Pick your state to find all the licensed, certified providers near you

PreKNearMe is completely FREE!   We've done the work of compiling all the States' certified childcare provider databases in one place, so that all parents and guardians can have one centralized resource to find the childcare that best suits their family's needs.  

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"What about preschool and daycare reviews?" is a question that we get a lot.  Our view is that following the steps below is a far more reliable method of narrowing down your search than a daycare or preschool review site could provide.  Think about this - preschools and daycares, even at the largest scale, are still small enterprises.  For each one, you'll be lucky to have a handful of reviews.  If there are so few, how do you trust that they will reflect your potential experience?  How do you know that the reviews come from someone who makes choices on the same criteria as you do?     

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So, how do I find a great preschool near me?  How do I find a loving daycare near me?

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First, kick off your search by clicking on the PreKNearMe State in which you’re looking. 

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On each page, you will find a link to that respective State’s updated, comprehensive database of certified early education providers, and some notes about how to use the State interface.  Each State has their own system for certifying providers, and they share their daycare and preschool lists with the public in varying online ways.  Some have interactive interfaces with myriad options on which to filter.  Some States put one document with all the centers’ info on one page.  Some have a map that lets you zoom in on your neighborhood to see what’s available.  Whatever the method each State chooses, the advantage of starting your daycare or preschool search with the direct source is that you will get the most updated information on all the providers in your desired neighborhood.    

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Once you have the comprehensive list of all the licensed daycares, or preschools, in your neighborhood, here are some steps to help you narrow down the list to ones you’d like to explore further. 

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How do I select the BEST program for my family? 

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We recommend that you paste your initial search results into an Excel spreadsheet, print out the ones you like, or scribble down the childcare center names and numbers into your notebook – this part is entirely up to your personal preference.  When it's available, make sure to get all the center contact info directly from your search.  Now that you have a list of the early education programs in your target geography, consider the following:

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1. Decide which program features are most important to you.  Some questions to ask yourself are:

   • Does our school district offer free public preschool or daycare prior to kindergarten? 

   • Do we want a free preschool or a private one?  Either way, be realistic with yourself about the financial trade-offs you're willing to make - at the end of the day, you need to make sure that you find an affordable preschool or daycare for your family's needs.  

   • Are we looking for a Headstart preschool or daycare? For more information about the Headstart program, you can check out https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohs/about/head-start.  

   • Do we want a church preschool, a synagogue preschool, another religious affiliation, no religious affiliation, or does this point not factor into our decision one way or another? 

   • Are we looking for a particular education philosophy? A Montessori preschool in our neighborhood?  A Waldorf preschool in our neighborhood?  You can learn more about the different early education philosophies here: https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/preschool-philosophies.

   • Is second language emphasis important in our search?  Are we looking for a bilingual preschool, or perhaps an immersion preschool program, or does this not matter to our search? 

2. Determine your schedule needs.  Some places will offer longer hours, or full day preschool and daycare programs, suitable for working parents.  Others only operate on a limited schedule, or offer half day preschool and daycare programs.  Know which coverage your family needs, so that you can rule out from the beginning the places that won’t fit your schedule. 

3. Call/email the centers to find out whether they have available spots for your little one, and the pricing.  Contact the center to find out if they have available spots that align with your schedule needs.  This will let you narrow down the list by culling the centers that are not an option. 

4. Tour the centers on your list.  Research is crucial, but nothing will give you a better sense of what the daycare or preschool offers than to see the facility with your own eyes, ears, and nose, to meet the teachers, and to see the place in action.  This is also a good time to find out the pricing for the various options.

5. Get feedback from other local parents.  Whether it’s by asking an established network of local parent friends, posting on a community forum, or searching local Facebook Parents pages, find out what others have to say about the places you liked.    

6. If you really want to go down the rabbit hole of preschool and daycare philosophy, check out this book from Suzanne Bouffard, who literally wrote the book on what to look for, and what to avoid, in a pre-K program.