The ratio is the one on your license.

Ratio and group size are two numbers

The ratio is how many children one qualified adult may be responsible for. The group size is how many children may be in that room even if you add another adult. A room can meet the ratio and still break the group size. Both numbers live on the license or in the rule that applies to that program type, and family child care usually has a different pair than a center.

Age bands are not cute labels. Infants, toddlers, twos, preschool, and school-age can sit next to each other in a building and still be different legal rooms. Mixed-age rooms often have to follow the strictest age present, or a formula the state publishes. Do not average a baby and a four-year-old into a comfortable middle.

The opening hour is when it fails

Children arrive in a bunch. The second teacher is still parking, or on a bus, or calling from the highway. The ratio is counted on the people in the room, not the people on the schedule. A floater who is in the kitchen is not in the infant room.

Nap does not reliably pause the rule. Some states allow a different supervision standard at rest time, and many do not. If you cannot point to the sentence in your rule, assume the ratio still holds while the lights are dim.

How to do the arithmetic

Divide the children by the ratio and round up. Seven children at 1:4 needs two staff, because one adult covers four and the other three still need an adult. Zero children needs zero staff. A room at the exact multiple is covered, not 'basically covered.'

Write down the number you used. If a specialist asks at 8:10, 'we are usually fine' is not a count. The Honeyfold calculator does this division with the ratio you type. It does not look up your state and pretend the answer is legal.

Use the ratio calculator, then read the page for your state to find the office that actually publishes the rule. Honeyfold can watch a room against the ratio you entered. It cannot get you a variance.