Georgia Child Care Ratios and Group Sizes by Age

Ratios are the rule a DECAL consultant checks first, in every room, on every visit. The numbers are simple. The hard part is keeping them true at 7:15 in the morning, at lunch, and when a teacher steps out. This post gives you the Georgia table, the mixed-age math, and the moments when rooms usually slip.

Key facts

• Rule 591-1-1-.32 sets the ratios for Georgia licensed child care learning centers.
• Infants are 1:6. School-age children are 1:25. Maximum group size is double the ratio.
• Group size limits do not apply to outdoor play on your usual playground, to special activities of two hours or less, or to centers licensed for 18 or fewer children. Ratios still apply in all of those cases.
• Ratios may double during daytime rest only for children three and older, with conditions.
• Directors, cooks and office staff count only while they give full attention to supervising children.
• Ratios are a core rule. DECAL checks them on every licensing study and monitoring visit.

The Georgia ratio and group size table

Source: Rule 591-1-1-.32(1). DECAL's Indicator Manual dated October 1, 2026 prints the same table. DECAL has proposed rule changes in 2026, so confirm with your licensing consultant if you are planning staffing for next year.

Who counts toward ratio

A person counts when they are giving full attention to directly supervising the children. The Indicator Manual gives the example of a cook who comes in only to deliver food: that cook does not count for the room.

The manual also says staff may not sit or stand between two classrooms to cover both. At least one staff member must be inside each room that has children in it.

Mixed-age groups

Centers licensed for 19 or more

The ratio follows the youngest age group that makes up more than 20 percent of the children in the group. Here is the worked example from DECAL's Indicator Manual.

A room has 12 children: 2 infants, 4 one-year-olds and 6 two-year-olds. Twenty percent of 12 is 2.4, which rounds down to 2. Infants are 2 children, which is not more than 2, so you move up. One-year-olds are 4 children, which is more than 2. The room uses the one-year-old ratio of 1:8, so it needs two staff.

The manual also offers a simpler habit: staff every mixed room to the ratio of the youngest child present. Then the math is always right.

Centers licensed for 18 or fewer

If any child in the group is under three, the youngest child sets the ratio. If every child is three or older, the age of the majority sets it.

Keeping under-threes separate

In centers licensed for 19 or more, children under three must be in separate areas from older children. The exceptions are early morning arrival and late afternoon departure, when you may combine ages as long as the ratio and group size match the youngest child in the group. The Indicator Manual describes this as the first and last hour of operation.

A child who turns three during the school year may stay with the two-year-olds with a written parent agreement. A child at least two years and six months old may move up to the threes with a written agreement from that child's parent.

Nap time, evenings and night care

During daytime rest, ratios may double for children three and older. Two conditions apply: one staff member stays in each room, and every staff member needed for the normal ratio is in the building and ready to evacuate children. Group size is not assessed during rest.

For evening care (7 p.m. to midnight) and night care (midnight to 6 a.m.), ratios may double once most of the children are asleep. All staff needed for the normal ratio must still be on the premises.

Doubling at nap does not apply to infants, ones or twos. Their rooms keep the full ratio while they sleep.

How to count at transitions

Rule 591-1-1-.32(7) says supervision covers indoor and outdoor play, meals, nap, transportation, field trips and transitions between activities. At meals, staff sit within arm's length of children 36 months and younger.

Transitions are where counts drift. A few habits help:

• Count names against faces at every handoff: arrival, leaving the room, coming in from the playground, and pickup.
• Post the ratio for each room on the wall, as the Indicator Manual suggests.
• Give teachers one way to call for help when a room hits its limit, and keep a floater on site for diapering, meals and playground transitions.
• At the end of the day, compare attendance with the sign-out record so the person locking up knows no child is still inside.

A live headcount by room makes this much easier than a paper roster. PlayroomOS shows each room's headcount and ratio from kiosk check-ins, so a director can see a room near its limit before it goes over. For more on the records behind the count, see moving from a sign-in sheet to digital check-in.

What happens when a room is out of ratio

The consultant counts children and staff in every area. They may check children's records to confirm ages. During a complaint or incident investigation, they may also check staff schedules and attendance records.

DECAL's Indicator Manual rates ratio problems on a scale:

Any citation means a plan of correction, and the result goes on your public inspection report. Repeated or serious citations can lead to adverse action. See the full DECAL inspection checklist for the rest of the visit.

What to do this week

• Print the ratio table above and post it in every classroom.
• Write down which rooms combine ages at opening and closing, and staff them to the youngest child present.
• Check parent agreements for any three-year-old still with the twos, or any child moved up early.
• Name a floater for each shift who covers diapering, meals and playground transitions.
• Walk the building at 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. one day this week and count every room yourself.
• Ask your licensing consultant whether any 2026 rule changes affect your staffing plan.