Skip to content
DaycarePal
Infant care

Infant Daycare in North Carolina

Most North Carolina 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 $181 a week in the middle North Carolina county (2022).

daycares that take infants listed
3,301
towns
419
towns have their own infant daycare page
199
of all North Carolina daycares
50%

Map of North Carolina: 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 North Carolina: ages, costs and safe-sleep inspections

the most common youngest age on the state record in North Carolina
From birth
Of the 3,236 daycares here whose state record gives a starting age, 3,236 take babies from 6 weeks or younger and 3,236 from birth.
Infant care at a center, per week, in the middle North Carolina county (2022)
$181
The median of 99 county medians, from $109 in the lowest county to $355 in the highest.
of visited North Carolina infant programs had a safe-sleep rule cited since October 2023
33%
1,057 of the 3,230 North Carolina daycares that take infants and had a state visit. A citation means the inspector found a sleep rule not met on that visit, for example how or where babies nap. Each listing shows its own visits.
Staff-to-child ratios for babies in North CarolinaDaycare cost in North Carolina, by age and county

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

North Carolina

Largest towns for infant daycare in North Carolina

Charlotte337 take infantsRaleigh186 take infantsDurham174 take infantsFayetteville161 take infantsGreensboro154 take infantsWinston-Salem84 take infantsCary58 take infantsWilmington56 take infantsRocky Mount42 take infantsGreenville41 take infantsHigh Point40 take infantsGoldsboro38 take infants

Programs

Programs in North Carolina

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 daycares6,565
Take infants3,301
Child care centers5,566
Accept subsidy3,210
In-home daycares999
Christian & church daycares605
Montessori schools132
Preschools & pre-K5,228
Early morning daycare970
Part-time daycare171
Drop-in daycare37
After-school care4,110
Bilingual daycare13
Head Start412

The North Carolina state record

North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education licenses daycares in North Carolina.

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 2023
Cited rules
Each cited rule, in the state's own wording
Corrections
Correction dates as the state records them
Search the North Carolina state records

Before you enroll

Choosing infant care in North Carolina

  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.

North Carolina

Cost, inspections and ratios in North Carolina

Daycare cost in North CarolinaWeekly prices by age and countyWhat North Carolina inspectors citeThe rules cited most, and what they meanStaff-to-child ratios in North CarolinaHow many children each adult may care forTour checklist for North CarolinaQuestions to ask when you visit

A to Z

All 419 North Carolina towns with infant daycare, A to Z

A15 towns
B35 towns
C44 towns
D11 towns
E17 towns
F13 towns
G17 towns
H23 towns
I3 towns
J4 towns
K11 towns
L25 towns
M35 towns
N10 towns
O4 towns
P20 towns
R30 towns
S42 towns
T14 towns
V5 towns
W36 towns
Y3 towns
Z2 towns

Nearby

Nearby states

Georgia3,179 take infantsVirginia2,378 take infantsTennessee1,470 take infantsSouth Carolina311 take infants

Questions

Questions about infant daycare in North Carolina

How many daycares that take infants are in North Carolina?

3,301 daycares that take infants are listed in 419 North Carolina towns. A daycare without this tag may still take infants; ask.

Which North Carolina town has the most daycares that take infants?

Charlotte, with 337 listed. Next are Raleigh (186) and Durham (174).

How much does infant daycare cost in North Carolina?

In the middle North Carolina county, full-time infant care at a center cost $181 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. Since October 2023, 33% of visited North Carolina infant programs had one cited. Open a listing to read its visits, and ask the daycare what it changed.

How young a baby do daycares in North Carolina take?

From birth or age 0 on the state record: all 3,236 daycares in North Carolina whose record gives a starting age list it that way. A daycare's own minimum can be older than its license allows, so ask.

Is there newborn daycare in North Carolina?

Yes. 3,236 daycares in North Carolina list ages starting at birth or age 0 on the state record. Ask each one the youngest age it takes now and whether it has an infant opening.

Who licenses daycares in North Carolina?

North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education licenses daycares in North Carolina. It publishes its inspections and the rules it cited, and we copy them onto each listing.