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Preschool & pre-K

Preschools & Pre-K in Ohio

Preschool and pre-K programs across Ohio 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 Ohio county (2022).

preschools and pre-K programs listed
922
towns
358
towns have their own preschools and pre-K page
95
of all Ohio daycares
11%

Map of Ohio: 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 Ohio

Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle Ohio county (2022)
$175
The median of 88 county medians, from $142 in the lowest county to $232 in the highest.

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

Ohio

Largest towns for preschools and pre-K in Ohio

Cincinnati59 preschoolsColumbus33 preschoolsAkron30 preschoolsDayton19 preschoolsCleveland15 preschoolsYoungstown15 preschoolsWarren14 preschoolsCuyahoga Falls11 preschoolsCanton10 preschoolsToledo10 preschoolsWesterville10 preschoolsNewark9 preschools

Programs

Programs in Ohio

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 daycares8,684
Take infants84
Child care centers6,888
Accept subsidy15
In-home daycares1,796
Christian & church daycares446
Montessori schools129
Preschools & pre-K922
Night daycare798
Early morning daycare2,680
Weekend daycare505
Part-time daycare28
Drop-in daycare13
After-school care224
Head Start626

The Ohio state record

Ohio Department of Children and Youth licenses daycares in Ohio.

License list
The state's public list of licensed child care
Ages served
On some licenses only; elsewhere shown where the daycare gives them
Inspections
Every visit the state publishes back to 2023
Cited rules
Each cited rule, in the state's own wording
Search the Ohio state records

Before you enroll

Choosing a preschool or pre-K in Ohio

  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.

Ohio

Cost, inspections and ratios in Ohio

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

A to Z

All 358 Ohio towns with preschools and pre-K, A to Z

A16 towns
B36 towns
C39 towns
D11 towns
E8 towns
F12 towns
G16 towns
H13 towns
I1 town
J2 towns
K4 towns
L25 towns
M34 towns
N27 towns
O11 towns
P18 towns
R9 towns
S32 towns
T7 towns
U4 towns
V2 towns
W26 towns
X1 town
Y2 towns
Z2 towns

Nearby

Nearby states

Indiana2,461 preschoolsKentucky1,682 preschoolsPennsylvania1,317 preschoolsMichigan956 preschoolsWest Virginia57 preschools

Questions

Questions about preschools and pre-K in Ohio

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

922 preschools and pre-K programs are listed in 358 Ohio towns. A daycare without this tag may still run a preschool room; ask.

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

Cincinnati, with 59 listed. Next are Columbus (33) and Akron (30).

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 Ohio?

Ohio Department of Children and Youth licenses daycares in Ohio. It publishes its inspections and the rules it cited, and we copy them onto each listing.