How many licensed daycares are in Columbia?

There are 155 licensed child care providers in Columbia.

What percentage of Columbia daycares have high quality ratings?

54% of Columbia daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 47% statewide in Missouri.

What types of childcare are available in Columbia?

72 center-based, 63 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

Best Daycares in Columbia, MO — Independent Quality Ratings

Of Columbia's 155 daycares, 84 (54%) hold a 4 or 5 star rating from Childery, above Missouri's statewide rate of 47%. Locally, providers average 3.4 stars on Process inputs (state QRIS, NAEYC and other accreditation, federal Head Start CLASS scores) and 3.8 stars on Structural inputs (state regulatory baseline plus provider-level licensing data), compared with Missouri averages of 3.0 on Process and 3.5 on Structural.

The local market includes 72 centers, 2 group child care homes, 61 family child care homes, and 19 license-exempt programs, a higher home-based share than Missouri's average of 34%.

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.

155

Daycares

4 or 5 Stars

Rating Distribution in Columbia

56(36%)

28(18%)

56(36%)

11(7%)

4(3%)

Mean rating across all displayed daycares in Columbia: 3.8 (Sample of 155).

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

Structural rating across all displayed daycares in Columbia: 3.8 (Sample of 155).

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Some of the Best Daycares in Columbia

A Galaxy of Stars Child Care Center, Llc

Children's House of Columbia, Inc.

End of the Rainbow Cdc

Columbia, MO

★★★★★ 5 Stars

First Discoveries Home Preschool

Fresh Start Sober Living Programs

Columbia, MO

★★★★★ 5 Stars

Goodwill Columbia Excel Center Daycare

Humpty Dumpty Christian Co-Op Preschool, Inc.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many licensed daycares are in Columbia?: There are 155 licensed child care providers in Columbia.
What percentage of Columbia daycares have high quality ratings?: 54% of Columbia daycares hold 4 or 5 stars on Childery's composite rating, compared to 47% statewide in Missouri.
What types of childcare are available in Columbia?: 72 center-based, 63 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

Rating Distribution in Columbia

Search daycares in Columbia

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Some of the Best Daycares in Columbia

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Frequently Asked Questions

All 155 Daycares in Columbia