Alaska Administrative Code
Title 7 - Health and Social Services
Part 4 - Children's Services and Juvenile Justice
Chapter 57 - Child Care Facilities Licensing
Article 5 - Care and Services
7 AAC 57.505 - Child-to-caregiver ratios
Universal Citation: 7 AK Admin Code 57.505
Current through August 30, 2024
(a) For child care homes,
(1) the home shall have at least one
caregiver, who may also be the administrator, and may provide care for not more
than a total of eight children younger than 13 years of age, including the
caregiver's children younger than 13 years of age; and
(2) of the total children in care, not more
than three of the total may be younger than 30 months of age, and not more than
two of the total may be nonambulatory.
(b) For child care group homes,
(1) except as provided under (3) of this
subsection, a child care group home shall have at least two caregivers, one of
which must be the administrator, and may provide care for not more than a total
of 12 children younger than 13 years of age, including the caregiver's
children;
(2) of the total
children in care, not more than five of the total may be younger than 30 months
of age, and not more than four of the total may be nonambulatory;
(3) only one caregiver is required if
(A) the caregiver is either the administrator
or the administrator's designee, with one year of licensed home child care or
the equivalent, or if the credential requirements of
7 AAC 57.300(d) arc met; and
(B) the total number of children in care
(i) consists only of children of school age,
including the caregiver's children younger than 13 years of age; or
(ii) is 10 or fewer, including the
caregiver's children younger than 13 years of age, none of the total is younger
than 3 0 months of age, and not more than two of the total are nonambulatory;
(4)
notwithstanding (3) of this subsection, if on any given day a child care group
home is caring for eight or fewer children younger than 13 years of age,
including the caregiver's children, if not more than three of the total are
younger than 3 0 months of age, and if not more than two of the total are
nonambulatory, the child care group home may staff the facility with one
caregiver.
(c) For a child care center,
(1) during all hours of
operation, the following child-to-caregiver ratio and maximum group size shall
be maintained:
| Age of Children | Number of Children | Term for Child's Age Group | Number of Caregivers | Maximum Group Size, Ratio of Children to Caregivers |
| Through 18 months | 5 | Infants | 1 | 10:2 |
| 19 to 36 months | 6 | Toddlers | 1 | 12:2 |
| 3 and 4 years | 10 | Preschoolers | 1 | 20:2 |
| 5 and 6 years | 14 | Kindergartners | 1 | 28:2 |
| 7 through 12 years | 18 | School age | 1 | 36:2 |
(2)
maximum group size must be consistent with the requirements of
7 AAC 57.510;
(3) the child-to-caregiver ratios must be
consistent with the age of the majority of the children when kindergartners and
school-age children are in a mixed age group; and
(4) the child-to-caregiver ratios for the
youngest child apply when infants, toddlers, and preschoolers are in a mixed
age group.
(d) For purposes of meeting the child-to-caregiver ratio requirements in this section for all facility types, a child in care who is 13 years of age or older must be counted as a child younger than 13 years of age who is school age.
(e) In this section,
(1) "nonambulatory" means not physically or
mentally capable of achieving mobility to exit a building without the aid of
another individual;
(2) "school
age" means 7 through 12 years of age;
(3) "total" means the total number of
children in care at any time.
Authority:AS 44.29.020
AS 47.32.010
AS 47.32.030
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Alaska may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
