Rhode Island

Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) — Child Care Licensing

218-RICR-70-00-1 — Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for Licensure (effective July 7, 2026)

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

Staff-child ratios

Infants

1:4

6 weeks to 18 months

max group 8

Toddlers

1:6

18 to 36 months

max group 12

Preschool

1:9

3-year-olds (4-year-olds: 1:10, max 20; 5-6 not in kindergarten: 1:12, max 24)

max group 18

School-age

1:13

kindergarten through grade 7+ (under age 16)

max group 26

Annual training: All program leadership and classroom staff must complete 20 hours of training annually aligned with Rhode Island's Workforce Knowledge and Competencies relevant to their role; 10 of those hours must be approved through a Department-determined process.
Lead teacher: Teachers must meet one of five pathways — for example, a high school diploma with a vocational concentration in child care plus 2 years of supervised experience, or an associate degree or higher in a field related to early childhood education, child development, human services or recreation.
Director: A child care administrator can qualify at minimum with a high school diploma plus 1 year of administration/business management experience and 1 year working in a licensed or approved early childhood program — when the center also employs a full-time education coordinator; higher-education pathways are also accepted.
Worth knowing: Rhode Island splits infants into younger (6 weeks-12 months) and older (12-18 months), both 1:4 with max group 8. All school-age bands (kindergarten through grade 7+, under 16) are 1:13 with max group 26. No ratio exceptions are allowed for infants; nap-time relief applies to toddler/preschool groups only.

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