Mississippi
Mississippi State Department of Health — Child Care Facilities Licensure
15 Miss. Admin. Code Part 11, Subpart 55 — Regulations Governing Licensure of Child Care Facilities (Miss. Code Ann. § 43-20); center ratios at 15 Miss. Code R. 11-55-1.8.2
Researched 2026-09 · Summary, not legal advice — confirm with the agency before acting on a figure.
Staff-child ratios
Infants
1:5
birth to 11 months
Toddlers
1:9
1 year (12–23 months)
Preschool
1:14
3 years
School-age
1:20
5–9 years
Requirements
- Annual training
- All child care staff, directors, director designees, and caregivers must complete 15 contact hours of approved staff development annually, accrued during the licensure year (15 Miss. Code R. 11-55-1.5.8).
- Lead teacher
- Caregivers must be at least 18 and have a high school diploma or GED; or a current CDA credential or Mississippi child care director's credential; or three years of documented experience caring for unrelated children under 13 (15 Miss. Code R. 11-55-1.5.4).
- Director
- Directors must be at least 21 and qualify via a child-related bachelor's degree; an associate degree in child development technology (with a 480-hour practicum, or plus two years' paid experience); or two years' paid caregiver experience in a licensed facility plus a CDA, Mississippi Director's Credential, or 24 early-childhood semester hours (15 Miss. Code R. 11-55-1.5.3).
- Worth knowing
- Ratios are set per year of age: 2-year-olds 1:12; 4-year-olds 1:16; 10–12-year-olds 1:25. The center regulation specifies caregiver ratios only — no maximum group sizes. Mixed-age groups follow the youngest child's ratio.
A ratio is easy to read and hard to hold at 3pm on the playground.
Rehearse supervision