Childcare in Pennsylvania, by the numbers.

Pennsylvania has 5,010 licensed center programs with 399,006 licensed spots, and 1,554 home daycares.

Source: COMPASS Provider Search, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning. Read November 3, 2026.

  • 5,010

    Licensed center programs

    5,019 center licenses

  • 399,006

    Licensed spots in centers

    About 80 per program

  • 1,554

    Home daycares

    12,592 spots

  • 762

    School-age only programs

    Before and after school care

Spots for young children, by county

Pennsylvania has 63 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
  • No licensed care
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
Adams County334,827
Allegheny County7057,427
Armstrong County342,764
Beaver County457,664
Bedford County282,433
Berks County5223,394
Blair County605,664
Bradford County493,121
Bucks County7529,786
Butler County588,960
Cambria County485,778
Cameron County57127
Carbon County482,880
Centre County815,502
Chester County6829,091
Clarion County251,818
Clearfield County443,308
Clinton County391,963
Columbia County612,854
Crawford County454,267
Cumberland County6213,842
Dauphin County7316,272
Delaware County6532,162
Elk County381,305
Erie County7212,675
Fayette County365,377
Forest County0112
Franklin County268,921
Fulton County19678
Greene County281,331
Huntingdon County201,942
Indiana County263,692
Jefferson County262,275
Juniata County71,491
Lackawanna County6410,618
Lancaster County3434,113
Lawrence County583,846
Lebanon County317,850
Lehigh County8219,749
Luzerne County6416,540
Lycoming County525,508
McKean County351,623
Mercer County435,116
Mifflin County232,793
Monroe County697,034
Montgomery County8943,246
Montour County94962
Northampton County6514,409
Northumberland County414,444
Perry County252,394
Philadelphia County9289,613
Pike County302,380
Potter County30771
Schuylkill County406,584
Snyder County272,045
Somerset County403,060
Sullivan County36170
Susquehanna County191,843
Tioga County541,792
Union County341,883
Venango County662,226
Warren County381,777
Washington County499,767
Wayne County432,063
Westmoreland County4814,824
Wyoming County211,214
York County4125,134

The largest counties in Pennsylvania

By licensed center programs.

Every county in Pennsylvania

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

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

Getting licensed in Pennsylvania

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

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

Plan your program

Questions, answered

How many licensed childcare centers are in Pennsylvania?

5,010 center programs, holding 5,019 center licenses and 399,006 licensed spots, as of November 3, 2026.

How many home daycares are in Pennsylvania?

1,554 home daycares, with 12,592 spots, as of November 3, 2026.

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

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 Pennsylvania?

On Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning'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 provider file, read November 3, 2026.

A center program is the certified centers one provider runs at one address. School-age programs count as centers.

Home daycares are family homes, for up to 6 children, and group homes, for up to 12.

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.

The state's file lists only open providers and no opening dates. This page shows no openings or closings.

School-age programs list no capacity in the state's file, so their spots are not counted.

Programs the state lists as Other, such as Head Start and Pre-K Counts sites, 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.

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