Childcare in Essex County, by the numbers.
Essex County has 371 licensed center programs with 27,025 licensed spots, and 1,150 home daycares.
Source: Child Care Search, Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. Read November 3, 2026, from the state's snapshot of October 2, 2026.
371
Licensed center programs
371 center licenses
27,025
Licensed spots in centers
About 73 per program
1,150
Home daycares
9,258 spots
12
New center programs
9 closed in the same months
Spots for young children in Essex County
67
licensed spots for every 100 children under 5
Massachusetts as a whole has 59.
Essex County has about 44,143 children under 5, by the Census Bureau's estimate.
Center programs opened, October 2025 to September 2026
12 opened at a new address. 9 addresses closed their last center license.
Kinds of center license in Essex County
96 programs hold only a school-age license: before and after school care.
Cities with the most center programs
By the city written on each license.
Run a program in Essex County? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works
More counties in Massachusetts
- Middlesex County 812 licensed center programs 66 spots per 100 children under 5
- Norfolk County 398 licensed center programs 66 spots per 100 children under 5
- Suffolk County 301 licensed center programs 61 spots per 100 children under 5
- Worcester County 276 licensed center programs 46 spots per 100 children under 5
- Bristol County 227 licensed center programs 51 spots per 100 children under 5
- Plymouth County 205 licensed center programs 50 spots per 100 children under 5
Getting licensed in Massachusetts
Massachusetts licenses child care centers and family child care homes separately. See the ratios, trainings and checklist the state asks for in our Massachusetts licensing guide.
Opening one? Read how to start a daycare in Massachusetts or how to start a home daycare, step by step.
Plan your program
- Daycare business plan
How to write a plan for funding and licensing.
- Tuition calculator
Typical rates by state and age group.
- Ratio calculator
Staff needed for each age group, by state.
Questions, answered
How many licensed childcare centers are in Essex County?
371 center programs, holding 371 center licenses and 27,025 licensed spots, as of November 3, 2026.
How many home daycares are in Essex County?
1,150 home daycares, with 9,258 spots, as of November 3, 2026.
How many childcare centers opened in Essex County in the last year?
12 center programs opened at a new address from October 2025 to September 2026. In the same months, 9 addresses closed their last center license.
How many licensed childcare spots are there per child in Essex County?
67 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 Massachusetts?
On Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care'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 monthly program files, read November 3, 2026. The latest snapshot in them is dated October 2, 2026.
A center program is the active center licenses one licensee holds at one address. School-age programs count as centers.
Openings and closings cover October 2025 to September 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 left the state's monthly list in that month.
Home daycares are family child care homes the state lists as active, for up to 10 children.
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.
Each program's county comes from its town, or its ZIP code where the file names a village.
Public and private school programs the state funds but does not license are not counted.
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.
Questions about childcare in Essex County?
Tell us what you run or plan to open. A person on our team answers.