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Accepts assistance

Affordable Daycare in Tennessee

Full-time care at a center costs a median of $131 a week for a baby and $110 for a preschooler in the middle Tennessee county (2022). Families who qualify can get help paying through Child Care Payment Assistance, and the daycares listed here accept it.

daycares that accept child care assistance listed
2,184
towns
267
towns have their own affordable daycare page
125
of all Tennessee daycares
55%

Map of Tennessee: 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 Tennessee, and help paying for it

Infant care at a center, per week, in the middle Tennessee county (2022)
$131
The median of 95 county medians, from $112 in the lowest county to $212 in the highest.
Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Tennessee county (2022)
$110
The median of 95 county medians, from $97 in the lowest county to $146 in the highest.
Head Start or Early Head Start centers in Tennessee
316
Free for children from birth to 5 in families who qualify, by income or because they receive public assistance.
How to apply: Child Care Payment AssistanceHead Start in TennesseeDaycare cost in Tennessee, by age and county

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

Tennessee

Largest towns for affordable daycare in Tennessee

Memphis378 accept assistanceNashville157 accept assistanceKnoxville153 accept assistanceChattanooga113 accept assistanceClarksville92 accept assistanceMurfreesboro72 accept assistanceJackson34 accept assistanceCordova32 accept assistanceCookeville31 accept assistanceFranklin31 accept assistanceKingsport31 accept assistanceJohnson City29 accept assistance

Programs

Programs in Tennessee

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 daycares3,955
Take infants1,470
Child care centers3,527
Accept subsidy2,184
In-home daycares428
Christian & church daycares443
Montessori schools68
Preschools & pre-K2,962
Night daycare175
Early morning daycare1,405
Part-time daycare128
Drop-in daycare21
After-school care1,743
Bilingual daycare19
Head Start316

The Tennessee state record

Tennessee Department of Human Services, Child Care Licensing licenses daycares in Tennessee.

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 Tennessee state records

Before you enroll

Paying for daycare in Tennessee

  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.

Tennessee

Cost, inspections and ratios in Tennessee

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

A to Z

All 267 Tennessee towns with affordable daycare, A to Z

A13 towns
B15 towns
C30 towns
D12 towns
E8 towns
F8 towns
G14 towns
H17 towns
I2 towns
J8 towns
K6 towns
L22 towns
M27 towns
N6 towns
O5 towns
P13 towns
R12 towns
S23 towns
T5 towns
U3 towns
V2 towns
W16 towns

Nearby

Nearby states

North Carolina3,210 accept assistanceGeorgia2,747 accept assistanceVirginia2,729 accept assistanceKentucky1,644 accept assistanceArkansas890 accept assistanceMissouri69 accept assistanceAlabama37 accept assistanceMississippi1,098 daycares

Questions

Questions about affordable daycare in Tennessee

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

2,184 daycares that accept child care assistance are listed in 267 Tennessee towns. Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.

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

Memphis, with 378 listed. Next are Nashville (157) and Knoxville (153).

How do I apply for child care assistance in Tennessee?

Apply through Child Care Payment Assistance, run by the Tennessee Department of Human Services. It is for eligible families who need child care so parents or guardians can work, attend school, or take part in approved training. Families in some other programs may qualify through a referral. 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee?

Tennessee Department of Human Services, Child Care Licensing licenses daycares in Tennessee. It publishes inspections on its own site; use the state search linked on this page.