How many adults should be in the room?
Maryland allows one adult for six twos and one for ten threes and fours, in groups of at most twelve and twenty. What those numbers mean for your child's day.
Written by the So Loved Academy team · September 10, 2026 · updated September 17, 2026
Maryland sets two limits, and most parents only know one. The ratio is how many children one adult may look after. The group size is the most children allowed in one group, however many adults you add. A center must meet both at every hour, and group size is the one your child actually feels.
The numbers
| Age | Adults to children | Largest group |
|---|---|---|
| Under 18 months | 1 to 3 | 6 |
| Toddlers | 1 to 3 | 9 |
| Two year olds | 1 to 6 | 12 |
| Three and four year olds | 1 to 10 | 20 |
| School age | 1 to 15 | 30 |
These are the most a licensed Maryland center may run. Many run smaller groups with more adults.
Why group size is the one to watch
You can meet a ratio by adding adults. You can't get around a group cap. Group size is also what the day feels like: twelve children with two adults is calmer and quieter than twenty with two, even at the same ratio. Smaller groups mean more of an adult's attention on your child.
Ask about 5:15, not 10:30
The ratio has to hold at 6:30 in the morning and at a quarter to six, not just mid-morning when everyone's in. Combining rooms at each end of the day is normal. What matters is who's with your child at 5:15, and whether your child knows them.
Who counts as an adult
Cooks, cleaners, office staff and volunteers don't count toward the ratio, and neither does someone moving between two rooms. Every group needs a qualified lead teacher present. Aides help meet the ratio but aren't left alone with a group.
Who is allowed to teach your child
A lead teacher in a Maryland preschool room must be at least nineteen, hold a high school diploma, have ninety hours of approved early childhood training, and have a year of supervised experience. A Child Development Associate credential, an associate's degree in early childhood or a state teaching certificate can stand in for the ninety hours. Those are minimums, so ask what your child's lead teacher holds.
The one question to ask outright
Nobody may work with children before their background checks come back clear. Ask the director directly: is every adult in this building cleared, including the person who cleans it? Then ask when the last unannounced inspection was, and whether you can see the report.
Our rooms stay inside these limits at every hour, with a floater the children know covering breaks, and a third adult in the room during reading and math circles.
The ratios and qualifications above come from Maryland's regulations for child care centers (COMAR 13A.16), current as of the date on this guide. Rules change. The Maryland State Department of Education's Office of Child Care has the current ones.