Childcare in California, by the numbers.

California has 11,332 licensed center programs with 753,590 licensed spots, and 14,921 large home daycares.

Source: Child Care Licensing facility search, California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division. Read November 3, 2026.

  • 11,332

    Licensed center programs

    13,263 center licenses

  • 753,590

    Licensed spots in centers

    About 67 per program

  • 14,921

    Large home daycares

    207,820 spots

  • 397

    New center programs

    697 closed in the same months

Openings cover November 2025 to October 2026.

Spots for young children, by county

California has 42 licensed spots for every 100 children under 5. Darker counties have more.

  • Under 25
  • 25 to 39
  • 40 to 54
  • 55 to 69
  • 70 or more
Children under 5: the Census Bureau's estimates for July 1, 2025. Select a county to open its page. Outlines: U.S. Census Bureau.
See every county as a list
CountySpots per 100 children under 5Children under 5
Alameda County5682,196
Alpine County17229
Amador County291,680
Butte County3810,410
Calaveras County271,988
Colusa County701,355
Contra Costa County5060,013
Del Norte County301,314
El Dorado County427,878
Fresno County2768,193
Glenn County521,664
Humboldt County445,486
Imperial County4211,835
Inyo County49778
Kern County2961,553
Kings County3310,273
Lake County363,353
Lassen County211,367
Los Angeles County46462,161
Madera County2711,190
Marin County7111,321
Mariposa County29746
Mendocino County404,071
Merced County3219,182
Modoc County79399
Mono County38524
Monterey County3527,113
Napa County445,987
Nevada County464,025
Orange County43150,286
Placer County4321,396
Plumas County57659
Riverside County28141,224
Sacramento County4191,463
San Benito County364,213
San Bernardino County25129,953
San Diego County45174,180
San Francisco County7132,320
San Joaquin County3050,722
San Luis Obispo County4412,228
San Mateo County6636,422
Santa Barbara County4826,860
Santa Clara County5893,024
Santa Cruz County5810,521
Shasta County369,150
Sierra County7396
Siskiyou County401,821
Solano County3724,668
Sonoma County4022,263
Stanislaus County2835,264
Sutter County376,207
Tehama County383,801
Trinity County39498
Tulare County3234,026
Tuolumne County342,223
Ventura County4242,870
Yolo County549,631
Yuba County316,112

The largest counties in California

By licensed center programs.

Every county in California

Every county, with its licensed center programs.

Run a program in California? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works

Getting licensed in California

California licenses child care centers and family child care homes separately. See the ratios, trainings and checklist the state asks for in our California licensing guide.

Opening one? Read how to start a daycare in California or how to start a home daycare, step by step.

Plan your program

Questions, answered

How many licensed childcare centers are in California?

11,332 center programs, holding 13,263 center licenses and 753,590 licensed spots, as of November 3, 2026.

How many large home daycares are in California?

14,921 large home daycares, with 207,820 spots, as of November 3, 2026.

How many childcare centers opened in California in the last year?

397 center programs opened at a new address from November 2025 to October 2026. In the same months, 697 addresses closed their last center license.

How many licensed childcare spots are there per child in California?

42 licensed spots for every 100 children under 5. The child count is the Census Bureau's estimate for July 1, 2025.

Where can I check a childcare program's license in California?

On California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division's public facility search. Search by the program's name, address or license number.

About these numbers

Every license count here comes from the state's license file, read November 3, 2026.

A center program is the active center licenses one licensee holds at one address. A day care center and its infant center count as one program.

Openings and closings cover November 2025 to October 2026.

An opening is a program first licensed then, at an address with no earlier center license.

A closing is an address whose last center license closed in that time.

Home daycares are large family child care homes, for up to 14 children. Small homes are not in the state's file.

Children under 5 are the Census Bureau's estimates for July 1, 2025.

Spots for young children leave out school-age licenses and add home daycare spots. Some serve older children.

This page is a summary of public records. It is not legal advice, and licenses change every week.

To check one program, search the state's own lookup.

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