Childcare in Manhattan, by the numbers.
Manhattan has 743 licensed center programs with 72,902 licensed spots, and 691 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.
743
Licensed center programs
849 center licenses
72,902
Licensed spots in centers
About 98 per program
691
Home daycares
9,221 spots
272
School-age only programs
Before and after school care
Spots for young children in Manhattan
63
licensed spots for every 100 children under 5
New York as a whole has 48.
Manhattan has about 62,980 children under 5, by the Census Bureau's estimate.
Kinds of center license in Manhattan
272 programs hold only a school-age license: before and after school care.
Run a program in Manhattan? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works
More counties in New York
- Brooklyn 1,541 licensed center programs 52 spots per 100 children under 5
- Queens 860 licensed center programs 41 spots per 100 children under 5
- Bronx 631 licensed center programs 76 spots per 100 children under 5
- Nassau County 393 licensed center programs 56 spots per 100 children under 5
- Westchester County 377 licensed center programs 57 spots per 100 children under 5
- Suffolk County 359 licensed center programs 42 spots per 100 children under 5
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
- 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 Manhattan?
743 center programs, holding 849 center licenses and 72,902 licensed spots, as of November 3, 2026.
How many home daycares are in Manhattan?
691 home daycares, with 9,221 spots, as of November 3, 2026.
How many licensed childcare spots are there per child in Manhattan?
63 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.
Questions about childcare in Manhattan?
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