Daycare and child care in Massachusetts
Every licensed program in the state, 8,886 programs in 311 towns, with each one’s licensed capacity by age and whether it takes the state’s financial assistance. 1,306 centers are licensed for infants.
- Licensed programs
- 8,886
- 3,012 centers · 5,874 home-based
- Centers licensed for infants
- 1,306
- Homes may take babies too
- Children under 5
- 349,100
- Census estimate, 2020–2024
- Children under 5 per spot
- 1.7
- Statewide; each town shows its own
Towns to know
From the state’s records as of Oct 27, 2026 and the Census (2020–2024). Spot figures cover towns with 3+ programs.
Child care in Massachusetts, by the numbers
What care costs
The state’s own median monthly prices at centers, from its tuition table (Aug 1, 2026). At family child care homes: infant $1,299, toddler $1,210, preschool $1,096. Massachusetts doesn’t publish single programs’ prices.
Prices by regionHelp paying
Families with income at or below 85% of the state median income may qualify for Child Care Financial Assistance, which helps pay for child care. The state lists 6,431 programs that can take it.
Rules from Jan 1, 2026. The state’s chart gives the dollar limit for each family size.
Income limits and how to applyRoom for young children, by county
Children under 5 (Census estimate, 2020–2024) for every licensed spot at programs that take them. Massachusetts overall: 1.7. A higher number means fewer spots for each child.
How to find child care in Massachusetts
- 01Search by town and age
Start with the search above. It has every licensed program in Massachusetts, with each one’s licensed capacity by age and whether it takes the state’s financial assistance.
- 02Call five or six programs
Massachusetts doesn’t publish openings or programs’ prices, so ask each program what’s open for your child’s age, what it costs and whether there’s a fee to join the waitlist.
- 03Check the state’s records
Massachusetts doesn’t publish inspection visits as open data, so ask each program about its most recent licensing visit.
- 04See if you qualify for help
Child Care Financial Assistance: families with income at or below 85% of the state median income may qualify.
Questions about child care in Massachusetts
How many licensed child care programs are in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts has 8,886 licensed child care programs in 311 towns: 3,012 centers and 5,874 family child care homes, as of Oct 27, 2026. 1,306 centers are licensed for infants. Family child care homes may take babies too, but the state doesn’t list their ages.
How much does daycare cost in Massachusetts?
The state’s own figures (its tuition table, Aug 1, 2026) put the typical price at centers at about $2,477 a month for an infant, $2,250 for a toddler, $1,645 for a preschooler, and at family child care homes about $1,299 a month for an infant, $1,210 for a toddler, $1,096 for a preschooler. These are medians across the state; prices vary by region, and each program sets its own.
Do daycares in Massachusetts have openings?
Massachusetts doesn’t publish which programs have openings, so the only way to know is to call. Ask what’s open for your child’s age and how the waitlist works. There are about 1.7 children under 5 for every licensed spot in Massachusetts (Census, 2020–2024), so waitlists are common, especially for babies.
Where is child care hardest to find in Massachusetts?
Counting licensed spots, it’s tightest around West Brookfield, Oakham and Spencer, with 4.4, 3.7 and 3.2 children under 5 for every licensed spot within 10 miles, against 1.7 across Massachusetts. There’s the most room around Lee (0.7) and Needham (0.8). These compare Census estimates of young children (2020–2024) with the spots programs are licensed for; they don’t measure waitlists.
Is there help paying for child care in Massachusetts?
Yes. Child Care Financial Assistance helps families pay for child care. Families with income at or below 85% of the state median income may qualify (rules from Jan 1, 2026). The state lists 6,431 programs that can take it.
How do I check a daycare’s inspection record in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts doesn’t publish programs’ inspection visits as open data, so they aren’t on this site. Ask each program about its most recent licensing visit, or look it up on the state’s Child Care Search at childcare.mass.gov.
Who can help me find child care in Massachusetts?
Your regional Child Care Resource and Referral agency offers free help finding care; the state’s website lists the agency for each town. You can also search every licensed program here by town and age.
