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Preschool & pre-K

Preschools & Pre-K in Kentucky

Preschool and pre-K programs across Kentucky take children from about 3 until kindergarten. Full-time preschool-age care at a center costs a median of $120 a week in the middle Kentucky county (2022).

preschools and pre-K programs listed
1,682
towns
266
towns have their own preschools and pre-K page
122
of all Kentucky daycares
69%

Map of Kentucky: each dot is a town with preschools and pre-K programs, sized by how many are listed

Preschool & pre-K
What puts a daycare on this listThe state record lists preschool-age children among the ages it serves or names a state pre-K program, or it says it offers pre-K, or its name says preschool, pre-K or nursery school. Public school pre-K classes are often not on child care license lists; check with your school district too.A daycare without this tag may still run a preschool room; ask.

Preschool and pre-K

What preschool costs in Kentucky

Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Kentucky county (2022)
$120
The median of 120 county medians, from $83 in the lowest county to $189 in the highest.
of preschool websites mention part-time or half-day places
20%
Of the 414 websites we read for preschools in Kentucky, 20% mention part-time places and 21% mention full-time care. Ask which days and hours a place covers.

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

Kentucky

Largest towns for preschools and pre-K in Kentucky

Louisville384 preschoolsLexington132 preschoolsBowling Green38 preschoolsOwensboro31 preschoolsPaducah31 preschoolsFrankfort26 preschoolsFlorence23 preschoolsElizabethtown20 preschoolsRichmond20 preschoolsGeorgetown19 preschoolsCovington18 preschoolsHopkinsville18 preschools

Programs

Programs in Kentucky

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 daycares2,445
Take infants1,085
Child care centers2,241
Accept subsidy1,644
In-home daycares204
Christian & church daycares225
Montessori schools56
Preschools & pre-K1,682
Early morning daycare393
Part-time daycare88
Drop-in daycare12
After-school care1,309
Bilingual daycare10
Head Start278

The Kentucky state record

Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services licenses daycares in Kentucky.

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
Search the Kentucky state records

Before you enroll

Choosing a preschool or pre-K in Kentucky

  1. 1

    Ask about the day

    Ask how the day runs: free play, circle time, outdoor time and naps. Ask what children do to get ready for kindergarten.

  2. 2

    Half day or full day

    Many preschools run half days or school-year hours. If you work full time, ask about before- and after-care.

  3. 3

    Ask about cost

    Ask for the tuition, the registration fee and whether the state's pre-K or child care assistance can pay part of it.

  4. 4

    Check the license record

    Open a listing for its state license, the ages it serves and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record.

Kentucky

Cost, inspections and ratios in Kentucky

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

A to Z

All 266 Kentucky towns with preschools and pre-K, A to Z

A8 towns
B26 towns
C33 towns
D7 towns
E12 towns
F12 towns
G11 towns
H20 towns
I2 towns
J5 towns
K1 town
L22 towns
M19 towns
N6 towns
O5 towns
P16 towns
R9 towns
S23 towns
T6 towns
U3 towns
V4 towns
W15 towns
Y1 town

Nearby

Nearby states

Illinois8,381 preschoolsVirginia4,133 preschoolsTennessee2,962 preschoolsIndiana2,461 preschoolsMissouri2,217 preschoolsOhio922 preschoolsWest Virginia57 preschools

Questions

Questions about preschools and pre-K in Kentucky

How many preschools and pre-K programs are in Kentucky?

1,682 preschools and pre-K programs are listed in 266 Kentucky towns. A daycare without this tag may still run a preschool room; ask.

Which Kentucky town has the most preschools and pre-K programs?

Louisville, with 384 listed. Next are Lexington (132) and Bowling Green (38).

What is the difference between preschool and pre-K?

Pre-K is the year before kindergarten, usually for 4-year-olds, and many states fund free or low-cost pre-K. Preschool is the wider term for programs for children of about 3 to 5. Many daycares run both, and this list has both.

Is there free preschool near me?

Head Start is free for children 3 to 5 from families who qualify, and many school districts run free pre-K classes. School-district pre-K is often not on child care license lists, so check with your school district too.

What age is pre-K?

Pre-K is usually for children who turn 4 by a cutoff date in late summer or early fall, the year before kindergarten. Each state sets its own cutoff.

What is the difference between preschool and daycare?

A preschool teaches children of about 3 to 5 before kindergarten, often for part of the day. A daycare looks after children while parents work, often all day, and many daycares run a preschool room. This list has both: places whose state record serves preschool-age children, that offer pre-K on their own website, or that are named a preschool.

Who licenses daycares in Kentucky?

Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services licenses daycares in Kentucky. It publishes its inspections and the rules it cited, and we copy them onto each listing.