BESE Bulletin 139 Louisiana

If you're researching how to start a home daycare in Louisiana, you'll run into references to "Bulletin 139" and "Bulletin 137" on nearly every official LDOE page. These aren't optional reading — they're the administrative regulations that define what kind of childcare provider you are and which rules you follow.

Bulletin 139: The Home Provider Rulebook

BESE Bulletin 139 governs Louisiana's Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) and the registration requirements for home-based providers. If you plan to operate a Family Child Care (FCC) home serving six or fewer children and want to accept state subsidies, Bulletin 139 is your regulatory framework.

It covers:

• FCC provider registration — the process for registering through the LDOE's EdLink portal, including pre-service orientation, background checks, and home inspections
• In-Home provider certification — rules for caregivers who work in the child's own home rather than the provider's home
• CCAP payment policies — how subsidy payments are calculated, attendance reporting requirements, and the KinderConnect system
• Provider obligations — mandatory disclosure timelines for address changes, temporary closures, and household composition changes
• The standalone CCAP Provider Agreement — a separate document all certified providers must sign through EdLink (detached from annual renewal)

Bulletin 137: The Center Rulebook

BESE Bulletin 137 applies to Early Learning Centers (ELCs) — any operation caring for seven or more children on a regular, recurring basis. If you start as an FCC home provider and later want to expand beyond six children, you cross into Bulletin 137 territory.

Bulletin 137 establishes:

• Child-to-staff ratios by age group (ranging from 5:1 for infants to 23:1 for school-age children in Type II/III centers)
• Maximum group sizes per classroom
• Director qualifications and staffing requirements
• Physical space standards (35 sq ft per child under age 4, 25 sq ft for older children)
• Health and safety regulations under Chapter 19, including fencing, safe sleep, and incident reporting
• The Type I, II, and III classification system

The key distinction: Bulletin 137 centers require a formal license, while Bulletin 139 FCC homes require registration and CCAP certification. The oversight mechanisms, inspections, and administrative burden are significantly heavier under 137.

Where Bulletin 140 Fits In

There's a third regulation that bridges the two: BESE Bulletin 140 governs the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Network — the state's quality accountability system. FCC providers who opt into Academic Approval under Bulletin 140 participate in CLASS observations, quality ratings, and become eligible for School Readiness Tax Credits and quarterly CCAP bonus payments.

Academic Approval is voluntary for FCC providers, but the financial incentives are substantial — bonus payments can add up to 23% on top of your base CCAP rate.

2026 Updates to Know

The most significant recent change under Bulletin 139 is the July 2026 CCAP data system migration. The legacy Café Customer Portal has been replaced by the Family Central Portal for parent applications, while providers now interact with KinderConnect for authorizations, attendance submissions, and remittance advice. Any external child care management system must integrate with KinderConnect via the KinderBridge API.

Additionally, LDOE work groups reviewed proposed Chapter 19 revisions to Bulletin 137 during mid-2026, focusing on outdoor fencing standards, infant sleeping and feeding guidelines, and incident reporting documentation. Act 893 also requires owners or operators of newly licensed ELCs first placed into operation on or after August 1, 2026, to have a certified lead risk assessor evaluate paint, dust, and soil hazards, with the report attached to the initial licensing application.

Understanding which bulletin governs your operation is the first decision in the startup process. The Louisiana Home Daycare Start-Up Guide walks through the Bulletin 139 FCC registration pathway step by step, including the CCAP certification requirements and the new data system transition.

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