How many licensed daycares are in Fort Smith?

There are 272 licensed child care providers in Fort Smith.

What percentage of Fort Smith daycares have high quality ratings?

11% of Fort Smith daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 16% statewide in Arkansas.

What types of childcare are available in Fort Smith?

41 center-based, 198 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.

Childery

Best Daycares in Fort Smith, AR — Independent Quality Ratings

Of Fort Smith's 272 daycares, 29 (11%) hold a 4 or 5 star rating from Childery, below Arkansas's statewide rate of 16%. 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 3.5 on Structural.

The local market includes 41 centers and 198 family child care homes, a higher home-based share than Arkansas's average of 66%.

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.

272

Daycares

4 or 5 Stars

Rating Distribution in Fort Smith

18(7%)

11(4%)

243(89%)

0(0%)

Mean rating across all displayed daycares in Fort Smith: 3.2 (Sample of 272).

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 272).

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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 272 licensed child care providers in Fort Smith.
What percentage of Fort Smith daycares have high quality ratings?: 11% of Fort Smith daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 16% statewide in Arkansas.
What types of childcare are available in Fort Smith?: 41 center-based, 198 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 272 Daycares in Fort Smith

Vernon Jennifer

Zamora Ruth