District of Columbia state guide

Childcare centers in District of Columbia

District of Columbia has 459 childcare centers and homes in its state licensing records, across 1 city, with about 26,000 licensed seats at the 434 centers that report capacity. Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Early Learning, Licensing and Compliance Unit handles licensing. This guide covers the rules that apply, how to check a license, how subsidy works, and how to find a center in your city.

Data updated November 8, 2026 · Source: Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Early Learning, Licensing and Compliance Unit (opens in a new tab) public records · How we compile this →

Largest cities for childcare in District of Columbia

Ranked by centers and homes on file. Each city page lists every center in that city.
  1. Washington459 centers and homes

Centers and homes listed per city, of 459 in District of Columbia.

All 1 District of Columbia cities

The city in District of Columbia

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W · 1 city

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District of Columbia childcare centers by county

1 District of Columbia county has licensed centers or homes on file, ranked here by how many. District of Columbia County has the most, with 459 centers and homes.
  1. District of Columbia County459 centers and homes

License types in District of Columbia

District of Columbia’s licensing records use these categories. Each listing shows which one applies.

District of Columbia child care ratios

District of Columbia sets a maximum number of children per staff member for each age in licensed child care centers. Each row cites the regulation it comes from.
District of Columbia ratios by age
Maximum children per staff member in licensed child care centers, by age, under 5-A DCMR §121.3(a)
AgeStaff : childrenRule
0–23 months1:45-A DCMR §121.3(a) (opens in a new tab)
24–29 months1:45-A DCMR §121.3(a) (opens in a new tab)
30–47 months1:85-A DCMR §121.3(a) (opens in a new tab)
4 years1:105-A DCMR §121.3(a) (opens in a new tab)

These are the state’s minimums for licensed child care centers, and a center can staff richer. Read the linked rule text before relying on a figure: regulations change.

How to check a daycare license in District of Columbia

Every licensed center in District of Columbia has a public record with Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Early Learning, Licensing and Compliance Unit. Here is how to read it.

  1. Search the state’s site

    Open My Child Care DC (opens in a new tab) and look the center up by name and city. Confirm the license type and that its status is active.

  2. Read the inspection information

    Open the center’s record and read whatever inspection or compliance information the state posts for it.

  3. Compare with Clear Day’s center page

    Our page shows the license type and capacity next to the hours and programs the center lists, so you can weigh the state’s record beside what the center offers.

Open My Child Care DC (opens in a new tab)

Each Clear Day center page in District of Columbia links to that center’s state record when the state publishes one, so step 3 starts one click from step 1.

Paying for childcare in District of Columbia

These programs help District of Columbia families pay for care. Which one fits depends on income, your child’s age and where you live.

Head Start and Early Head Start

Federal programs for families with low incomes, from pregnancy through age five.

100%accept Head Start1 of 1 center reporting

100%accept Early Head Start21 of 21 centers reporting

Head Start locator (opens in a new tab)

Frequently asked questions about childcare in District of Columbia

Answers use the numbers on this page, as of November 8, 2026.
How many childcare centers are in District of Columbia?

District of Columbia has 459 childcare centers and homes in the state licensing records Clear Day reads, across 1 cities.

What is the child-to-staff ratio for infants in District of Columbia?

For children 0–23 months in licensed child care centers, District of Columbia allows up to 4 children per staff member, a ratio of 1:4 under 5-A DCMR §121.3(a). For 24–29 months it is 1:4. The full table is on this page.

How do I check if a daycare is licensed in District of Columbia?

Look the center up in My Child Care DC, the state's public license lookup. Confirm the license is active, then read whatever inspection or compliance information the state posts for that center. Clear Day center pages link to the state's record for that center when the state publishes one.

Does District of Columbia help pay for childcare?

Yes. District of Columbia's child care subsidy program is DC Child Care Subsidy Program.

What is Capital Quality?

Capital Quality is District of Columbia's quality rating program for child care. The ratings are the state's. Clear Day does not rate or review centers.

Where does this data come from?

Center records come from Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Early Learning, Licensing and Compliance Unit public records. Every share on the page names the number of centers it is counted over, and the methodology page explains how.

When was this data last updated?

The state records on this page were last imported November 8, 2026. Each center page shows its own record date. See the methodology for details.

How we compile the data →

Clear Day Family

Making a shortlist in District of Columbia?

Tap Save on centers in District of Columbia’s city list as you go.A free Clear Day Family account keeps that shortlist on every device, with tour notes for each center, so the one you saw Tuesday doesn’t blur into Thursday’s.

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Free. Sign in with a code we email you. On the web now, iPhone and Android apps coming soon.

Before you tour: what to ask, and why

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Other state guides

District of Columbia is one of 36 states in the directory: 174,936 centers and homes across 14,123 cities. Each state has its own guide with its own rules, agency and license lookup.

Where this data comes from

Center records come from Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Early Learning, Licensing and Compliance Unit public records. Every percentage on this page names the number of District of Columbia centers it is counted over. This page is a guide, not legal advice. Clear Day does not rate, rank or review centers.

Read the full methodology →

Last updated
November 8, 2026
Agency
Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Early Learning, Licensing and Compliance Unit (opens in a new tab)

This information is sourced from public records and may be incomplete or out of date. For the most current and accurate details, please verify directly with Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Early Learning, Licensing and Compliance Unit or contact the center directly. Clear Day does not rate, rank or endorse any center.

Data updated Nov 8, 2026 · Source: Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Early Learning, Licensing and Compliance Unit public records · District of Columbia license lookup (opens in a new tab) · How we compile this →

Contains data from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), published by DC GIS on Open Data DC as “Child Development Centers (opens in a new tab),” licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0) (opens in a new tab). Clear Day has changed the data: it is filtered, standardized and summarized for this directory.