One center had 12 kids and it was fine. Another center had 16 kids and it was not OK (for reasons unrelated to class size).
From age 2.5, we switched a child to a center that had 25+ kids with 6 teachers. It felt chaotic to me but we stayed and loved it. Two of my kids went through this large class size center and did well. My older child aged out and has been doing well in her fairfax county public school with 20-22 kids. It's not the class size but the quality of care and attention that matters. On the plus size about large classrooms, they have a larger space with more variety of toys than a classroom with just 8 kids might have. They also have enough of a budget to be able to rent out water slides, bounce houses, and such.

OP here
Thanks so much for those who addressed my capacity questions!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours is about 15 kids. The classrooms are fairly large though. So long as there's a large rug to accommodate circle time, and an area with tables for lunch and activities, I would think there's enough space. With a class that size, they usually split the kids into smaller groups, so some will be doing independent play on the mat, while others are doing a crafts project at the tables.

Circle time for a 1 year old? RUN as fast as you can from that daycare.

You don't sing songs and tell stories to your one-year old? Wow.

That's what you took from my comment?

Circle time for 1 year olds is not developmentally appropriate. 1 year olds should be crawling around, toddling, exploring not forced to sit in a group to listen to an adult blather to them. WHEN I start to read and sing they are free to come and go, join us or explore. There is no circle time.

Okay.... so basically you're against forcing the children to sit for circle time (good luck forcing 1 year olds to sit? Who does that?), which is not the same thing as being against circle time.

According to NAEYC's Developmentally Appropriate Practice, circle time is not developmentally appropriate for children under three. If we are singing and moving and children’s choose to join us that is fine but having a “circle time” is not. So to be clear, I am against circle time for children under three.

Sounds like a super rígid definition of circle time to me

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours is about 15 kids. The classrooms are fairly large though. So long as there's a large rug to accommodate circle time, and an area with tables for lunch and activities, I would think there's enough space. With a class that size, they usually split the kids into smaller groups, so some will be doing independent play on the mat, while others are doing a crafts project at the tables.

Circle time for a 1 year old? RUN as fast as you can from that daycare.

You don't sing songs and tell stories to your one-year old? Wow.

That's what you took from my comment?

Circle time for 1 year olds is not developmentally appropriate. 1 year olds should be crawling around, toddling, exploring not forced to sit in a group to listen to an adult blather to them. WHEN I start to read and sing they are free to come and go, join us or explore. There is no circle time.

Okay.... so basically you're against forcing the children to sit for circle time (good luck forcing 1 year olds to sit? Who does that?), which is not the same thing as being against circle time.

According to NAEYC's Developmentally Appropriate Practice, circle time is not developmentally appropriate for children under three. If we are singing and moving and children’s choose to join us that is fine but having a “circle time” is not. So to be clear, I am against circle time for children under three.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours is about 15 kids. The classrooms are fairly large though. So long as there's a large rug to accommodate circle time, and an area with tables for lunch and activities, I would think there's enough space. With a class that size, they usually split the kids into smaller groups, so some will be doing independent play on the mat, while others are doing a crafts project at the tables.

Circle time for a 1 year old? RUN as fast as you can from that daycare.

You don't sing songs and tell stories to your one-year old? Wow.

That's what you took from my comment?

Circle time for 1 year olds is not developmentally appropriate. 1 year olds should be crawling around, toddling, exploring not forced to sit in a group to listen to an adult blather to them. WHEN I start to read and sing they are free to come and go, join us or explore. There is no circle time.

Okay.... so basically you're against forcing the children to sit for circle time (good luck forcing 1 year olds to sit? Who does that?), which is not the same thing as being against circle time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours is about 15 kids. The classrooms are fairly large though. So long as there's a large rug to accommodate circle time, and an area with tables for lunch and activities, I would think there's enough space. With a class that size, they usually split the kids into smaller groups, so some will be doing independent play on the mat, while others are doing a crafts project at the tables.

Circle time for a 1 year old? RUN as fast as you can from that daycare.

You don't sing songs and tell stories to your one-year old? Wow.

That's what you took from my comment?

Circle time for 1 year olds is not developmentally appropriate. 1 year olds should be crawling around, toddling, exploring not forced to sit in a group to listen to an adult blather to them. WHEN I start to read and sing they are free to come and go, join us or explore. There is no circle time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ours is about 15 kids. The classrooms are fairly large though. So long as there's a large rug to accommodate circle time, and an area with tables for lunch and activities, I would think there's enough space. With a class that size, they usually split the kids into smaller groups, so some will be doing independent play on the mat, while others are doing a crafts project at the tables.

Circle time for a 1 year old? RUN as fast as you can from that daycare.

You don't sing songs and tell stories to your one-year old? Wow.

Anonymous wrote:Ours is about 15 kids. The classrooms are fairly large though. So long as there's a large rug to accommodate circle time, and an area with tables for lunch and activities, I would think there's enough space. With a class that size, they usually split the kids into smaller groups, so some will be doing independent play on the mat, while others are doing a crafts project at the tables.

Circle time for a 1 year old? RUN as fast as you can from that daycare.

We had 8 infants per room. I think the toddler rooms were 12. Preschool 16.

