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Preschool & pre-K

Preschools & Pre-K in North Carolina

Preschool and pre-K programs across North Carolina take children from about 3 until kindergarten. Full-time preschool-age care at a center costs a median of $123 a week in the middle North Carolina county (2022).

preschools and pre-K programs listed
5,228
towns
513
towns have their own preschools and pre-K page
295
of all North Carolina daycares
80%

Map of North Carolina: 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 North Carolina

Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle North Carolina county (2022)
$123
The median of 99 county medians, from $84 in the lowest county to $199 in the highest.

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

North Carolina

Largest towns for preschools and pre-K in North Carolina

Charlotte442 preschoolsRaleigh266 preschoolsDurham247 preschoolsFayetteville221 preschoolsGreensboro215 preschoolsWinston-Salem134 preschoolsWilmington86 preschoolsCary74 preschoolsConcord69 preschoolsAsheville67 preschoolsChapel Hill57 preschoolsGreenville56 preschools

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 a preschool or pre-K in North Carolina

  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.

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 513 North Carolina towns with preschools and pre-K, A to Z

A20 towns
B43 towns
C54 towns
D12 towns
E22 towns
F16 towns
G22 towns
H32 towns
I3 towns
J6 towns
K12 towns
L30 towns
M42 towns
N11 towns
O5 towns
P28 towns
R35 towns
S54 towns
T14 towns
U1 town
V5 towns
W41 towns
Y3 towns
Z2 towns

Nearby

Nearby states

Georgia4,702 preschoolsVirginia4,133 preschoolsTennessee2,962 preschoolsSouth Carolina338 preschools

Questions

Questions about preschools and pre-K in North Carolina

How many preschools and pre-K programs are in North Carolina?

5,228 preschools and pre-K programs are listed in 513 North Carolina towns. A daycare without this tag may still run a preschool room; ask.

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

Charlotte, with 442 listed. Next are Raleigh (266) and Durham (247).

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 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.