Teacher1-Child Ratios Within Group Size

For further clarification, please also see notes below. GROUP SIZE
AGE GROUP 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
Infants
(birth to 15 months)2		 1:3 1:4         
Toddler/Twos
(12 to 36 months)2		           
12-28 months 1:3 1:4 1:43 1:4       
21-36 months   1:4 1:5 1:6       
Preschool2           
2.5-year-olds to 3-year-olds (30 - 48 months)     1:6 1:7 1:8 1:9    
4-year-olds       1:8 1:9 1:10   
5-year-olds       1:8 1:9 1:10   
Kindergarten         1:10 1:11 1:12

Notes: In a mixed-age preschool class of 2.5-year-olds to 5-year-olds, no more than four children between the ages of 2.5 years and 3 years may be enrolled. The ratios within group size for the predominant age group apply. If infants or toddlers are in a mixed-age group, the ratio for the youngest child applies.

Ratios are to be lowered when one or more children in the group need additional adult assistance to fully participate in the program:

  1. because of ability, language fluency, developmental age or stage, or other factors or
  2. to meet other requirements of NAEYC Accreditation.

A group or classroom refers to the number of children who are assigned for most of the day to a teacher or a team of teaching staff and who occupy an individual classroom or well-defined space that prevents intermingling of children from different groups within a larger room or area.

Group sizes as stated are ceilings, regardless of the number of staff.

Ratios and group sizes are always assessed during on-site visits for NAEYC Accreditation. They are not a required criterion. However, experience suggests that programs that exceed the recommended number of children for each teaching staff member and total group sizes will find it more difficult to meet each standard and achieve NAEYC Accreditation. The more these numbers are exceeded, the more difficult it will be to meet each standard.

1Includes teachers, assistant teachers/teacher aides.

2These age ranges purposefully overlap. Programs may identify the age group to be used for on-site assessment purposes for groups of children whose ages are included in multiple age groups.

3Group sizes of 10 for this age group would require an additional adult.

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