How to choose a daycare
Choosing a daycare comes down to a few things you can check for yourself: whether the center follows the state’s safety rules, how its staff care for children, and whether it fits your family. Here is how to check each one, the 30 questions to ask, the red flags to watch for, and a checklist to take on your tours.
Updated Oct 2, 2026. Numbers come from state inspection records and update daily.
How to choose a daycare in 7 steps
Decide what you need
List your must-haves: your child’s age, the days and hours you need, a location near home or work, and your budget. Decide whether you want a center or a family child care home (care in the provider’s home, usually with fewer children). Infant spots fill up first in many areas, so start looking several months before you need care. See typical prices in Texas and California.
Make a shortlist of licensed programs
Ask friends and neighbors, call your local child care resource and referral agency, or use your state’s search tool (childcare.gov lists every state’s). Confirm each program is licensed and by which agency. Some programs, such as certain school-run or part-day programs, are exempt from licensing in some states and are not inspected the same way.
Read each center’s inspection record
States inspect licensed centers and record every rule broken. This is the most objective information you will get about a center, and the step most parents skip. How to read a record is below; for Texas and California centers, search the center on Daycare Record.
Check the staff-to-child ratio
Fewer children per adult means closer supervision. Compare what the center tells you with your state’s rule and the ratios pediatric experts recommend (table below), and ask how the room is staffed at opening, nap time and closing.
Tour, then drop in unannounced
A scheduled tour shows the center at its best. Then come back without calling ahead at drop-off, lunch or pickup. Texas and California give parents the right to visit a licensed center during operating hours without notice. What to look for.
Ask the director the hard questions
Bring the 30 questions below. Good directors answer plainly, show you their latest inspection report, and can explain what changed after any citation.
Check references and read the contract
Talk to current parents, ideally ones you find yourself. Read the parent handbook and contract before you sign: tuition and fees, sick-day and vacation rules, discipline, and how much notice you must give to leave. Then keep checking: inspection records update, and you will learn a lot at daily drop-off and pickup.
How to read a daycare’s inspection record
Every state licenses child care centers, inspects them and investigates complaints. How often varies: Texas must inspect every licensed center at least once a year; California inspects each center at least once every three years, plus a random 30% of centers each year. When an inspector finds a rule broken, the state records a citation (also called a deficiency or violation). States rate them by seriousness in different ways: Texas rates every rule from High to Low risk; California calls its most serious citations Type A and the rest Type B. Compare centers within one state, not across states.
Look closer at:
- Serious citations in the last 12 months (Texas high-risk, California Type A).
- The same rule cited again and again: it means the problem was not fixed.
- Citations for supervision, staff ratios, background checks, discipline, or abuse and neglect.
- Substantiated complaints: the state confirmed what a parent or staff member reported.
- Enforcement actions: a license on probation, a corrective action plan, or conditions on the permit.
- Many citations for the number of inspections. Daycare Record’s score compares each center’s citations per inspection, weighted by seriousness, with every center in its state.
Usually less worrying: a single paperwork citation, a problem fixed on the spot, or an old citation followed by clean inspections (statewide, 12% of Texas citations were corrected during the inspection itself). Whatever you find, ask the director what happened and what changed. A center that answers openly is a good sign.
From the state records on Daycare Record
- In Texas, 29% of licensed centers got at least one high-risk citation in the past 12 months, and supervision accounts for 24% of all high-risk citations. See the county-by-county report.
- California substantiated 41% of the 10,536 complaints it investigated at licensed centers since February 2021. See the complaints report.
- A clean record is common: about 34% of California centers with enough inspections to compare have no citations at all since February 2021, and 12% of Texas centers have none since October 2021.
Find a Texas or California center’s full record:
Other states: childcare.gov’s state pages link to each state’s licensing and inspection lookup. Guides for checking a Texas daycare and looking up a California license.
