Hawaii rulebook · checked October 2026

Watching Kids at Home in Hawaii: How Many Before You Need a License?

In Hawaii, you may watch up to 2 counted children before a license is required.

The Hawaii line, in facts

Licensing agency: Hawaii Department of Human Services — Child Care Licensing Program

The line: In Hawaii, you may watch up to 2 counted children before a license is required.

The categories above the line

Category	Capacity	What it means
Family Child Care Home (registered)	up to 6	A private residence with a certificate of REGISTRATION (Hawaii registers family homes; it does not call it a license): 3 to no more than 6 children unrelated to you at any one time, one provider. The statutory cap is written on unrelated children; whether the full rule text adds a total-children limit for your own young children at home is a point to confirm with the Licensing Unit before you rely on it.
Group Child Care Home (licensed)	up to 12	7 to 12 children, in an extended or modified private home, licensed under the group child care center rules (HAR ch. 17-892.1).

What comes with the license

Ratios: A family child care home is by definition a single-provider home: 1 provider to up to 6 unrelated children. Our check of the rule text retrieved did not confirm an infant sub-cap for family homes — confirm the under-2 position with the Licensing Unit rather than assuming there is none.
Training before you open: Initial health & safety training before operation, with at least one caregiver on site holding current pediatric first aid and child CPR at all operating hours.
Training to stay open: At least 16 hours of training a year in at least 2 topic areas (substitutes: 10 hours).
State fees:
Realistic timeline: Registration is valid 1 year for providers in their first 4 years, then may run 2 years. No application-to-certificate timeframe is published.

What catches people in Hawaii

Hawaii's family-home number is an UNRELATED-children number from the statute's first word to its cap — your own children are simply not in the 2 or the 6.
A person claiming an exemption must still cooperate with DHS investigations of unlicensed care (HRS §346-152(d)) — exempt does not mean unreachable.

Rules checked October 2026 · Sources: HRS § 346-152(a)(11) (exempt: 2 or fewer children unrelated to the caregiver); § 346-152(a)(1) (related-only care); HRS § 346-151 (family child care home: 3 to no more than 6 unrelated children); HAR ch. 17-891.1 (registration of family child care homes); HAR ch. 17-892.1 (group child care homes). This page reads the published rules; it is not legal advice, and the Hawaii Department of Human Services — Child Care Licensing Program is the final word.

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