North Carolina has 5,084 childcare centers and homes in its state licensing records, across 514 cities. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education handles licensing. This guide covers how to check a license, quality ratings, how subsidy works, and how to find a center in your city.
Data updated October 1, 2026 · Source: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education (opens in a new tab) public records · How we compile this →
Centers and homes listed per city, of 5,084 in North Carolina.
All 514 North Carolina citiesJump to a letter, or open a group below.
Open Child Care Facility Search (opens in a new tab) and look the center up by name and city. Confirm the license type and that its status is active.
Open the center’s record and read whatever inspection or compliance information the state posts for it.
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.
Each Clear Day center page in North Carolinalinks to that center’s state record when the state publishes one, so step 3 starts one click from step 1.
Star Rated License (opens in a new tab) is North Carolina’s own quality rating program for child care. The level a center holds comes from the state.
This is the state’s rating, shown as the state’s. Clear Day does not rate or review centers.
Share of 4,771 North Carolina centers in the directory, by Star Rated License level.
North Carolina child care subsidy. Administered by: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education
About Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program (opens in a new tab)
North Carolina pre-K. Administered by: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education
Federal programs for families with low incomes, from pregnancy through age five.
North Carolina has 5,084 childcare centers and homes in the state licensing records Clear Day reads, across 514 cities. Charlotte has the most, with 464, followed by Raleigh (235) and Durham (220).
Look the center up in Child Care Facility Search, 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.
Yes. North Carolina's child care subsidy program is Subsidized Child Care Assistance (SCCA) Program. Public pre-K is a separate option: NC Pre-K.
Star Rated License is North Carolina's quality rating program for child care. 4,630 of 4,771 centers in the Clear Day directory carry a rating. The ratings are the state's. Clear Day does not rate or review centers.
Center records come from North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education public records. Every share on the page names the number of centers it is counted over, and the methodology page explains how.
The state records on this page were last imported October 1, 2026. Each center page shows its own record date. See the methodology for details.
Your center is already listed here, built from state records. Claim it free and get a free enrollment website built from your listing.
North Carolina is one of 35 states in the directory: 173,052 centers and homes across 13,878 cities. Each state has its own guide with its own rules, agency and license lookup.
Center records come from North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education public records. Every percentage on this page names the number of North Carolina centers it is counted over. This page is a guide, not legal advice. Clear Day does not rate, rank or review centers.
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 North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education or contact the center directly. Clear Day does not rate, rank or endorse any center.
Data updated Oct 1, 2026 · Source: North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Child Development and Early Education public records · North Carolina license lookup (opens in a new tab) · How we compile this →