How to research a location for a daycare.
Licensed child care center for infants, toddlers and preschool children. Daycares draw a mix of walk-in and planned visits, so both the people within a short walk and the traffic on the road count. This guide takes the six questions every location raises, says which public record answers each one for a daycare, and points to the free page that reads it. Nothing here says a spot will work; it says what to measure before you decide.
What matters most for a daycare
- Working parents nearby. Parents choose care near home or on the way to work. The check counts households nearby and the jobs within a short walk of the door.
- Drop-off and pickup. Two rush hours a day need a safe turn-in and short-term parking. The check reads traffic counts for the nearest roads.
- Licensing rules for the space. State licensing usually sets indoor space per child, outdoor play area and other requirements. Confirm with your state’s child care licensing office before you sign.
- Zoning for child care. Many cities allow child care centers only in some zones or with a special permit. The full report looks up the zoning at the parcel.
1. Who is within reach
Daycares draw a mix of walk-in and planned visits, so both the people within a short walk and the traffic on the road count. The Census American Community Survey gives residents, households and household income by ZIP, and the Census LODES data counts jobs by where people work, so a ring around an address shows the weekday crowd. Read both on the ZIP check for a whole ZIP, or on the free daycare location check for one address.
2. How many daycares are already there
Census County Business Patterns counted 45 daycares with paid employees in the United States in 2023, or 0.0 per 10,000 residents. The rate is the number to compare: a metro well above it is crowded, one well below it is either underserved or uninterested, and the ZIP tables show which. See how many daycares are in each state and metro area.
3. What the road carries
State departments of transportation publish annual average daily traffic for the roads they count, collected by the Federal Highway Administration. The count says how many pass, not how many stop; read it next to the parking and the turn-in. The free location check shows the nearest counted road and the year of the count.
4. Whether the rules let you open
Zoning decides whether a daycare is allowed at that parcel; the city reads it from the zoning district, and a change of use can need a hearing. Licensing is what you file before opening day: the entity, the tax accounts, the child care license and the background checks, and the employer registrations. DoorWorthy lists the order for a daycare in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, each item with its agency.
5. Whether the math works
In 2023, 7.7% of health care and social assistance establishments in the United States closed and 10.8% opened, by the Census Business Dynamics Statistics; the IRS reports net income of 36.7% of receipts for social assistance businesses in 2023. Those are the numbers to hold your own forecast against: rent as a share of sales, a bad year built in. See whether a daycare is profitable, by state, and run your own numbers in the calculators.
6. What the records miss
A record describes a year, a ZIP, a road. Walk the block at the hours a daycare would be open, twice, once in bad weather. Count who goes into the nearest competitor. Then read the lease with a lawyer. The research narrows the choice; the walk and the lease decide it.
Before you sign
- Residents and workers within reach, with the year of the count.
- The daycares nearby, named, and the count per 10,000 residents for the area.
- The traffic count on the road and its year.
- Zoning that allows a daycare at this parcel, confirmed with the city.
- Every license and permit the state and city require, in order, with the agency.
- Rent as a share of your sales forecast, against what businesses like yours spend.
- Two visits to the block at your opening hours.