Childcare in New York, by the numbers.

New York has 7,265 licensed center programs with 686,525 licensed spots, and 11,915 home daycares.

Sources: Regulated Child Care Search, New York State Office of Children and Family Services; Child care program search, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Read November 3, 2026.

  • 7,265

    Licensed center programs

    7,647 center licenses

  • 686,525

    Licensed spots in centers

    About 94 per program

  • 11,915

    Home daycares

    167,915 spots

  • 224

    New center programs

    November 2025 to October 2026

Openings cover November 2025 to October 2026. They are counted outside New York City.

Spots for young children, by county

New York has 48 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
Albany County5813,999
Allegany County302,309
Bronx7688,995
Brooklyn52160,783
Broome County418,818
Cattaraugus County253,831
Cayuga County333,361
Chautauqua County346,138
Chemung County323,957
Chenango County212,282
Clinton County533,097
Columbia County272,102
Cortland County312,098
Delaware County491,688
Dutchess County4713,361
Erie County4446,166
Essex County511,127
Franklin County352,060
Fulton County262,286
Genesee County272,597
Greene County191,918
Hamilton County36134
Herkimer County192,894
Jefferson County217,651
Lewis County271,367
Livingston County392,612
Madison County322,788
Manhattan6362,980
Monroe County5436,956
Montgomery County343,111
Nassau County5670,943
Niagara County349,740
Oneida County3311,707
Onondaga County4423,371
Ontario County484,947
Orange County2928,794
Orleans County301,840
Oswego County175,764
Otsego County422,376
Putnam County534,739
Queens41121,465
Rensselaer County417,462
Rockland County2634,274
Saratoga County4710,454
Schenectady County499,028
Schoharie County441,206
Schuyler County30727
Seneca County221,685
St. Lawrence County264,829
Staten Island3725,518
Steuben County444,715
Suffolk County4281,341
Sullivan County234,873
Tioga County232,267
Tompkins County583,241
Ulster County407,499
Warren County432,607
Washington County292,761
Wayne County344,450
Westchester County5752,806
Wyoming County231,741
Yates County251,576

The largest counties in New York

By licensed center programs.

Every county in New York

Every county, with its licensed center programs. Counties with fewer than 5 center programs have no page of their own.

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

Getting licensed in New York

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

Plan your program

Questions, answered

How many licensed childcare centers are in New York?

7,265 center programs, holding 7,647 center licenses and 686,525 licensed spots, as of November 3, 2026.

How many home daycares are in New York?

11,915 home daycares, with 167,915 spots, as of November 3, 2026.

How many childcare centers opened in New York in the last year?

224 center programs opened at a new address outside New York City from November 2025 to October 2026.

How many licensed childcare spots are there per child in New York?

48 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 New York?

On New York State Office of Children and Family Services's public facility search. Search by the program's name, address or license number. Centers in New York City are on the city Health Department's own search.

About these numbers

Every license count here comes from the state and city license files, read November 3, 2026.

A center program is the active center licenses one provider holds at one address. A center and its school-age program count as one.

Openings cover November 2025 to October 2026.

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

Home daycares are family day care and group family day care homes.

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.

In New York City, centers hold a permit from the city's Health Department, not a state license.

The city's file has no opening dates, so the five boroughs show no openings.

Both files list only open programs, so this page shows no closings.

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. Centers in New York City are on the city Health Department's own search.

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