How many licensed daycares are in Chicago?

There are 2,531 licensed child care providers in Chicago.

What percentage of Chicago daycares have high quality ratings?

72% of Chicago daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 80% statewide in Illinois.

What types of childcare are available in Chicago?

781 center-based, 1,581 home-based providers operate in Chicago.

How do Chicago daycares score on teaching quality compared to the rest of Illinois?

Chicago daycares average 3.8 out of 5 stars on Childery's Process score (teaching quality, QRIS ratings, and accreditations), compared to a Illinois statewide average of 3.8.

Is there financial help for childcare in Illinois?

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

Best Daycares in Chicago, IL — Independent Quality Ratings

Of Chicago's 2,531 daycares, 1,815 (72%) hold a 4 or 5 star rating from Childery, below Illinois's statewide rate of 80%. Locally, providers average 3.8 stars on Process inputs (state QRIS, NAEYC and other accreditation, federal Head Start CLASS scores) and 4.4 stars on Structural inputs (state regulatory baseline plus provider-level licensing data), compared with Illinois averages of 3.8 on Process and 4.6 on Structural.

The local market includes 781 centers, 235 group child care homes, and 1,346 family child care homes.

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

2,531

Daycares

1,815

4 or 5 Stars

Rating Distribution in Chicago

1,599(63%)

216(9%)

705(28%)

0(0%)

11(0%)

Mean rating across all displayed daycares in Chicago: 4.3 (Sample of 2,531).

Process rating across all displayed daycares in Chicago: 3.8 (Sample of 328).

Structural rating across all displayed daycares in Chicago: 4.4 (Sample of 2,531).

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Some of the Best Daycares in Chicago

38 Little Angels Daycare Center

Chicago, IL

★★★★★ 5 Stars

5 Peas in a Pod Learning Academy Llc

Chicago, IL

★★★★★ 5 Stars

A-Zmall World Child Development Center

Abc and Me Daycare Llc

Chicago, IL

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Abc Learning Center Inc

Chicago, IL

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Abc Learning Tree Educational Ccc

Abdul-Waarith, Aneesa

Academy for Global Citizenship

Chicago, IL

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Other cities in Illinois

Frequently Asked Questions

How many licensed daycares are in Chicago?: There are 2,531 licensed child care providers in Chicago.
What percentage of Chicago daycares have high quality ratings?: 72% of Chicago daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 80% statewide in Illinois.
What types of childcare are available in Chicago?: 781 center-based, 1,581 home-based providers operate in Chicago.
How do Chicago daycares score on teaching quality compared to the rest of Illinois?: Chicago daycares average 3.8 out of 5 stars on Childery's Process score (teaching quality, QRIS ratings, and accreditations), compared to a Illinois statewide average of 3.8.
Is there financial help for childcare in Illinois?: Illinois offers childcare subsidies and assistance programs for income-eligible families. See income limits, waitlist status, and how to apply.Childcare subsidies in Illinois

Best Daycares in Chicago, IL — Independent Quality Ratings

Rating Distribution in Chicago

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Some of the Best Daycares in Chicago

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Frequently Asked Questions

All 2,531 Daycares in Chicago