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Accepts assistance

Affordable Daycare in Indiana

Families who qualify can get help paying through child care assistance (CCDF vouchers), and the daycares listed here accept it.

daycares that accept child care assistance listed
2,591
towns
214
towns have their own affordable daycare page
126
of all Indiana daycares
87%

Map of Indiana: 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 Indiana, and help paying for it

Head Start or Early Head Start centers in Indiana
163
Free for children from birth to 5 in families who qualify, by income or because they receive public assistance.
take part in On My Way Pre-K
700
It is for children who are 4 by August 1 and start kindergarten the next year.
How to apply: Child care assistance (CCDF vouchers)Head Start in IndianaOn My Way Pre-K: the official pageDaycare cost in Indiana, by age and county

Indiana

Largest towns for affordable daycare in Indiana

Indianapolis598 accept assistanceFort Wayne162 accept assistanceSouth Bend161 accept assistanceGary108 accept assistanceEvansville107 accept assistanceTerre Haute90 accept assistanceHammond60 accept assistanceLafayette53 accept assistanceMichigan City44 accept assistanceNew Albany41 accept assistanceBloomington39 accept assistanceElkhart38 accept assistance

Programs

Programs in Indiana

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 daycares2,967
Take infants1,952
Child care centers1,502
Accept subsidy2,591
In-home daycares1,465
Christian & church daycares268
Montessori schools26
Preschools & pre-K2,461
24-hour daycare287
Night daycare510
Early morning daycare1,724
Weekend daycare229
Part-time daycare119
Drop-in daycare14
After-school care2,024
Bilingual daycare11
Head Start163

The Indiana state record

Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning licenses daycares in Indiana.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
The ages on each license
Inspections
Every visit the state publishes back to 2021
Cited rules
The inspector's finding, in the state's own words
Corrections
Correction dates as the state records them
Search the Indiana state records

Before you enroll

Paying for daycare in Indiana

  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.

Indiana

Cost, inspections and ratios in Indiana

Daycare cost in IndianaWeekly prices by age and countyWhat Indiana inspectors citeThe rules cited most, and what they meanStaff-to-child ratios in IndianaHow many children each adult may care forTour checklist for IndianaQuestions to ask when you visit

A to Z

All 214 Indiana towns with affordable daycare, A to Z

A8 towns
B14 towns
C20 towns
D6 towns
E5 towns
F12 towns
G14 towns
H11 towns
I3 towns
J2 towns
K2 towns
L16 towns
M22 towns
N15 towns
O5 towns
P10 towns
R10 towns
S15 towns
T4 towns
U1 town
V3 towns
W14 towns
Y1 town
Z1 town

Nearby

Nearby states

Kentucky1,644 accept assistanceIllinois188 accept assistanceMichigan123 accept assistanceOhio15 accept assistance

Questions

Questions about affordable daycare in Indiana

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

2,591 daycares that accept child care assistance are listed in 214 Indiana towns. Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

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

Indianapolis, with 598 listed. Next are Fort Wayne (162) and South Bend (161).

How do I apply for child care assistance in Indiana?

Apply through child care assistance (CCDF vouchers), run by the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration. It is for low-income families who need child care so parents can work, go to school, or attend training. 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 Indiana 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 Indiana?

Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning licenses daycares in Indiana. It publishes its inspections and the rules it cited, and we copy them onto each listing.