Anonymous wrote:Ours had 8 kids per room, but there were two rooms per age that were connected by a center kitchen/bathroom area. Each room had two teachers to reach the required DC teacher:child ratio for that age group of 1:4. I forget at what age the ratio changes.

Nevermind, I see someone posted the ratios above!

Ours had 8 kids per room, but there were two rooms per age that were connected by a center kitchen/bathroom area. Each room had two teachers to reach the required DC teacher:child ratio for that age group of 1:4. I forget at what age the ratio changes.

My center had 16 kids in a room with 4 teachers once they hit age 2. Before that it was 8 kids in a room with 2 teachers. So same ratio, just less kids. But the rooms are now 10/3 or 8/2 based on the age. We weren’t in a 16 kid room pre covid, but I just imagine it was really loud! I’m assuming our center will go back to 16 once kids can get vaccines or some other amazing metric has been reached, but my kid will probably be in elementary school by then

Anonymous wrote:I’m a first time parent researching daycares for a 1 year old and surprised to hear some places typically (pre-Covid) have up to 16 children plus staff in a room. Mind you, the rooms don’t seem that big but since I’m visiting either over zoom or after-hours (no kids around) it’s hard to really picture it. On the other hand other places have just 8 even pre-Covid and the rooms don’t seem much smaller. What am I missing?

Has 16 in a room worked for your young toddler? Mine is super mobile so won’t just be sitting in place all the day. And do you think we’ll be getting back to these full capacities in the 21-22 school year? Right now of course everything is capped at much lower levels (7-8) bc of Covid regs. I’m in NW DC.

Whoa. Too many 1 year olds in a room.

I direct a program in DC and directed a different program in DC. The group size you are talking about is too large for a 1 year old.

group size/teacher to child ratio FOR DC CENTERS: (I don't know what Virginia is)
infants up to 24 months of age: 8 children with 2 teachers, 1:4 ratio OR 9 children with 3 teachers, 1:3 ratio
24 months to 30 months (21/2 years old: 12 children with 3 teachers, 1:4 ratio (obviously, they COULD do a smaller group of 8 or 9 children, as above)
30 months (21/2 years of age to 48 month old (4 yr old): 16 children with 2 teachers, 1:8 ratio
4 year olds: 20 children with 2 teachers, 1:10


I want you to call those programs back and ask them EXACTLY HOW many children are in the room. If they say more than 9 children, then you need to ask "but I understood that the group size for children up to 2 year old is 8 or 9, with a 1:4 or 1:3 ratio. How do you have so many children in the room?

they MAY pull out some crap about how they are "grandfathered in" and they have 2 different groups of children, each with their own 2 teachers, so the 8 children are completely separate from the other 8 children..... BUT THEN you ask if they are all in one room or in two different rooms? And if in one room, how do they keep 16 children, all a year old, from playing together? Because I call bull on this "oh, don't worry, your child will always be in a group of only 8 children, even though we have 16 in the room." HOW does one accomplish that for 1 year olds, exactly?


I hope to god you misunderstood. I think 16 children, all 12 to 24 months of age, is too many little people in one room, all grabbing at toys, trying to eat, sleep, play with materials, etc. 20 4 year olds? Sure, they have language, better executive function skills, have more social skills and can wait their turn, solve problems in different ways than grabbing, hitting and biting, etc. But 16 1 year olds? Nope, not good at all.

For what it's worth, 2 year olds in Maryland can have 12 children but need only 2 teachers rather than 3. I'm not sure what the ratio for 12-24 months old is in Maryland, although i think it's 9 children. I'm sure it's not 16.


DC LICENSING REGULATIONS ARE HERE: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/publication/attachments/Final%20Rulemaking%20for%20the%20Licensing%20of%20Child%20Development%20Facilities.pdf

GO TO PAGE 62 to read it from that document. But I COPIED IT BELOW because reading the licensing regulations is mind-numbing.

121.3 A licensed Child Development Facility (“Licensee”) shall maintain the adult-to child ratios and group sizes as specified herein:
(a) For Child Development Centers serving infants, toddlers, and/or preschoolers:

AGE OF CHILDREN ADULT-TO-CHILD RATIO MAXIMUM SIZE OF GROUP
0 - 24 months 1:4 8
24 - 30 months 1:4 12
30 months - 48 months 1:8 16
48 months – 60 months 1:10 20

Ours is about 15 kids. The classrooms are fairly large though. So long as there's a large rug to accommodate circle time, and an area with tables for lunch and activities, I would think there's enough space. With a class that size, they usually split the kids into smaller groups, so some will be doing independent play on the mat, while others are doing a crafts project at the tables.

I’m a first time parent researching daycares for a 1 year old and surprised to hear some places typically (pre-Covid) have up to 16 children plus staff in a room. Mind you, the rooms don’t seem that big but since I’m visiting either over zoom or after-hours (no kids around) it’s hard to really picture it. On the other hand other places have just 8 even pre-Covid and the rooms don’t seem much smaller. What am I missing?

Has 16 in a room worked for your young toddler? Mine is super mobile so won’t just be sitting in place all the day. And do you think we’ll be getting back to these full capacities in the 21-22 school year? Right now of course everything is capped at much lower levels (7-8) bc of Covid regs. I’m in NW DC.