Idaho

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare

Idaho Code Title 39, Chapter 11 (Basic Day Care License), as amended by House Bill 312 (2025, ch. 186), effective July 1, 2025

Researched 2026-09 · Summary, not legal advice — confirm with the agency before acting on a figure.

Staff-child ratios

Infants

1:6

Under 24 months (2 points per child)

Toddlers

1:8

24 to under 36 months (1.5 points per child)

Preschool

1:12

36 months to under 5 years (1 point per child)

School-age

1:24

5 to under 13 years (0.5 point per child)

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.

A ratio is easy to read and hard to hold at 3pm on the playground.