Childcare in York County, by the numbers.

York County has 115 licensed center programs with 9,785 licensed spots, and 48 home daycares.

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

  • 115

    Licensed center programs

    115 center licenses

  • 9,785

    Licensed spots in centers

    About 85 per program

  • 48

    Home daycares

    409 spots

  • 28

    School-age only programs

    Before and after school care

Spots for young children in York County

41

licensed spots for every 100 children under 5

Pennsylvania as a whole has 63.

York County has about 25,134 children under 5, by the Census Bureau's estimate.

Kinds of center license in York County

28 programs hold only a school-age license: before and after school care.

  • Child care center87
  • School-age program28

Cities with the most center programs

By the city written on each license.

  • York50
  • Hanover11
  • Dillsburg8
  • Dover6
  • Etters5
  • Shrewsbury5
  • Red Lion4
  • Stewartstown4

Run a program in York County? 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 York County?

115 center programs, holding 115 center licenses and 9,785 licensed spots, as of November 3, 2026.

How many home daycares are in York County?

48 home daycares, with 409 spots, as of November 3, 2026.

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

41 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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