Georgia

Staff-child ratios (centers)

Requirements

Annual training

10 clock hours of approved training per calendar year after the first year of employment (must include at least 2 hours in language/literacy practices and 2 hours in child development or health and safety). Pediatric CPR (renewed every 2 years) and pediatric first aid (every 3 years) certification required within 45 days of hire; those hours do not count toward the 10.

Lead teacher

Teacher/lead caregivers must be at least 18 and hold a qualifying credential such as a CDA, a Technical Certificate of Credit or diploma in early childhood education/child development, or an equivalent approved credential or degree (Rule 591-1-1-.31(2)).

Director

Directors must be at least 21 with one of several education-plus-experience combinations, ranging from a CDA or technical certificate plus 6 months of qualifying child care experience, up to a bachelor's or master's in early childhood education; a 40-hour approved director course plus 5 years as a center director also qualifies (Rule 591-1-1-.31(1)).

Worth knowing

Full ratio table (Rule 591-1-1-.32): 2-year-olds 1:10 (group 20); 4-year-olds 1:18 (36); 5-year-olds 1:20 (40). Max group size does not apply to centers licensed for 18 or fewer children or to outdoor play/short special activities. DECAL has proposed rule changes for October 2026.

Compliance

Background checks

Directors, employees and any adult (17+) present with children need a satisfactory comprehensive records check before working: an FBI fingerprint-based criminal check plus sex-offender registry and child abuse/neglect registry searches in Georgia and each state of residence in the prior five years (Rule 591-1-1-.09). Checks must be renewed at least every 5 years, after any covered arrest, or after a 180-day employment lapse.

Mandated reporting

The director or person-in-charge must report suspected child abuse, neglect or deprivation within 24 hours (or next work day) to county DFCS and notify DECAL; failing to report when mandated violates O.C.G.A. § 19-7-5 and is a records-check offense (Rules 591-1-1-.29, -.09). Abuse-reporting requirements must be covered in every employee's initial orientation (Rule 591-1-1-.33).

First aid & CPR

All staff who provide direct care must be certified within 45 days of hire in pediatric CPR (renewed biennially) and pediatric first aid (renewed triennially) (Rule 591-1-1-.14). At least 50% of caregivers present, one trained staff member per classroom, one on every field trip/vehicle, and the director must hold current certification.

Health & safety training

All staff get center orientation before assignment (policies, abuse reporting, SUID/SIDS reduction, emergency plans, medication, fire/water safety), and every direct-care staff member must finish state-approved health-and-safety orientation training within 90 days covering the CCDBG topics (infectious disease, safe sleep, medication, allergies, premises safety, shaken-baby prevention, emergency preparedness, hazardous materials, transportation, child development) (Rule 591-1-1-.33). After year one, supervisory and caregiver staff complete 10 clock hours of approved training annually; new directors need a 40-hour approved director course.

Operations

Supervision rule

Children must be supervised at all times — indoors, outdoors, meals, naps, transportation, field trips and transitions — with staff physically present, alert, and positioned to maximize their ability to see and hear the children (Rule 591-1-1-.32(7)). Nap-time ratios may double for children 3+ only if a staff person remains in each room; field trips require written parental permission, normal ratios plus an extra supervisor per 25 children, and emergency medical info on the trip (Rule 591-1-1-.13).

Record-keeping

Child files (identifying info, emergency contacts, authorized pick-ups, allergies/special needs, immunization certificate or affidavit, incident documentation) are kept during enrollment plus 1 year; attendance and sign-in/out records for the preceding 12 months; menus 6 months (Rule 591-1-1-.08). Personnel files must hold records-check evidence (employment + 1 year), orientation and training documentation with hours and trainer signatures (Rules 591-1-1-.09, -.24).

Inspections

DECAL may inspect at regular intervals it determines, at license expiration, on abuse reports or complaints, on license amendments, and to monitor corrective plans; holding a license constitutes consent to entry for both scheduled and unscheduled inspections during operating hours with full access to staff, children and records (Rule 591-1-1-.37). Failure to allow access or cooperate is grounds for revocation.

Worth knowing: Rule text taken from DECAL's current published CCLC rules PDF. Whether DECAL posts inspection results publicly was not verified in this pass; family home details are in the separate FCCLH chapter listed on DECAL's rules page.

Family & home child care

Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. Chapter 290-2-3 (Rules and Regulations for Family Child Care Learning Homes)

Family Child Care Learning Home (license)

License required to care for pay for 3 to 6 unrelated children under 13. No more than 6 unrelated children at any one time; the provider's own related children do not count toward the 6, but when related children are present the total may not exceed 12 children under 13. With DECAL approval, 2 additional children age 3+ may attend for two designated 1-hour periods daily.No fixed infant cap, but an employee must be present to assist with supervision whenever more than 3 children under 12 months are present.

Provider training

10 clock hours of diverse, approved training every calendar year (after the first year).

Worth knowing

Georgia has a single home-based license category. Care beyond Family Child Care Learning Home limits falls under DECAL's separate Child Care Learning Center rules (Chapter 591-1-1), not a large-home license.