Michigan Daycare Assistant and Staff Requirements

Two Categories of Helpers, Very Different Rules

Michigan's child care home licensing rules define two distinct helper roles — child care assistants and child care staff members — with different age requirements, supervision expectations, and ratio implications. Understanding which category your helpers fall into determines how many children you can legally care for at any given time.

Child Care Assistants (Ages 14–15)

Under rule R 400.1921, assistants are teenagers between 14 and 15 years old. They can help with child care activities, but the rules impose strict limitations:

Before they start:

• Must be determined eligible by the CCBC (Child Care Background Check) system before any contact with children
• Must obtain pediatric CPR and first aid certifications within 90 days of beginning work

During operations:

• Must be directly supervised by the licensee or an adult staff member who is physically on-site at all times
• Cannot have unsupervised access to children at any time
• Cannot be counted toward your staff-to-child ratio — even with an assistant present, the ratio requirement is calculated based only on adults who qualify as staff members

This last point is the critical one. An assistant helps with daily activities — reading to children, preparing snacks, helping with art projects — but their presence does not allow you to increase the number of children in your care. If you're a solo licensee in a family home, your capacity is still limited to 6 children regardless of how many assistants you have.

Child Care Staff Members (Ages 16 and Older)

Staff members aged 16 and older have more responsibility and fewer restrictions:

Before they start:

• Must be determined eligible by the CCBC before any contact with children
• Must possess valid pediatric CPR and first aid certifications before caring for children (not within 90 days — before)
• Must establish an active MiRegistry account within 30 days of starting employment

Training requirements:

• Must complete mandatory new hire health and safety training within 90 days of starting
• Must complete a minimum of 5 clock hours of professional development each calendar year (compared to 10 hours for the licensee)

Supervision and ratio impact:

• Adult staff members (aged 18 and older) can be left unsupervised with children
• Adult staff members count toward the 1:6 caregiver-to-child ratio
• Staff aged 16–17 should still be supervised, though the rules are less restrictive than for 14–15-year-old assistants

Why This Matters for Group Homes

In a group child care home (7–12 children), you must have a second qualified adult present whenever seven or more children are in care, or whenever three or more children under age 3 are present. This second adult must be a staff member — an assistant doesn't satisfy this requirement.

For example, if you're licensed for 10 children:

• You need at minimum 2 qualified adults (yourself plus one adult staff member) any time 7 or more children are present
• A 15-year-old assistant can help but doesn't fulfill the second-adult requirement
• If you're sick and can't be present, your substitute must be an adult (18+) who has completed CCBC clearance and holds current CPR/First Aid certification

Hiring and Compliance Documentation

Every assistant and staff member needs an on-site personnel file containing:

• CCBC Eligibility Determination Letter
• Signed Consent and Disclosure Form (must be signed before the fingerprinting appointment)
• CPR and First Aid certificates (current, not expired)
• MiRegistry membership and training transcripts
• Form CCL-3704 (Medical Clearance Request)

Under the condensed rule R 400.1906, you must retain these records for the entire duration of the individual's employment and a minimum of two years after they leave.

Finding and Managing Helpers

Staffing is one of the biggest operational challenges for home daycare providers — finding reliable helpers who meet all the regulatory requirements takes time. Start the CCBC registration process for any potential assistant or staff member early, because background check processing can take several weeks.

Our Michigan Home Daycare Licensing Guide includes a staffing planning section that walks through the full onboarding sequence for both assistants and staff members, including the documentation checklist your licensing consultant will review during inspections.

See more Michigan guides →