Childcare in Dauphin County, by the numbers.
Dauphin County has 119 licensed center programs with 11,638 licensed spots, and 31 home daycares.
Source: COMPASS Provider Search, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning. Read November 3, 2026.
119
Licensed center programs
119 center licenses
11,638
Licensed spots in centers
About 98 per program
31
Home daycares
246 spots
18
School-age only programs
Before and after school care
Spots for young children in Dauphin County
73
licensed spots for every 100 children under 5
Pennsylvania as a whole has 63.
Dauphin County has about 16,272 children under 5, by the Census Bureau's estimate.
Kinds of center license in Dauphin County
18 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 Dauphin County? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works
More counties in Pennsylvania
- Philadelphia County 1,211 licensed center programs 92 spots per 100 children under 5
- Allegheny County 489 licensed center programs 70 spots per 100 children under 5
- Montgomery County 413 licensed center programs 89 spots per 100 children under 5
- Delaware County 268 licensed center programs 65 spots per 100 children under 5
- Bucks County 260 licensed center programs 75 spots per 100 children under 5
- Chester County 219 licensed center programs 68 spots per 100 children under 5
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
- 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 Dauphin County?
119 center programs, holding 119 center licenses and 11,638 licensed spots, as of November 3, 2026.
How many home daycares are in Dauphin County?
31 home daycares, with 246 spots, as of November 3, 2026.
How many licensed childcare spots are there per child in Dauphin County?
73 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.
Questions about childcare in Dauphin County?
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