How many licensed daycares are in Fort Smith?

There are 340 licensed child care providers in Fort Smith.

What percentage of Fort Smith daycares have high quality ratings?

9% of Fort Smith daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 12% statewide in Arkansas.

What types of childcare are available in Fort Smith?

41 center-based, 225 home-based providers operate in Fort Smith.

How do Fort Smith daycares score on teaching quality compared to the rest of Arkansas?

Fort Smith daycares average 3.0 out of 5 stars on Childery's Process score (teaching quality, QRIS ratings, and accreditations), compared to a Arkansas statewide average of 3.0.

Is there financial help for childcare in Arkansas?

Arkansas offers childcare subsidies and assistance programs for income-eligible families. See income limits, waitlist status, and how to apply.

Best Daycares in Fort Smith, AR — Independent Quality Ratings

Of Fort Smith's 340 daycares, 29 (9%) hold a 4 or 5 star rating from Childery, below Arkansas's statewide rate of 12%. Locally, providers average 3.0 stars on Process inputs (state QRIS, NAEYC and other accreditation, federal Head Start CLASS scores) and 3.3 stars on Structural inputs (state regulatory baseline plus provider-level licensing data), compared with Arkansas averages of 3.0 on Process and 3.3 on Structural.

The local market includes 41 centers and 225 family child care homes.

Listed alphabetically below are some of the highest-rated providers in Fort Smith. Childery ranks providers using publicly auditable inputs: state QRIS scores, NAEYC-aligned ratios and group sizes, and federal CCDBG training coverage. See the Arkansas methodology page for the full breakdown.

340

Daycares

4 or 5 Stars

Rating Distribution in Fort Smith

18(5%)

11(3%)

309(91%)

2(1%)

0(0%)

Mean rating across all displayed daycares in Fort Smith: 3.1 (Sample of 340).

Process rating across all displayed daycares in Fort Smith: 3.0 (Sample of 37).

Structural rating across all displayed daycares in Fort Smith: 3.3 (Sample of 340).

Search daycares in Fort Smith

Browse by ZIP

Some of the Best Daycares in Fort Smith

Ballman Elementary Preschool

Fort Smith, AR

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Carnall Elementary Preschool

Fort Smith, AR

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Cavanaugh Childrens Center

Fort Smith, AR

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Cavanaugh Elementary Preschool

Fort Smith, AR

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Dallas Street Head Start

Fort Smith, AR

★★★★★ 5 Stars

East Side Preschool Academy

Fairview Elementary Preschool

Fort Smith, AR

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Fort Smith Montessori Preschool

Fort Smith, AR

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Grace Place Preschool of Fort Smith

Howard Elementary Preschool

Fort Smith, AR

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Other cities in Arkansas

Frequently Asked Questions

How many licensed daycares are in Fort Smith?: There are 340 licensed child care providers in Fort Smith.
What percentage of Fort Smith daycares have high quality ratings?: 9% of Fort Smith daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 12% statewide in Arkansas.
What types of childcare are available in Fort Smith?: 41 center-based, 225 home-based providers operate in Fort Smith.
How do Fort Smith daycares score on teaching quality compared to the rest of Arkansas?: Fort Smith daycares average 3.0 out of 5 stars on Childery's Process score (teaching quality, QRIS ratings, and accreditations), compared to a Arkansas statewide average of 3.0.
Is there financial help for childcare in Arkansas?: Arkansas offers childcare subsidies and assistance programs for income-eligible families. See income limits, waitlist status, and how to apply.Childcare subsidies in Arkansas

All 340 Daycares in Fort Smith

Vernon Jennifer

Zamora Ruth