How many children can you babysit without being a licensed daycare professional?

The number of children that an individual or group of babyitters is allowed to handle without being licensed as a daycare professional depends on the locale (i.e., city, state, country) they are "operating" in. Some States, such as West Virginia, and other rural areas in the USA have no such licensing requirement, while most suburban and urban areas have strict requirements, such as New York City, which requires licensing for all such "programs with more than three children who are up to six years of age".