Licensing rules · Louisiana
Daycare ratios in Louisiana
In a Louisiana daycare center, one adult may care for up to 5 babies, 7 children at 18 months, 13 three-year-olds or 15 four-year-olds. Groups are capped too, from 15 babies to 30 children at age 4.
- Babies (6 weeks)
- 1:5
- Toddlers (18 months)
- 1:7
- 3-year-olds
- 1:13
- 4-year-olds
- 1:15
Daycare centers
Ratios and group sizes in Louisiana centers
The most children one adult may care for, and the largest group allowed in one room, at each age. From Louisiana's licensing rules as compiled in the 2025 national database.
| Child's age | Adults to children | Largest group |
|---|---|---|
| 6 weeks | 1:51 adult for 5 children | 15 children |
| 11 months | 1:51 adult for 5 children | 15 children |
| 18 months | 1:71 adult for 7 children | 21 children |
| 35 months | 1:101 adult for 10 children | 20 children |
| 3 years | 1:131 adult for 13 children | 26 children |
| 4 years | 1:151 adult for 15 children | 30 children |
| 5 years | 1:191 adult for 19 children | 38 children |
| 6 years | 1:231 adult for 23 children | 46 children |
| 7 years | 1:231 adult for 23 children | 46 children |
| 8 to 9 years | 1:231 adult for 23 children | 46 children |
| 10 years and older | 1:231 adult for 23 children | 46 children |
The national database reads each state's rule at these sample ages; Louisiana's own rules give the exact age bands.
In the room
What the ratio means for your child
A ratio is the most children one adult may care for at once. At 1:5, a room of 15 babies, the largest infant group Louisiana allows, needs 3 caregivers in it. A room of 30 four-year-olds at 1:15 needs 2.
These numbers are the minimum, and some centers keep more adults than that. On a tour, count the adults and children in your child's room, and ask how the center keeps the ratio during staff breaks and at the end of the day.
Louisiana's rules cover mixed-age groups; ask the daycare which ratio it follows when ages mix.
Home daycares
Rules for home daycares in Louisiana
The national database lists no licensing rules for family or group home daycares in Louisiana, so this page gives no home ratio.
If you are looking at care in someone's home, ask whether the provider is registered with the state, which rules they follow and how many children, and how many babies, they care for at once.
- As the national database records them
- Family child care home (one provider): no licensing rules listed for this setting in Louisiana.
- Group child care home (two or more providers): no licensing rules listed for this setting in Louisiana.
Enforcement
How Louisiana checks these rules
- Centers: Louisiana reported routine inspections twice a year, without notice.
Inspection schedules are from a 2017 national survey of state licensing agencies.
On the tour
Ask about ratios on a tour
- of the 493 Louisiana daycare websites we read post a staff-to-child ratio
- 3.7%
- How many adults are in my child's room, and how many children?
- How do staff keep track of every child during outdoor play, nap and pick-up?
- Who may pick up my child, and how do you check?
- Is the ratio the same at the start and end of the day, when fewer staff are in?
More questions: the daycare tour checklist.
Questions
Questions about daycare ratios in Louisiana
What is the infant ratio for Louisiana daycare centers?
1:5. One adult may care for up to 5 babies, and an infant group may hold no more than 15.
What is the toddler ratio in Louisiana?
1:7 at 18 months and 1:10 at 35 months, just before age 3.
What is the ratio for 4-year-olds in Louisiana daycares?
1:15, with up to 30 children in a group. For 3-year-olds it is 1:13, with up to 26.
How many children can a Louisiana home daycare have?
The national database lists no licensing limit for home daycares in Louisiana. Ask the provider how many children they care for, how many are babies and which rules they follow.
How do I check whether a Louisiana daycare keeps to the ratio?
Count adults and children on your tour. 3.7% of the 493 Louisiana daycare websites we read post a ratio, so ask the director what each room keeps.
Rules change. Before you rely on a number here, check Louisiana's current licensing rules or ask the state licensing agency.
Source: National Database of Child Care Licensing Regulations, Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families (licensingregulations.acf.hhs.gov), 2025 tables, retrieved October 7, 2026. Website figure: daycare websites read in 2026.