I didn't go with an licenced agency because I didn't want them to control my fees and take a cut of the fees. I also did not want to be stuck with their ratios (2 kids under 2 and 3 under 3 and your own kids count in your numbers...you can only have 5 including your own under 10). Privately, we are allowed to have 5 daycare kids plus our own kids and it doesn't matter what their ages are. I like having control over the ages I feel comfortable with and it allowed me to fill my daycare much more easily.