seeing a message in time. Tools that handle parent calls without pulling staff out of ratio are now part of the operating stack for many independent North Dakota centers. See our 2026 guide to AI for daycare for the broader category.
Frequently asked questions about North Dakota daycare licensing
How has the Bakken affected North Dakota licensing?
Oil-boom communities in western North Dakota see waiting lists for infant care exceed a year during high-activity periods. Some employers in those counties subsidize on-site or near-site licensed care to retain workers. The licensing rules do not change with the boom, but demand does, sharply.
What is Growing Futures?
Growing Futures is North Dakota’s professional development registry. Training hours must be recorded there to count toward the annual requirement, which varies from eight to fifteen hours depending on role.
How long does North Dakota licensing take?
A Center Based Child Care license typically takes four to nine months. A Family Child Care license is two to four months. North Dakota has invested in shorter timelines as part of its child care shortage response.
What is Multiple Site Family Child Care?
It is a license category that allows one operator to run more than one home-based program with assistants in each location. It is used by experienced family child care operators expanding in rural communities.
Resources and sources
- North Dakota DHHS Early Childhood
- North Dakota child care licensing rules
- Growing Futures registry
- Daycare Licensing Requirements: A 2026 Operator's Guide (national framework)
This page summarizes commonly-referenced North Dakota daycare licensing requirements as of 2026. It is not legal advice. Verify every detail directly with the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, Early Childhood Division before opening, hiring, or renewing a license.