A family day care provider requires a registration or license if they care for more than four children under the age of two. Infants and children with disabilities count as two children. Ask to see the provider's certificate or registration for maximum number of day care children allowed. How many children are being cared for and the provider's ability to handle that number comfortably are questions that need to be addressed. The best way to judge this is to visit and observe during a regular day.
Most providers are flexible about the children they care for.
The typical family day care group resembles a family with children of a variety of ages. The range of the children may be very important to you or it may not really matter. Some younger children may like being around older children and they feel they can learn from them just as they do from their own siblings, and vice versa. You need to look at the age range of children in a prospective provider's home and decide if that grouping is appropriate for your child. Either approach can lead to good care.