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In-home daycare

In-Home Daycares in Massachusetts

An in-home daycare is a licensed family child care home: the provider looks after a small group of children in their own home. Full-time infant care at a home daycare costs a median of $262 a week in the middle Massachusetts county (2022).

in-home daycares listed
5,874
towns
348
towns have their own in-home daycares page
237
of all Massachusetts daycares
66%

Map of Massachusetts: each dot is a town with in-home daycares, sized by how many are listed

In-home daycare
What puts a daycare on this listThe state license record lists it as a family or group child care home (family child care), where the provider cares for a small group in their own home. Where no state license record is available, its business listing names it a family day care.Street addresses are not shown for home daycares. The provider shares the address with families, so call to arrange a visit.

In-home daycare

What in-home daycare looks like in Massachusetts

The typical licensed capacity of a Massachusetts in-home daycare
8 children
The median capacity on 5,874 Massachusetts home daycare licenses. Ask how many children come on a usual day and their ages.
Infant care at a home daycare, per week, in the middle Massachusetts county (2022)
$262
The median of 14 county medians, from $225 in the lowest county to $370 in the highest.

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

Massachusetts

Largest towns for in-home daycares in Massachusetts

Lawrence447 in-home daycaresSpringfield389 in-home daycaresWorcester353 in-home daycaresLowell257 in-home daycaresLynn219 in-home daycaresDorchester178 in-home daycaresBoston147 in-home daycaresMethuen134 in-home daycaresBrockton129 in-home daycaresEverett122 in-home daycaresHaverhill119 in-home daycaresFitchburg107 in-home daycares

Programs

Programs in Massachusetts

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 daycares8,884
Take infants1,428
Child care centers3,010
Accept subsidy6,436
In-home daycares5,874
Christian & church daycares93
Montessori schools173
Preschools & pre-K2,248
Early morning daycare236
Part-time daycare426
Drop-in daycare39
After-school care1,651
Bilingual daycare158
Head Start178

The Massachusetts state record

Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care licenses daycares in Massachusetts.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
On some licenses only; elsewhere shown where the daycare gives them
Inspections
On the state's own site; each listing links to it
Search the Massachusetts state records

Before you enroll

Choosing an in-home daycare in Massachusetts

  1. 1

    Ask who else is in the home

    Ask who lives in the home and who helps with the children. Many states require background checks for adults living in a licensed home.

  2. 2

    Ask about backup care

    With one provider, a sick day or vacation closes the daycare. Ask how many days a year they close and what families do then.

  3. 3

    Ask about the group

    Ask how many children come each day and their ages. A home daycare often mixes babies and school-age children in one group.

  4. 4

    Check the license record

    Open the daycare's page here to see its license type, capacity and the state's inspection record, where we hold them.

Massachusetts

Cost, inspections and ratios in Massachusetts

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

A to Z

All 348 Massachusetts towns with in-home daycares, A to Z

A21 towns
B27 towns
C22 towns
D13 towns
E14 towns
F11 towns
G9 towns
H24 towns
I2 towns
J2 towns
K1 town
L17 towns
M26 towns
N30 towns
O4 towns
P10 towns
Q1 town
R11 towns
S45 towns
T10 towns
U2 towns
V1 town
W43 towns
Y2 towns

Nearby

Nearby states

New York11,811 in-home daycaresConnecticut1,783 in-home daycaresVermont399 in-home daycaresRhode Island41 in-home daycaresNew Hampshire11 in-home daycares

Questions

Questions about in-home daycares in Massachusetts

How many in-home daycares are in Massachusetts?

5,874 in-home daycares are listed in 348 Massachusetts towns. Street addresses are not shown for home daycares. The provider shares the address with families, so call to arrange a visit.

Which Massachusetts town has the most in-home daycares?

Lawrence, with 447 listed. Next are Springfield (389) and Worcester (353).

What is the difference between in-home daycare and family child care?

They are the same thing. State licenses call it a family child care home (or a group or large family home when there is an assistant): a provider caring for a small group of children in their own home.

How many children can a home daycare have in Massachusetts?

It depends on the license type and the children's ages. The typical Massachusetts home daycare license here is for 8 children; each listing shows its own licensed capacity.

Who licenses daycares in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care licenses daycares in Massachusetts. It publishes inspections on its own site; use the state search linked on this page.