Browse by town
Barnstable County
Berkshire County
- Adams 14
- Becket 1
- Cheshire 9
- Clarksburg 2
- Dalton 15
- Great Barrington 4
- Hinsdale 3
- Lanesborough 6
- Lee 5
- Lenox 2
- North Adams 15
- Pittsfield 58
- Sheffield 5
- Stockbridge 2
- Williamstown 4
- Windsor 1
Bristol County
Dukes County
Essex County
- Amesbury 14
- Andover 33
- Beverly 39
- Boxford 7
- Danvers 27
- Essex 2
- Georgetown 6
- Gloucester 23
- Groveland 4
- Hamilton 6
- Haverhill 151
- Ipswich 11
- Lawrence 502
- Lynn 257
- Lynnfield 6
- Manchester-by-the-Sea 4
- Marblehead 20
- Merrimac 4
- Methuen 151
- Middleton 4
- Nahant 2
- Newbury 4
- Newburyport 12
- North Andover 21
- Peabody 90
- Rockport 1
- Rowley 7
- Salem 57
- Salisbury 5
- Saugus 31
- Swampscott 16
- Topsfield 5
- Wenham 1
- West Newbury 4
Franklin County
- Ashfield 1
- Charlemont 1
- Colrain 1
- Conway 3
- Deerfield 8
- Erving 2
- Gill 3
- Greenfield 15
- Leverett 4
- Montague 9
- Northfield 1
- Orange 7
- Shelburne 3
- Shutesbury 1
- Sunderland 1
- Wendell 1
Hampden County
- Agawam 30
- Blandford 2
- Brimfield 1
- Chester 1
- Chicopee 90
- East Longmeadow 17
- Hampden 6
- Holland 4
- Holyoke 60
- Longmeadow 12
- Ludlow 17
- Monson 3
- Palmer 9
- Southwick 6
- Springfield 475
- Wales 1
- West Springfield 33
- Westfield 44
- Wilbraham 14
Hampshire County
- Amherst 16
- Belchertown 17
- Chesterfield 2
- Cummington 1
- Easthampton 14
- Goshen 1
- Granby 6
- Hadley 4
- Hatfield 2
- Huntington 1
- Northampton 26
- Pelham 1
- South Hadley 17
- Southampton 7
- Ware 10
Middlesex County
- Acton 18
- Arlington 46
- Ashby 3
- Ashland 26
- Ayer 7
- Bedford 11
- Belmont 37
- Billerica 43
- Boxborough 3
- Burlington 28
- Cambridge 100
- Carlisle 3
- Chelmsford 30
- Concord 13
- Dracut 45
- Dunstable 2
- Everett 133
- Framingham 121
- Groton 6
- Holliston 15
- Hopkinton 18
- Hudson 28
- Lexington 35
- Lincoln 10
- Littleton 5
- Lowell 277
- Malden 101
- Marlborough 68
- Maynard 9
- Medford 54
- Melrose 22
- Natick 44
- Newton 95
- North Reading 17
- Pepperell 7
- Reading 20
- Sherborn 4
- Shirley 6
- Somerville 53
- Stoneham 19
- Stow 4
- Sudbury 27
- Tewksbury 37
- Townsend 10
- Tyngsborough 12
- Wakefield 22
- Waltham 42
- Watertown 41
- Wayland 14
- Westford 30
- Weston 12
- Wilmington 13
- Winchester 22
- Woburn 62
Nantucket County
- Nantucket 16
Norfolk County
Plymouth County
- Abington 18
- Bridgewater 10
- Brockton 150
- Carver 9
- Duxbury 8
- East Bridgewater 15
- Halifax 6
- Hanover 14
- Hanson 9
- Hingham 17
- Hull 2
- Kingston 13
- Lakeville 9
- Marion 5
- Marshfield 18
- Mattapoisett 5
- Middleborough 19
- Norwell 14
- Pembroke 11
- Plymouth 42
- Plympton 6
- Rochester 6
- Rockland 10
- Scituate 16
- Wareham 9
- West Bridgewater 10
- Whitman 14
Worcester County
- Ashburnham 8
- Athol 17
- Auburn 23
- Barre 6
- Berlin 2
- Blackstone 9
- Boylston 2
- Brookfield 1
- Charlton 16
- Clinton 24
- Douglas 4
- Dudley 20
- East Brookfield 3
- Fitchburg 116
- Gardner 34
- Grafton 15
- Hardwick 1
- Harvard 8
- Holden 19
- Hopedale 3
- Hubbardston 5
- Lancaster 4
- Leicester 10
- Leominster 78
- Lunenburg 10
- Mendon 6
- Milford 36
- Millbury 9
- Millville 3
- North Brookfield 2
- Northborough 12
- Northbridge 15
- Oakham 3
- Oxford 18
- Paxton 8
- Petersham 3
- Phillipston 1
- Princeton 1
- Royalston 1
- Rutland 11
- Shrewsbury 34
- Southborough 5
- Southbridge 26
- Spencer 10
- Sterling 9
- Sturbridge 13
- Sutton 6
- Templeton 10
- Upton 9
- Uxbridge 16
- Webster 17
- West Boylston 14
- West Brookfield 4
- Westborough 13
- Westminster 10
- Winchendon 10
- Worcester 408
From the state’s list of licensed child care programs (Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, on the state’s Education-to-Career data hub), retrieved Oct 27, 2026. The state updates its list once a month. It gives each program’s licensed capacity, not its openings or prices. Always confirm details with the program.