Childcare in McLennan County, by the numbers.

McLennan County has 97 licensed center programs with 10,723 licensed spots, and 34 home daycares.

Source: Search Texas Child Care, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation. Read November 3, 2026.

  • 97

    Licensed center programs

    97 center licenses

  • 10,723

    Licensed spots in centers

    About 111 per program

  • 34

    Home daycares

    401 spots

  • 10

    New centers

    Still on a first permit

Spots for young children in McLennan County

52

licensed spots for every 100 children under 5

Texas as a whole has 51.

McLennan County has about 16,766 children under 5, by the Census Bureau's estimate.

New centers in McLennan County

10 centers are still on their first permit.

A new center is one still on its initial permit, the first permit Texas gives a center.

Kinds of center license in McLennan County

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

  • Child care program72
  • School-age program16
  • Before or after school program9

Cities with the most center programs

By the city written on each license.

  • Waco65
  • McGregor5
  • Robinson5
  • Woodway5
  • China Spring3
  • West3
  • Hewitt2
  • Lorena2

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Getting licensed in Texas

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

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Questions, answered

How many licensed childcare centers are in McLennan County?

97 center programs, holding 97 center licenses and 10,723 licensed spots, as of November 3, 2026.

How many home daycares are in McLennan County?

34 home daycares, with 401 spots, as of November 3, 2026.

How many new childcare centers are in McLennan County?

10 centers are still on their first permit, as of November 3, 2026.

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

52 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 Texas?

On Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Child Care Regulation'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 license file, read November 3, 2026.

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

A new center is one still on its initial permit, the first permit Texas gives a center.

Home daycares are licensed and registered child care homes. Listed family homes are not counted.

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 operations, 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.

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