A family day home in Alberta can care for no more than 6 children, not counting the provider's own, under section 18.1 of the Early Learning and Child Care Act (current as of 30 September 2025). The province's Family day homes standards manual (September 2025) caps children 36 months or younger at 3 and asks for "windows in every room used by children". It sets no floor area per child. Here's what the rules do and don't decide about your home, as of October 2026.
Key takeaways
- No one may run a family day home program for more than 6 children, not counting their own, and caring for more than 6 needs a facility-based licence (Early Learning and Child Care Act, s.3 and 18.1).
- No more than 3 children may be 36 months or younger and no more than 2 may be 24 months or younger, and for these two limits the educator's own children count (Standards manual, Standard 6).
- The home needs windows in every room children use and enough space for their activities, but the standards give no square metres per child (Standard 4A).
- A yard used for play must be securely enclosed; otherwise the outdoor space must be within a safe and easy walking distance (Standard 4C).
- In Calgary, Home Based Child Care, Class 1 allows up to 6 children under 13 plus the operator's own, one non-resident employee and screened outdoor play, with location approval at $0 in 5 business days (The City of Calgary).
- The building code lists family day homes under Group C, residential, the same group as houses, so the code adds no child care layer to your home (NBC(AE) 2023, Note A-3.1.2.1.(1)).
How many children can a family day home care for?
Six, not counting your own. The Act's general rule is that caring for "more than 6 children, not including the person's own children" needs a facility-based licence (s.3), and section 18.1 caps family day home programs at the same number (Early Learning and Child Care Act). The limits that shape who you can take:
| Rule | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Children in care | 6, not counting the educator's own | Act s.18.1; Standard 6 |
| Children 36 months or younger | 3, counting the educator's own | Standard 6 |
| Children 24 months or younger | 2, counting the educator's own | Standard 6 |
| Visiting children | Counted toward the 6 unless their own parent or caregiver is there supervising | Standard 6 |
| Calgary home use | 6 children under 13 (or 13 and 14 with special needs), for under 24 consecutive hours, plus the operator's own | Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, s.206.1 |
| Above that in Calgary | 7 or more children is a Child Care Service, a separate use | Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, s.165 |
Note: Provincial and City limits as of October 2026. Agencies can ask the province for time-limited exemptions to the two age limits (Standard 6).
The age limits bite when your own children are young. If your own child is 2 years old, you can still take 6 other children, but only 1 more of them can be 24 months or younger and only 2 more can be 36 months or younger. A friend's child who drops by after school counts too, the manual says, because they need direct supervision.
Agency or City licence: which route applies?
Calgary providers caring for 6 or fewer children choose between two routes (The City of Calgary). Nannies, babysitters and informal care by family, friends and neighbours are exempt from the City licence. The two routes compared:
| Provincial family day home | City private home-based licence | |
|---|---|---|
| Who oversees you | A family day home agency licensed by the province | The City of Calgary |
| Rules you follow | The standards manual, which has the force of the Regulation (s.1.1 and 6.5) | Home Based Child Care, Class 1 rules |
| Training | Level 1 early childhood educator certification within 6 months of approval; first aid within 3 months | First aid with CPR for you and any employee |
| Checks | Criminal record check with vulnerable sector search for you and adults in the home | Police security clearance |
| Monitoring | Agency visits at least 6 times a year, with 2 safety checks | City licence renewed yearly |
| Federal child care subsidy | May qualify | May not qualify, the City says |
Note: A summary of the standards manual (September 2025) and the City's page as of October 2026. Your agency or the City decides what applies to you.
If you don't meet every Class 1 rule, the City says you can't get its private licence and need the provincial agency route instead.
What do the standards ask of the home itself?
The standards set conditions, not dimensions. Standard 4A asks for a home in good repair with "windows in every room used by children", adequate heat, light and ventilation, and "sufficient space" for the children's activities. The rest that touches the floor plan comes from the furnishings, supervision and safety standards. What each rule means on a plan:
| Standard | What it says | What it means for the layout |
|---|---|---|
| 4A | Windows in every room used by children | A windowless basement room can't be a children's room |
| 4B | Each child is changed on a change table or individual pad, where other children can be supervised | The change spot sits within sight of the play area |
| 4B | Play pens aren't used for unsupervised sleep | Nap spaces need cribs or beds, or you stay in the room |
| 8 | Children up to 19 months stay within sight, unless napping with a monitor | A clear view from where you work to where babies play |
| 8 | Children 20 months to 4 years stay within hearing, with a physical check every 3 to 5 minutes | Play rooms close to the kitchen, not two floors away |
| 8 | Children 5 to 8 may play outdoors alone if within sight, for example through a window | A window that looks onto the yard |
| 10B | Medications locked; chemicals, alcohol and cannabis out of children's reach | Lockable storage away from play rooms |
| 6B | Extended hours care needs bathing or showering facilities | A usable tub or shower on the program floor |
Note: Standards from the September 2025 manual; the right-hand column is our reading for planning, not the agency's. Your agency's home visitor checks the home against the standards.
The manual also asks for a written evacuation plan and route, and fire drills practised monthly (Standard 10B). Walk that route when you plan the rooms: from the farthest nap spot to the meeting place outside.
Does the building code treat a day home differently from a house?
