Licensed capacity, infant places and subsidy
Licensed capacity is the most children a program may have in care at once, set by the state. A few states break it down by age, which shows how scarce infant places are. Subsidy acceptance is as recorded on the state register.
Licensed capacity by state
Sum of licensed capacity across programs that record it. States where fewer than half the programs carry a capacity figure are left out.
Source: state child care licence registers, program websites and Google business profiles as held by Preschool Index, synced September 2026. Statistics use every licensed program on record, including listings not yet released.
Infant places, where the state records them
Licensed places for children under about 12 to 18 months. Only some states split capacity by age; California's figure counts infant-center licences only.
Share of programs that accept child care subsidy
As recorded on the state register (CCCAP, Child Care Works, School Readiness, Purchase of Care, vouchers and similar). States that do not record it are left out.
Share of programs with a state quality rating
States with a published rating system. Ratings are voluntary in most states, so a missing rating does not mean a low one.