# Idaho child care, camp and ratio rules

Source: https://backpr.com/resources/states/idaho. Last updated: 2026-10-19.

Checked October 2026 against Idaho's official rules and federal sources. General information, not legal advice; confirm with the agency.

### Child care licensing
A state daycare license is required to care for 7 or more children for pay: a group daycare facility (7 to 12 children) or a daycare center (13 or more). Family daycare homes with 6 or fewer children don't need a state license (though anyone caring for 4 or more must pass the state background check), and a city or county with its own daycare ordinance can license providers locally instead (Idaho Code §§39-1102, 39-1108, 39-1114; IDAPA 16.06.03.009, 16.06.03.101).

After-school and recreation programs: Idaho's daycare licensing law does not apply to day camps, programs, and religious schools that run less than 12 weeks a year or no more than once a week, to after-school programs for children over 4 or in kindergarten, to school educational programs for children over 4, or to occasional care while parents are in the same building (Idaho Code §39-1103; IDAPA 16.06.03.100.06).

Licensing agency: Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (IDHW), Daycare Licensing (https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/providers/child-care-providers/becoming-child-care-provider)

### Staff-to-child ratios in licensed centers
| Ages | Children per staff member | Largest group |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3 years | 1:13 | Not set |
| 4 years | 1:13 | Not set |
| 5 years | 1:25 | Not set |
| School-age (6 and up) | 1:25 | Not set |

Rule: Idaho Code §39-1109(4) (amended 2025); IDAPA 16.06.03.300. Idaho uses a point system instead of a ratio table: each staff member may have up to 12 points. Children under 24 months count 2 points (6 per staff), 24 to 36 months 1.33 (9), 36 months to under 5 years 0.923 (13), and 5 to under 13 years 0.48 (25); mixed groups are figured by adding points. No state group-size limit. Staff aged 16 or 17 count only when supervised by an adult, and staff without current pediatric CPR and first aid don't count.

Sources: Idaho Code §39-1109 (safety standards, ratio points) (https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title39/T39CH11/SECT39-1109/); Idaho Code §39-1103 (exemptions) (https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title39/t39ch11/sect39-1103/); IDAPA 16.06.03 Daycare Licensing (LII mirror) (https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/idaho/title-IDAPA-16/rule-16.06.03); IDAPA 16.06.03.300 Child-staff ratio (https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/idaho/IDAPA-16.06.03.300); IDHW: Becoming a child care provider (https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/providers/child-care-providers/becoming-child-care-provider)

### Summer camps
Idaho has no youth camp license. Overnight children's camps where no child stays 9 or more consecutive weeks a year are exempt from children's residential care licensing (Idaho Code §39-1206), and day camps that run less than 12 weeks a year or no more than once a week are exempt from daycare licensing (Idaho Code §39-1103). A day program for 7 or more children that runs longer may need a daycare license.

Sources: Idaho Code §39-1206 (children's camps) (https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/Title39/T39CH12/SECT39-1206/); Idaho Code §39-1103 (daycare exemptions) (https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title39/t39ch11/sect39-1103/); IDAPA 16.06.03.100 (exemptions) (https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/idaho/IDAPA-16.06.03.100)

### Background checks
Owners, operators, staff, and anyone 13 or older who has unsupervised contact with children or is regularly on the premises must clear an IDHW enhanced background check: fingerprint-based state and FBI criminal history plus child protection registry checks in every state lived in during the past 5 years. Checks must be renewed at least every 5 years, and 13- to 17-year-olds also need juvenile justice record checks (Idaho Code §39-1105; IDAPA 16.06.03.009; IDAPA 16.05.06). Camps that are exempt from daycare licensing are not covered by these rules, and we found no separate camp check law.

Sources: IDAPA 16.06.03.009 Background check requirements (https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/idaho/IDAPA-16.06.03.009); IDAPA 16.05.06.010 Definitions (enhanced clearance) (https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/idaho/IDAPA-16.05.06.010); Idaho Code §39-1105 (criminal history checks) (https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title39/t39ch11/sect39-1105/); IDHW Background Check Unit (https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/bcu)

### Giving medication
No one may give a child any medication without authorization from the parent or caretaker, and all medications, refrigerated or not, must be kept in a locked box or otherwise out of children's reach (IDAPA 16.06.03.380.20). The state rule does not set container, log, or staff-training requirements.

Sources: IDAPA 16.06.03.380 Health standards (item 20, Medication) (https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/idaho/IDAPA-16.06.03.380)

### Reporting child abuse
Any person, including daycare owners, operators, and staff, who has reason to believe a child has been abused, abandoned, or neglected must report it within 24 hours to IDHW or law enforcement; failing to report is a misdemeanor (Idaho Code §16-1605; IDAPA 16.06.03.421). Hotline: 855-552-KIDS (5437) statewide; 208-334-KIDS (5437) in the Treasure Valley (https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/services-programs/children-families-older-adults/child-and-family-services-and-foster-care-3).

Sources: IDHW: Reporting neglect, abuse, or abandonment (https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/services-programs/children-families-older-adults/child-and-family-services-and-foster-care-3); IDAPA 16.06.03.421 Mandatory reporting (https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/idaho/IDAPA-16.06.03.421); Idaho Code §16-1605 (https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idstat/title16/t16ch16/sect16-1605/); Child Welfare Information Gateway: Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect (https://www.childwelfare.gov/resources/mandatory-reporting-child-abuse-and-neglect/)