What staff-to-child ratio to look for
State rules set the minimum number of adults for each group of children. The ratios recommended by Caring for Our Children, the national health and safety standards from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association, are tighter, especially for babies.
| Age | Recommended | Texas rule | California rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infants (under 12 months) | 1 : 3 (groups of 6) | 1 : 4 (0–11 months; groups of 10) | 1 : 4 (under 2 years) |
| Toddlers (1 to 3 years) | 1 : 4 (groups of 8) | 1 : 5 at 12–17 months, 1 : 9 at 18–23 months, 1 : 11 at 2 years | 1 : 6 in a toddler program (18–30 months) |
| 3-year-olds | 1 : 7 (groups of 14) | 1 : 15 (groups of 30) | 1 : 12 |
| 4- and 5-year-olds | 1 : 8 (groups of 16) | 1 : 18 at 4, 1 : 22 at 5 (groups of 35) | 1 : 12 |
| School age (6–8 years) | 1 : 10 (groups of 20) | 1 : 26 (groups of 35) | 1 : 14 |
Recommended: Caring for Our Children, via childcare.gov. Texas: 26 TAC §746.1601 and §746.1609 (see Texas ratios). California: 22 CCR §101416.5, §101216.4, §101216.3 and §101516.5; aides can raise these numbers (see California ratios).
Ratios slip most at opening, nap time and closing, when fewer staff are on shift. Texas inspectors have cited the basic ratio rule 1,504 times at 1,040 centers since October 2021. California has cited centers for its ratio rules 1,095 times since February 2021. Count the adults and children yourself when you visit.
What to look for on a daycare tour
- Teachers are on the floor with the children, talking with them at eye level, not on their phones.
- You can count the adults and children in your child’s future room, and the numbers match what the director told you.
- Children seem busy and calm, and a crying child is comforted quickly.
- Babies sleep on their backs in a crib or play yard with nothing else in it: no blankets, pillows, bumpers or toys (Safe to Sleep).
- Diapering, food and handwashing areas are clean and separate, and staff wash their hands.
- The entrance is locked or watched, and every child is signed in and out.
- The outdoor play area is fenced, with soft surfacing under climbing equipment.
- Cleaning supplies and medicines are out of reach, and outlets are covered.
- The state license, emergency plan and daily schedule are posted.
- There are books and toys children can reach, room to run, and a quiet corner.
Drop in unannounced. In Texas, centers must let parents visit any time during operating hours to observe their child without prior approval (26 TAC §746.201, Minimum Standards for Child-Care Centers). In California, parents may enter and inspect the center without advance notice during its normal hours (Health and Safety Code §1596.857). Ask about the rule in your state, and be wary of a center that discourages visits.
30 questions to ask a daycare
Ask them on the tour or by phone. You do not need all of them; the first group is the one most parents forget.
Licensing and inspections
- Are you licensed, and what is your license number?
- When was your last state inspection, and can I see the report?
- Were you cited for anything in the past year? What changed afterward?
- Have any complaints about the center been substantiated?
- Is your license on probation, or are you on a corrective action plan?
Staff
- How many children and adults will be in my child’s room, including at opening, nap time and closing?
- What is the maximum group size in that room?
- How long have my child’s teachers worked here, and how many teachers left in the past year?
- What training do teachers have? Are they all certified in pediatric CPR and first aid?
- Is every staff member and volunteer background-checked, including fingerprints?
- Who covers the room when a teacher is out?
Health and safety
- How do you check who picks up my child?
- Where and how do babies sleep?
- When does a sick child have to stay home?
- How do you store and give medication?
- How do you handle food allergies?
- What is your emergency and evacuation plan, and how often do you practice it?
- Has your drinking water been tested for lead?
- How do you handle biting, hitting and other behavior problems?
- How and when will you tell me about an injury or incident?
A typical day
- What does a typical day look like for my child’s age group?
- How much time do children spend outside and in active play?
- Do children use screens here? How much?
- How do you handle naps, feeding and potty training, and can you follow our routine at home?
- How will you tell me about my child’s day?
Costs and policies
- What is the tuition, and what other fees are there?
