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Infant care

Infant Daycare in Delaware

Most Delaware daycares that take infants accept babies from 6 weeks or younger, by the ages on their state record. Full-time infant care at a center costs a median of $182 a week in the middle Delaware county (2022).

daycares that take infants listed
767
towns
43
towns have their own infant daycare page
28
of all Delaware daycares
65%

Map of Delaware: each dot is a town with daycares that take infants, sized by how many are listed

Infant care
What puts a daycare on this listThe state record lists infants among the ages it serves, or it says it offers infant care.A daycare without this tag may still take infants; ask.

Infant care

Infant care in Delaware: ages, costs and safe-sleep inspections

the most common youngest age on the state record in Delaware
From 6 weeks
Of the 763 daycares here whose state record gives a starting age, 668 take babies from 6 weeks or younger.
Infant care at a center, per week, in the middle Delaware county (2022)
$182
The median of 3 county medians, from $182 in the lowest county to $280 in the highest.
Delaware infant programs with a safe-sleep rule cited since October 2023
145
Delaware lists only the visits where it found a problem, so this is a count, not a share. Each listing shows its own visits.
Staff-to-child ratios for babies in DelawareDaycare cost in Delaware, by age and county

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

Delaware

Largest towns for infant daycare in Delaware

Wilmington211 take infantsNewark98 take infantsNew Castle69 take infantsDover58 take infantsBear51 take infantsMiddletown41 take infantsSeaford21 take infantsGeorgetown20 take infantsSmyrna18 take infantsMilford17 take infantsBridgeville15 take infantsMillsboro15 take infants

Programs

Programs in Delaware

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 daycares1,189
Take infants767
Child care centers598
Accept subsidy913
In-home daycares591
Christian & church daycares49
Montessori schools22
Preschools & pre-K1,065
Night daycare128
Early morning daycare453
Part-time daycare25
After-school care947
Bilingual daycare14
Head Start38

The Delaware state record

Delaware Department of Education, Office of Child Care Licensing licenses daycares in Delaware.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
The ages on each license
Inspections
Visits with findings back to 2021; the state does not list visits without findings
Cited rules
The inspector's finding, in the state's own words
Corrections
Correction dates as the state records them
Search the Delaware state records

Before you enroll

Choosing infant care in Delaware

  1. 1

    Ask about the waitlist

    Infant spots fill first. Ask how long the waitlist is and whether you can join it before your baby is born.

  2. 2

    How many babies each caregiver has

    Ask how many infants one caregiver looks after, and whether the same caregiver is there each day.

  3. 3

    Safe sleep

    Ask where and how babies nap. Where the state publishes inspections, every visit with a sleep rule cited is on the listing's state record.

  4. 4

    Feeding and the daily log

    Ask how bottles and breast milk are handled, and how you will hear about feeds, naps and diapers each day.

Delaware

Cost, inspections and ratios in Delaware

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

A to Z

All 43 Delaware towns with infant daycare, A to Z

B4 towns
C4 towns
D4 towns
E1 town
F4 towns
G2 towns
H5 towns
L3 towns
M5 towns
N3 towns
O2 towns
R1 town
S3 towns
T1 town
W1 town

Nearby

Nearby states

Maryland4,835 take infantsNew Jersey1,925 take infantsPennsylvania898 take infants

Questions

Questions about infant daycare in Delaware

How many daycares that take infants are in Delaware?

767 daycares that take infants are listed in 43 Delaware towns. A daycare without this tag may still take infants; ask.

Which Delaware town has the most daycares that take infants?

Wilmington, with 211 listed. Next are Newark (98) and New Castle (69).

How much does infant daycare cost in Delaware?

In the middle Delaware county, full-time infant care at a center cost $182 a week in 2022 (U.S. Department of Labor). Each town page shows its own county.

What does a safe-sleep citation mean?

It means a state inspector found a sleep rule not met on a visit, for example a baby put down on their side, a crib with blankets or toys, or babies left without a check. Open a listing to read its visits, and ask the daycare what it changed.

How young a baby do daycares in Delaware take?

Most often from 6 weeks: of the 763 daycares in Delaware whose state record gives a starting age, 668 take babies from 6 weeks or younger and 736 from 3 months or younger. A daycare's own minimum can be older than its license allows, so ask.

Is there newborn daycare in Delaware?

668 daycares in Delaware take babies from 6 weeks or younger by the state record. Ask each one the youngest age it takes now.

Who licenses daycares in Delaware?

Delaware Department of Education, Office of Child Care Licensing licenses daycares in Delaware. It publishes its inspections and the rules it cited, and we copy them onto each listing.