Daycare Centers Near You

Licensed group care in a dedicated facility, with set hours, age-grouped rooms and staffing ratios the state inspects.

27,333 daycare centers

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What is a daycare center?

Daycare centers are licensed group programs run out of a dedicated facility rather than a home. Children are usually grouped by age into rooms with their own staff, the day runs to a fixed schedule, and the state sets and inspects the ratio of adults to children in each room. Most centers are built around a full working day and enroll on a rolling basis, with waiting lists that are longest for the infant rooms.

What to ask before you enroll

  • Ask what the license covers and when the last inspection was, then read the report rather than the summary.
  • Ask the ratio and the group size for the room your child would be in, not for the center as a whole.
  • Ask how long the staff in that room have been there. Turnover matters more to a young child than the building does.
  • Visit at drop-off or pick-up, when the center is at its busiest and least arranged.
  • Check what closes the center: holidays, staff training days, and what happens when your child is sick.

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