Skip to content
DaycarePal
Preschool & pre-K

Preschools & Pre-K in Maryland

Preschool and pre-K programs across Maryland take children from about 3 until kindergarten. Full-time preschool-age care at a center costs a median of $175 a week in the middle Maryland county (2022).

preschools and pre-K programs listed
6,083
towns
345
towns have their own preschools and pre-K page
237
of all Maryland daycares
92%

Map of Maryland: 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 Maryland

Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Maryland county (2022)
$175
The median of 24 county medians, from $151 in the lowest county to $336 in the highest.

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

Maryland

Largest towns for preschools and pre-K in Maryland

Baltimore948 preschoolsSilver Spring317 preschoolsFrederick203 preschoolsColumbia155 preschoolsRockville151 preschoolsLaurel136 preschoolsGermantown125 preschoolsWaldorf125 preschoolsGaithersburg124 preschoolsHagerstown103 preschoolsBowie95 preschoolsUpper Marlboro88 preschools

Programs

Programs in Maryland

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 daycares6,602
Take infants4,835
Child care centers2,605
Accept subsidy21
In-home daycares3,997
Christian & church daycares237
Montessori schools74
Preschools & pre-K6,083
Early morning daycare84
Part-time daycare53
Drop-in daycare24
After-school care5,719
Bilingual daycare15
Head Start93

The Maryland state record

Maryland State Department of Education, Office of Child Care licenses daycares in Maryland.

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 Maryland state records

Before you enroll

Choosing a preschool or pre-K in Maryland

  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.

Maryland

Cost, inspections and ratios in Maryland

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

A to Z

All 345 Maryland towns with preschools and pre-K, A to Z

A11 towns
B25 towns
C43 towns
D12 towns
E12 towns
F16 towns
G19 towns
H19 towns
I2 towns
J5 towns
K7 towns
L19 towns
M25 towns
N12 towns
O10 towns
P23 towns
Q2 towns
R16 towns
S32 towns
T7 towns
U4 towns
V2 towns
W22 towns

Nearby

Nearby states

Virginia4,133 preschoolsPennsylvania1,317 preschoolsDelaware1,065 preschoolsDistrict of Columbia347 preschoolsWest Virginia57 preschools

Questions

Questions about preschools and pre-K in Maryland

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

6,083 preschools and pre-K programs are listed in 345 Maryland towns. A daycare without this tag may still run a preschool room; ask.

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

Baltimore, with 948 listed. Next are Silver Spring (317) and Frederick (203).

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 Maryland?

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