Childcare in Philadelphia County, by the numbers.
Philadelphia County has 1,211 licensed center programs with 78,857 licensed spots, and 463 home daycares.
Source: COMPASS Provider Search, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Child Development and Early Learning. Read November 3, 2026.
1,211
Licensed center programs
1,214 center licenses
78,857
Licensed spots in centers
About 65 per program
463
Home daycares
3,662 spots
131
School-age only programs
Before and after school care
Spots for young children in Philadelphia County
92
licensed spots for every 100 children under 5
Pennsylvania as a whole has 63.
Philadelphia County has about 89,613 children under 5, by the Census Bureau's estimate.
Kinds of center license in Philadelphia County
131 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 Philadelphia County? Bloomily handles enrollment, billing, check-in and family messages. See how it works
More counties in Pennsylvania
- 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
- Lehigh County 166 licensed center programs 82 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 Philadelphia County?
1,211 center programs, holding 1,214 center licenses and 78,857 licensed spots, as of November 3, 2026.
How many home daycares are in Philadelphia County?
463 home daycares, with 3,662 spots, as of November 3, 2026.
How many licensed childcare spots are there per child in Philadelphia County?
92 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 Philadelphia County?
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