House BillPassed first house
HB 464: Exempt military-certified child care providers from licensure
What HB 464 does, verified September 24, 2026
The bill aims to exempt family child care providers certified by a branch of the United States armed forces from licensure requirements. This exemption applies to programs that meet certain conditions, including operating for two weeks or less, caring for children during religious activities, or providing supervised training and instruction. Additionally, the bill excludes programs that are regulated by other state departments, preschool programs, and certain youth development programs. The exemption also includes programs operated by nonchartered, nontax-supported schools and programs associated with these schools. Furthermore, the bill exempts home education learning pods and programs certified as family child care providers by any branch of the United States armed forces.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
4Second ChamberCurrent
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: Referred to committee: Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety (2026-03-25)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions6 total · showing 5
| Mar. 25, 2026 | Referred to committee: Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety |
| Mar. 19, 2026 | Introduced |
| Mar. 18, 2026 | Passed |
| Mar. 17, 2026 | Reported: Children and Human Services |
| Oct. 01, 2025 | Referred to committee: Children and Human Services |
Latest bill textEngrossed version, March 18, 2026 · 1,099 words
As Passed by the House
136th General Assembly
Regular Session
H. B. No. 464
2025-2026
Representative Richardson
Cosponsors:
Representatives White, A., Lett, Click, Deeter, Miller, M., Abrams, Barhorst, Bird, Brennan, Brent, Brownlee, Daniels, Dovilla, Fischer, Fowler Arthur, Ghanbari, Gross, Hall, D., Hiner, Humphrey, Jarrells, John, Johnson, Lampton, Lawson-Rowe, Lear, Manning, Mathews, A., Mathews, T., Miller, J., Miller, K., Peterson, Plummer, Ritter, Robb Blasdel, Rogers, Salvo, Schmidt, Sigrist, Thomas, C., Tims, White, E., Williams, Willis, Workman, Young
To amend section 5104.02 of the Revised Code to
exempt from licensure family child care
providers certified by a branch of the United
States armed forces.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
Section 1.
That section 5104.02 of the Revised Code be
amended to read as follows:
Sec. 5104.02.
(A) The director of children and youth is
responsible for licensing child care centers, type A family
child care homes, and type B family child care homes. Each
entity operating a head start program shall meet the criteria
for, and be licensed as, a child care center. The director is
responsible for the enforcement of this chapter and of rules
promulgated pursuant to this chapter.
No person, firm, organization, institution, or agency
shall operate, establish, manage, conduct, or maintain a child
care center or type A family child care home without a license
issued under section 5104.03 of the Revised Code. The current
license shall be posted in the center or home in a conspicuous
place that is accessible to parents, custodians, or guardians
and employees of the center or home at all times when the center
or home is in operation.
(B) A person, firm, institution, organization, or agency
operating any of the following programs is exempt from the
requirements of this chapter:
(1)
A program caring for children that operates for two
consecutive weeks or less and not more than six weeks total in
each calendar year;
(2)
Caring for children in places of worship during
religious activities while at least one parent, guardian, or
custodian of each child is participating in such activities and
is readily available;
(3)
Supervised training, instruction, or activities of
children in specific areas, including, but not limited to: art;
drama; dance; music; athletic skills or sports; computers; or an
educational subject conducted on an organized or periodic basis
that a child does not attend for more than eight total hours per
week;
(4)
Programs in which the director determines that at
least one parent, custodian, or guardian of each child is on the
premises of the facility that offers care and is readily
accessible at all times and care is not provided for more than
two and one-half hours a day per child;
(5)
Programs that provide care and are regulated by state
departments other than the department of children and youth or
the department of education and workforce.
(6)
Any preschool program or school child program, except
a head start program, that is subject to licensure by the
department of children and youth under sections 3301.52 to
3301.59 of the Revised Code.
(7)
Any program providing care that meets all of the
following requirements and, on October 20, 1987, was being
operated by a nonpublic school that holds a charter issued under
section 3301.16 of the Revised Code for kindergarten only:
(a)
The nonpublic school has given the notice to the state
board of education and the director of children and youth
required by Section 4 of Substitute House Bill No. 253 of the
117th general assembly;
(b)
The nonpublic school continues to be chartered by the
department of education and workforce for kindergarten, or
receives and continues to hold a charter from the department for
kindergarten through grade five;
(c)
The program is conducted in a school building;
(d)
The program is operated in accordance with rules
promulgated by the department of children and youth under
section 3301.53 of the Revised Code.
(8)
A youth development program operated outside of school
hours to which all of the following apply:
(a)
The children enrolled in the program are under
nineteen years of age and enrolled in or eligible to be enrolled
in a grade of kindergarten or above.
(b)
The program provides informal care, which is care that
does not require parental signature, permission, or notice for
the child receiving the care to enter or leave the program.
(c)
The program provides any of the following supervised
activities: educational, recreational, culturally enriching,
social, and personal development activities.
(d)
The entity operating the program is exempt from
federal income taxation pursuant to 26 U.S.C. 501 (a) and (c) (3).
(9)
A program caring for children that is operated by a
nonchartered, nontax-supported school if the program meets all
of the following conditions:
(a)
The program complies with state and local health,
fire, and safety laws.
(b)
The program annually certifies in a report to the
children's parents that the program is in compliance with
division (B) (9) (a) of this section and files a copy of the
report with the department of children and youth on or before
the thirtieth day of September of each year.
(c)
The program complies with all applicable reporting
requirements in the same manner as required by the department of
education and workforce for nonchartered, nonpublic primary and
secondary schools.
(d)
The program is associated with a nonchartered, nontax-
supported primary or secondary school.
(10)
A program that provides activities for children who
are five years of age or older and is operated by a county,
township, municipal corporation, township park district created
under section 511.18 of the Revised Code, park district created
under section 1545.04 of the Revised Code, or joint recreation
district established under section 755.14 of the Revised Code.
(11)
A home education learning pod.
(12)
A program that is certified as a family child care
provider by any branch of the United States armed forces,
including the United States coast guard.
Section 2.
That existing section 5104.02 of the Revised
Code is hereby repealed.
H. B. No. 464
As Passed by the House
As Passed by the House
Text of HB 464 as engrossed, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions