How many licensed daycares are in Columbia?

There are 150 licensed child care providers in Columbia.

What percentage of Columbia daycares have high quality ratings?

2% of Columbia daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 2% statewide in Missouri.

What types of childcare are available in Columbia?

71 center-based, 60 home-based providers operate in Columbia.

How do Columbia daycares score on teaching quality compared to the rest of Missouri?

Columbia daycares average 3.4 out of 5 stars on Childery's Process score (teaching quality, QRIS ratings, and accreditations), compared to a Missouri statewide average of 3.0.

Is there financial help for childcare in Missouri?

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

Childery

Some of the Best Daycares in Columbia, MO

Of Columbia's 150 daycares, 3 (2%) hold a 4 or 5 star rating from Childery, matching Missouri's statewide rate of 2%. Locally, providers average 3.4 stars on Process inputs (state QRIS, NAEYC and other accreditation, federal Head Start CLASS scores) and 3.0 stars on Structural inputs (state regulatory baseline plus provider-level licensing data), compared with Missouri averages of 3.0 on Process and 3.0 on Structural.

The local market includes 71 centers, 2 group child care homes, 58 family child care homes, and 18 license-exempt programs.

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

150

Daycares

4 or 5 Stars

Rating Distribution in Columbia

0(0%)

3(2%)

145(97%)

2(1%)

0(0%)

Mean rating across all displayed daycares in Columbia: 3.0 (Sample of 150).

Process rating across all displayed daycares in Columbia: 3.4 (Sample of 7).

Structural rating across all displayed daycares in Columbia: 3.0 (Sample of 150).

Search daycares in Columbia

Browse by ZIP

Some of the Best Daycares in Columbia

Kindercare Learning Centers Llc

Columbia, MO

★★★★★ 4 Stars

United Cerebral Palsy Heartland

Columbia, MO

★★★★★ 4 Stars

University of Missouri - Child Development Laboratory (CDL)

Columbia, MO

★★★★★ 4 Stars

A Galaxy of Stars Child Care Center, Llc

A World of Discoveries Daycare

Big Steps Early Learning Center

Boys and Girls Club of the Columbia Area - Alpha Hart

Columbia, MO

★★★★★ 3 Stars

Frequently Asked Questions

How many licensed daycares are in Columbia?: There are 150 licensed child care providers in Columbia.
What percentage of Columbia daycares have high quality ratings?: 2% of Columbia daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 2% statewide in Missouri.
What types of childcare are available in Columbia?: 71 center-based, 60 home-based providers operate in Columbia.
How do Columbia daycares score on teaching quality compared to the rest of Missouri?: Columbia daycares average 3.4 out of 5 stars on Childery's Process score (teaching quality, QRIS ratings, and accreditations), compared to a Missouri statewide average of 3.0.
Is there financial help for childcare in Missouri?: Missouri offers childcare subsidies and assistance programs for income-eligible families. See income limits, waitlist status, and how to apply.Childcare subsidies in Missouri