West Virginia rulebook · checked October 2026

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

In West Virginia, you may watch up to 3 counted children before a license is required — and West Virginia counts your own children (under 6) in that number.

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The West Virginia line, in facts

Licensing agency: West Virginia Department of Human Services — Bureau for Family Assistance

The line: In West Virginia, you may watch up to 3 counted children before a license is required — and West Virginia counts your own children (under 6) in that number.

Your own children: counted — West Virginia includes your own children (under 6) in the numbers that decide your category.

The categories above the line

Category	Capacity	What it means
Family Child Care Home (Certificate of Registration)	up to 6	No more than 6 children under 13 in care at any one time, and no more than 2 of them under 24 months. Children under 6 living in the home count.
Family Child Care Facility (Certification)	up to 12	7 to 12 children, including children under 6 living in the household; no more than 4 of the total under 24 months. May be in your residence or a separate building. At 13 or more children the program is a child care center.

What comes with the license

Ratios: Family home: 1 caregiver to at most 6 children under 13, at most 2 under 24 months. Facility: a second staff member must be on duty whenever more than 2 children under 24 months, or more than 6 children in total, are present (78 CSR 18 §7).
Training before you open: Within 3 months of initial registration: approved pediatric CPR and pediatric first aid, and approved pre-service health and safety training; within 12 months, 4 more hours in at least one other core knowledge area (78 CSR 19 §6.3).
Training to stay open: 8 hours of approved training a year, in at least 2 core knowledge areas.
State fees:
Realistic timeline:

What catches people in West Virginia

A 2025 bill (HB 2578) proposed raising the informal-home cap to 12 children — it FAILED. The 12 figure is not law; beware any page quoting it.
West Virginia splits the wall certificate by size: registration at 6 and under, certification as a 'facility' at 7–12, licensure as a center at 13+.

Rules checked October 2026 · Sources: W. Va. Code § 49-2-113(c)–(e), (g) (facility certification; home registration; exemptions; voluntary registration); 78 CSR 19 (Family Child Care Home Registration Requirements, eff. April 1, 2023), § 6.3 (training); 78 CSR 18 (Family Child Care Facility Requirements), § 7 (ratios/counting); 78 CSR 20 (informal and relative homes). This page reads the published rules; it is not legal advice, and the West Virginia Department of Human Services — Bureau for Family Assistance is the final word.

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