Idaho

Staff-child ratios (centers)

Requirements

Annual training

4 hours of ongoing training in child development areas every 12 months after hire (Idaho Code 39-1119). Each staff member counted in the child:staff ratio must hold current pediatric rescue breathing and pediatric first aid certification.

Lead teacher

Idaho sets no education or credential requirements for caregivers/teachers; staff must be at least 16 years old and pass a criminal history check.

Director

State law sets no director-specific qualification requirements for daycare centers; owners/operators are responsible for compliance and background checks.

Worth knowing

Idaho uses a weighted point system instead of per-age ratios: max 12 points per staff member (Idaho Code 39-1109(4)); the ratios shown are the single-age equivalents. No state maximum group sizes. HB 312 (eff. 7/1/2025) voided most IDAPA daycare licensing rule sections (IDAPA 16.06.03); state license is required for centers with 13+ children, and cities may impose stricter local requirements.

Compliance

Background checks

Owners, operators, staff and anyone 13 or older with unsupervised contact or regularly on the premises must clear a Department "enhanced" background check under IDAPA 16.05.06 at least every five years (IDAPA 16.06.03.009; Idaho Code §§39-1105, -1113); minors also need juvenile-justice record checks, and new disqualifying convictions must be reported within 5 days. The check's specific components (e.g., FBI fingerprints) are set in IDAPA 16.05.06, which was not fetched.

Mandated reporting

Idaho's reporting statute names day care personnel among those (effectively any person) who must report suspected abuse, abandonment or neglect within 24 hours to law enforcement or DHW (Idaho Code §16-1605). The licensing rule imposes no separate mandated-reporter training requirement.

First aid & CPR

Every staff member counted in the child:staff ratio must hold current certification in pediatric rescue breathing and pediatric first aid from a certified instructor, and at least one certified adult employee must be on the premises whenever children are present (Idaho Code §§39-1119, 39-1109(1)(g)). Staff records must verify pediatric rescue breathing, infant-child CPR and pediatric first aid certification (IDAPA 16.06.03.200).

Health & safety training

Idaho sets no pre-service hour requirement in rule; daycare center employees must receive 4 hours of ongoing child-development training every 12 months (Idaho Code §39-1119), and applicants must certify compliance with the licensing rules and that children will not experience maltreatment under 45 CFR 98.41 (IDAPA 16.06.03.121). Providers must maintain documented disaster/emergency plans including staff preparedness training and drills (IDAPA 16.06.03.380.19).

Operations

Supervision rule

By statute, supervision of a child under 5 means a provider within sight or normal hearing range and near enough to render immediate assistance; for all children who are sleeping, swimming or in other water activity, or on field trips away from the facility, the provider must be within sight AND normal hearing range (Idaho Code §39-1102(18)). At least one adult employee must be present at all times, and children using any pool or body of water require direct adult supervision (§39-1109).

Record-keeping

For the previous 12 months, facilities must keep a staff roster with training records, background clearance, juvenile-justice results, pediatric CPR/first aid verification and daily hours on premises (IDAPA 16.06.03.200), and per-child records with identifying info, parent and emergency contacts, immunization record or exemption, medical conditions/allergies, and daily sign-in/out with parent signature (IDAPA 16.06.03.201). Critical incidents (hospitalization, death, missing child, disqualifying arrests) must be reported to DHW within 24 hours (IDAPA 16.06.03.420).

Inspections

Health inspections by a Department-designated inspector are annual and unannounced (IDAPA 16.06.03.380); fire/building/electrical inspection reports are required with the application, licenses are renewed every two years, and the facility must allow Department access to premises and records for reinspection at any time during the licensing period (IDAPA 16.06.03.121, .420).

Worth knowing: Idaho's daycare rules moved to IDAPA 16.06.03 (Daycare Licensing); IDAPA 16.06.02 now covers foster care. Components of the enhanced background check (IDAPA 16.05.06) and any complaint-inspection/public-report specifics beyond statute were not verified from fetched sources; cities may impose stricter local requirements.

Family & home child care

Idaho Code Title 39, Chapter 11 (Basic Day Care License); IDAPA 16.06.03 (Rules Governing Standards for Child Care Licensing)

Family Daycare Home (no state license required)

A home providing daycare for 6 or fewer children. No state license is required at this size; the statutory definition does not exclude children related to the provider from the count.

Group Daycare Facility (state license)

A home, place or facility providing daycare for 7 to 12 children; a state license is required when care is provided for 7 or more children for compensation. 13 or more children is a daycare center.

Provider training

Each staff member of a licensed facility must complete 4 hours of ongoing training every 12 months after hire (plus initial health and safety requirements).

Worth knowing

Idaho does not license small family daycare homes (6 or fewer children); state licensing begins at 7 children cared for with compensation. Published statewide infant limits and staff-child ratio details for licensed group facilities were not confirmed from fetched official sources (Idaho's 2025 legislation revised ratio rules), so infant limits are null.