Infant care in Connecticut
2,460 of Connecticut’s 3,144 licensed child care programs take babies under 1: 696 centers and 1,764 family or group child care homes. The state doesn’t publish openings, so calling is the only way to know who has room. Here’s what infant care costs and where the programs are.
Prices are the middle of the full-time prices 1,558 programs list on 211 Child Care for babies under 18 months, the band 211 uses. A program counts as taking infants when its ages start under 12 months. 2 programs list no ages at all; ask them.
Infant care by county
| County | Take infants | Typical a month | Per 1,000 children under 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairfield | 692 | $1,517(410) | 13.4 |
| Hartford | 550 | $1,291(373) | 11.8 |
| Litchfield | 84 | $1,268(42) | 10.2 |
| Middlesex | 88 | $1,235(59) | 13.2 |
| New Haven | 783 | $1,300(488) | 17.8 |
| New London | 127 | $1,083(92) | 9.9 |
| Tolland | 62 | $1,300(44) | 9.8 |
| Windham | 74 | $988(50) | 13.8 |
Prices are the middle value of the listed prices (how many in brackets), shown only when at least 3 programs list one. “Per 1,000 children under 5” is how many programs take infants for every 1,000 children under 5 living in the county (Census estimate for 2020–2024, added up from the county’s towns). It’s a rough measure: programs vary in size, and the state doesn’t publish how many infant spots each one has.
Towns with the most infant programs
- Waterbury235 take infants · about $1,300/month
- Bridgeport175 take infants · about $1,517/month
- New Haven138 take infants · about $1,300/month
- Hartford106 take infants · about $1,213/month
- Danbury103 take infants · about $1,300/month
- Stamford98 take infants · about $1,733/month
- West Haven76 take infants · about $1,300/month
- Norwalk73 take infants · about $1,629/month
- Stratford69 take infants · about $1,441/month
- Hamden52 take infants · about $1,561/month
- Meriden51 take infants · about $1,268/month
- New Britain46 take infants · about $1,300/month
- East Hartford41 take infants · about $1,107/month
- Bristol40 take infants · about $1,040/month
- Enfield34 take infants · about $1,170/month
Why infant spots are hard to find
Babies need the most hands-on care, so state rules require more teachers per child in infant rooms than for any other age. That makes infant rooms small and expensive to run, and many programs don’t offer them at all. Ask each program who gets priority when a spot opens, and keep in touch.
How to get on the right waitlists
- Start early. If you can, join lists during pregnancy.
- Contact several programs. Ask whether they have space or a waitlist for infants, how it works, whether there’s a fee to join, and roughly how long families are waiting right now.
- Tour your top choices, and take notes while it’s fresh.
- Check in every few weeks. A short, friendly note keeps you active on the list.
- When you choose, tell the others, so the next family moves up.
Questions
How many daycares in Connecticut take infants?
2,460 of Connecticut’s 3,144 licensed child care programs take babies under 1 (696 centers and 1,764 family or group child care homes), as of Nov 2, 2026.
How much does infant daycare cost in Connecticut?
Among the 1,558 programs that list a full-time weekly or monthly infant price on 211 Child Care, the typical (middle) price is about $1,300 a month. Home-based programs typically charge less (about $1,300 a month) than centers (about $1,517). These are prices for babies under 18 months, the band 211 uses.
How long are infant daycare waitlists in Connecticut?
Connecticut doesn’t publish openings or waitlist lengths, so the only way to know is to ask each program. Nationally, in a Care.com survey of US parents (November 2024), 55% of those who had been on a daycare waitlist waited four months or more.
When should I get on an infant daycare waitlist?
As early as you can, ideally during pregnancy. Call several programs, ask how their waitlist works and whether there’s a fee, and check in every few weeks.
Need help paying? See the Care 4 Kids income limits.
From Connecticut child care licensing records (Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, on data.ct.gov) and 211 Child Care (United Way of Connecticut), retrieved Nov 2, 2026. Prices, ages and other details come from programs’ listings on 211 Child Care, which programs keep up themselves; neither 211 nor the state verifies them. Always confirm details with the program.