Licensing of a Child Care Center or Daycare

Opening a private child‑care center, daycare, or “children’s park” in Costa Rica (for children up to 12 years old) requires a specific authorization that is NOT the same as a municipal business license or the general health permit that applies to ordinary businesses.

Responsible institution: the Consejo de Atencion Integral (CAI), attached to the Ministerio de Salud, is the agency in charge of authorizing, supervising, inspecting and coordinating the operation of the various modalities of comprehensive child care (child‑care centers, community homes, etc.). The licensing that the CAI issues is a procedure of the Ministerio de Salud—not of the municipality nor of the PANI directly, although the PANI also plays a child‑protection role related to it.

Legal framework: Ley N.º 8017, “Ley General de Centros de Atencion Integral” (approved on 29 August 2000), regulates the creation and operation of public, private and mixed child‑care centers for minors under 12 years. Article 15 of this law specifically addresses the licensing of the center’s facilities.

Document obtained: a Certificado de Habilitacion issued by the Consejo de Atencion Integral, which authorizes the operation of public, mixed or private Centros de Atencion Integral.

Broader institutional context: child‑care centers in Costa Rica are organized under the Red Nacional de Cuido y Desarrollo Infantil (REDCUDI), which coordinates three implementing entities: the IMAS, the PANI, and the Direccion Nacional de CEN‑CINAI—but the specific licensing of the individual center is issued by the Consejo de Atencion Integral.

In addition to the CAI licensing, a child‑care center will likely also need (as any other business): a municipal business license, registration as a taxpayer with Hacienda, and employer registration with the CCSS if it hires staff (see the corresponding forms)—but the specific authorization to operate as a child‑care center comes from the CAI, and is separate from the general health permit that applies to other businesses such as restaurants.

Note: this sheet covers the general framework. For the exact list of requirements and documents for the licensing process, the source recommends consulting www.cai.go.cr or the site redcuidoinfantil.go.cr directly, as the detailed content was not available for precise verification in this review.