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Accepts assistance

Affordable Daycare in Florida

Full-time care at a center costs a median of $200 a week for a baby and $155 for a preschooler in the middle Florida county (2022). Families who qualify can get help paying through the School Readiness program, and the daycares listed here accept it.

daycares that accept child care assistance listed
5,973
towns
386
towns have their own affordable daycare page
257
of all Florida daycares
59%

Map of Florida: each dot is a town with daycares that accept child care assistance, sized by how many are listed

Accepts assistance
What puts a daycare on this listThe state record says it accepts child care subsidies, or it says it accepts child care assistance or vouchers.Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

Cost and help paying

What daycare costs in Florida, and help paying for it

Infant care at a center, per week, in the middle Florida county (2022)
$200
The median of 53 county medians, from $130 in the lowest county to $305 in the highest.
Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Florida county (2022)
$155
The median of 56 county medians, from $94 in the lowest county to $235 in the highest.
Head Start or Early Head Start centers in Florida
772
Free for children from birth to 5 in families who qualify, by income or because they receive public assistance.
take part in Voluntary Prekindergarten Education Program (VPK)
5,453
It is for children who are 4 by September 1. It is free.
How to apply: School Readiness programHead Start in FloridaVPK in FloridaDaycare cost in Florida, by age and county

County prices: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices, 2022 (median full-time weekly price).

Florida

Largest towns for affordable daycare in Florida

Miami566 accept assistanceJacksonville403 accept assistanceTampa396 accept assistanceOrlando218 accept assistanceHialeah178 accept assistanceWest Palm Beach129 accept assistanceSt Petersburg122 accept assistanceTallahassee98 accept assistanceLakeland82 accept assistanceHomestead78 accept assistanceKissimmee72 accept assistancePensacola69 accept assistance

Programs

Programs in Florida

Counts come from the state record and what each daycare says it offers. A daycare without a tag may still offer the program; ask.

ProgramListed
All daycares10,171
Take infants7,124
Child care centers9,020
Accept subsidy5,973
In-home daycares1,151
Christian & church daycares1,273
Montessori schools298
Preschools & pre-K8,034
Early morning daycare1,935
Part-time daycare443
Drop-in daycare116
After-school care9,506
Bilingual daycare210
Head Start772
Florida VPK5,453

The Florida state record

Florida Department of Children and Families, Office of Child Care Regulation licenses daycares in Florida.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
The ages on each license
Inspections
On the state's own site; each listing links to it
Search the Florida state records

Before you enroll

Paying for daycare in Florida

  1. 1

    Apply for assistance first

    Your state decides who qualifies and how much it pays. Apply through the state's child care assistance office before you choose a daycare.

  2. 2

    Ask about the copayment

    Most families pay a share of the cost. Ask the daycare whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much.

  3. 3

    Ask about open subsidy spots

    Some daycares cap how many children on assistance they take. Ask whether a spot is open now.

  4. 4

    Check the license record

    Open a listing for its state license and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record.

Florida

Cost, inspections and ratios in Florida

Daycare cost in FloridaWeekly prices by age and countyStaff-to-child ratios in FloridaHow many children each adult may care forDaycare tour checklistQuestions to ask when you visit

A to Z

All 386 Florida towns with affordable daycare, A to Z

A14 towns
B27 towns
C26 towns
D19 towns
E11 towns
F15 towns
G10 towns
H23 towns
I7 towns
J7 towns
K7 towns
L36 towns
M31 towns
N17 towns
O17 towns
P37 towns
Q1 town
R6 towns
S30 towns
T12 towns
U1 town
V6 towns
W21 towns
Y2 towns
Z3 towns

Nearby

Nearby states

Georgia2,747 accept assistanceAlabama37 accept assistance

Questions

Questions about affordable daycare in Florida

How many daycares that accept child care assistance are in Florida?

5,973 daycares that accept child care assistance are listed in 386 Florida towns. Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

Which Florida town has the most daycares that accept child care assistance?

Miami, with 566 listed. Next are Jacksonville (403) and Tampa (396).

How do I apply for child care assistance in Florida?

Apply through the School Readiness program, run by the Florida Division of Early Learning, through local early learning coalitions. It is for eligible low-income families who need early education and care for their young children. Services range from extended day care to after-school and school-age care. Income limits change each year, so check the current limits on the state's site.

Is there free daycare?

Some families can get it. Head Start and Early Head Start are free for children from families who qualify, and some states waive the family's share of the cost for the lowest incomes. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.

Does a daycare that accepts assistance cost more?

Not by itself. Accepting assistance means the daycare takes payments from the state program; its own prices vary like any daycare's. Ask whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much you would pay.

How does child care assistance work?

Each state runs a child care assistance program, paid for in part by the federal Child Care and Development Fund. Families who qualify by income, and usually by working, looking for work or going to school, get help paying a daycare that accepts it; the help is often called a voucher or subsidy. Most families pay a share called a copayment, set by the state. Apply through the Florida child care assistance office.

Can I get free daycare?

Some families can. States may waive the copayment for families with the lowest incomes, and Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.

Who licenses daycares in Florida?

Florida Department of Children and Families, Office of Child Care Regulation licenses daycares in Florida. It publishes inspections on its own site; use the state search linked on this page.