- Do we pay for days when my child is sick, we are on vacation, or you are closed?
- What are your hours and holidays, and what happens if I am late for pickup?
- Do you accept child care subsidies?
- Can I visit any time without calling ahead?
Red flags
- The director will not show you the license or the latest inspection report.
- The center discourages unannounced visits.
- More children per adult than your state allows, or a room that feels out of control.
- Repeated serious citations, especially for supervision, discipline, background checks or ratios.
- A substantiated complaint or a license on probation that the director cannot explain.
- High staff turnover, or teachers who do not know the children’s names.
- Babies sleeping on their stomachs, in car seats or swings, or with blankets and toys.
- An unlocked entrance, no sign-in, or children left alone.
- Vague or harsh answers about discipline.
Daycare checklist
Daycare checklist · daycarerecord.com/how-to-choose-a-daycare/
Center: ________________________________ Date visited: ____________
Before you visit
- Confirm the center is licensed and note its license number.
- Read its inspection record: serious citations in the last 12 months, repeated citations, complaints.
- Write down anything to ask about.
- Check typical prices for your area and age group.
- Ask about openings or the waiting list for your child’s age.
On the tour
- Count the children and adults in your child’s room.
- Teachers are on the floor and engaged with the children.
- Babies sleep on their backs in empty cribs.
- Clean diapering, eating and handwashing areas.
- Locked or watched entrance; children signed in and out.
- Safe, fenced outdoor play area.
- License and emergency plan posted.
- Children seem calm and busy, and upset children are comforted.
Ask the director
- Last inspection: can I see the report? What changed after any citation?
- Children and adults in my child’s room at opening, nap time and closing.
- Teacher training, CPR and first aid, and background checks.
- Pickup checks, safe sleep, illness and medication policies.
- Discipline and how incidents are reported to parents.
- Tuition, fees, sick days, holidays and late pickup.
- Can I visit any time without calling ahead?
Before you sign
- Visit again unannounced at drop-off or pickup.
- Talk to current parents.
- Read the handbook and contract: fees, sick days, discipline, notice to leave.
- Trust your instincts.
Common questions
What should I look for when choosing a daycare?
A license in good standing and a clean or improving inspection record; enough adults for the number of children; teachers who are warm, engaged and stay; a safe, clean space; clear policies; and a director who answers questions openly and lets you visit at any time.
What questions should I ask on a daycare tour?
Start with the ones parents forget: when the center was last inspected and whether it was cited, how many children and adults are in your child’s room at opening, nap time and closing, how long the teachers have worked there, how staff are background-checked, and whether you can visit without calling ahead.
How do I check a daycare’s violations?
Look up the center’s state inspection record. For Texas and California, search the center on Daycare Record to see every citation and how it compares with others in the state. For other states, childcare.gov links to each state’s licensing and inspection lookup.
What is a good staff-to-child ratio for infants?
Caring for Our Children, the national standards from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Public Health Association, recommends one adult for every 3 infants, in groups of no more than 6. Texas and California both allow one adult for every 4 infants.
Can I visit my child’s daycare unannounced?
In Texas and California, yes: licensed centers must let parents visit during operating hours without notice. In other states, ask the licensing agency or the director. A center that discourages drop-in visits is a red flag.
How early should I start looking for daycare?
Several months before you need care. Infant spots are the hardest to find in many areas, so many families start looking during pregnancy and join waiting lists.
Is a daycare center or a home daycare better?
Neither is better by default. Centers usually have more staff and backup when a teacher is out; family child care homes usually have smaller, mixed-age groups. Either way, check that the program is licensed and read its inspection record. Daycare Record covers licensed centers.
Sources: Caring for Our Children recommended ratios (childcare.gov); childcare.gov, Simple Steps for Finding and Choosing Child Care; Texas 26 TAC §746.201 and §746.1601–746.1609 (Minimum Standards); California Health and Safety Code §1596.857; California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 12; Safe to Sleep (NICHD); Texas Health and Human Services and California Department of Social Services inspection records.