No. The code's examples put family day homes in Group C, residential, alongside houses and apartments (NBC(AE) 2023, Note A-3.1.2.1.(1)). Facility-based child care is Group A, Division 2, with assembly rules, so the line between 6 and 7 children matters for the building as well as the licence. The per-child play space rules for centres don't apply to a day home; the daycare layout guide covers those.
House rules still apply to the rooms you use. If a nap room is a bedroom, it needs an egress window or door. The window must open to at least 0.35 m² (3.8 sq ft) with no dimension under 380 mm (1 ft 3 in), and a window well needs 760 mm (2 ft 6 in) clear in front (NBC(AE) 2023, 9.9.10.1). The standards' "window in every room" sets no size, so for a basement program room the egress size is a reasonable one to plan to. The egress window guide has the details.
Basement suites have their own rule in the manual. Only one program can run in a residence, and a second program in the same house must be in a separate, self-contained residence where children aren't grouped together. Whether a suite counts as a separate residence depends on whether it's a separate legal residence under local bylaws (Standards manual, Agency Standard 4).
What does Calgary require for the outdoor play area?
Calgary's Class 1 rules require screening for any outdoor play area, meaning it's completely or partially concealed by a fence, building, trees and shrubs or a berm (The City of Calgary). The province adds that a yard used for play must be securely enclosed (Standard 4C). An agency can exempt a program from the enclosure rule, on a ministry-approved form, when an enclosed space isn't reasonably available and children will be supervised; parents are told at enrolment.
Class 1 also rules out any sign about the business on the property, a second home child care business or a Home Occupation, Class 2 in the same dwelling, and more than one non-resident employee at a time (Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, s.206.1). It needs no extra parking stalls.
Which permits does a Calgary day home need?
Location approval always, and a building permit only if you build. As of October 2026, Class 1 location approval costs $0, takes 5 business days and doesn't expire; the business licence expires a year after it's issued (The City of Calgary). If you're doing construction to prepare the space, the City asks for a residential improvement permit.
A day home has no permit class of its own in Calgary's data. Any work files as house work, and these are the house classes it would fall under:
| Permit type | Permits | Median declared value |
|---|---|---|
| Renovation, single-family house | 1,400 | $10,000 |
| Basement development | 1,514 | $32,504 |
Source: City of Calgary building permits open data, permits issued in 2025 excluding cancelled ones, retrieved 2026-09-25. The median is of the construction value declared on the permit application. It isn't a quote and usually runs below what the work really costs. New homes and commercial work pay permit fees on this value; most home alterations pay a flat fee.
The declared value is the applicant's own figure: it sets the fee for new homes and commercial work, and most home alterations pay flat fees instead.
What the rules don't set
It's worth being plain about the gaps. As of October 2026, neither the province nor the City sets a minimum floor area, a play room size, a washroom count, a sink count or a kitchen standard for a family day home. The meals standard covers food and seating, not the kitchen (Standard 12). Those choices are yours, which is why the layout deserves a look before you renovate.
Walk your day home plan at full size
If you're renovating a basement or main floor for a day home, you can walk it first. At 1to1 Plans Calgary, your plan is lit at full size on a walkable LED floor with room names and dimension lines. Stand where you'll prepare lunch and check what you can see of the play area, where the change pad goes, and how far the nap room is.
Freestanding walls show where a partition would block a sight line, and the studio's sofas and table stand in for your furniture. Changes go onto the floor on the spot, and you keep the session recording. Sessions are quoted for the plan by its size, the quote is free, and there's nothing to pay at booking (pricing). Book a session, see how the studio helps with renovations, or read the other commercial layout guides.
Questions
How many children can a day home have in Alberta?
A family day home in Alberta can care for up to 6 children, not counting the educator's own, under section 18.1 of the Early Learning and Child Care Act. No more than 3 can be 36 months or younger and no more than 2 can be 24 months or younger, counting the educator's own children.
Do you need a licence to run a day home in Calgary?
A home-based child care business for 6 or fewer children in Calgary needs either the City's private home-based child care licence or approval under a provincially licensed family day home agency, as of October 2026. Nannies, babysitters and informal family arrangements are exempt.
How much space per child does a family day home need in Alberta?
A family day home in Alberta has no set space per child, as of October 2026. The standards manual asks for "sufficient space" for the children's activities and windows in every room children use; the per-child area rules apply to facility-based centres, not day homes.
Can a day home run in a basement in Alberta?
A day home in Alberta can use a basement room only if it has a window, since the standards ask for windows in every room used by children. If the basement holds a suite, whether it's a separate residence depends on whether it's legal under local bylaws.
What happens if a Calgary day home cares for 7 children?
Seven or more children in Calgary makes the business a Child Care Service under the Land Use Bylaw, not a home use, and the Act requires a facility-based licence for more than 6 children. The City says that care has to operate from a facility-based location.
Sources
- Early Learning and Child Care Act kings-printer.alberta.ca
- Family day homes standards manual open.alberta.ca
- The City of Calgary calgary.ca
- NBC(AE) 2023, Note A-3.1.2.1.(1) nrc-publications.canada.ca
- Land Use Bylaw 1P2007, s.206.1 calgary.ca
- City of Calgary building permits open data data.calgary.ca
