Daycare statistics: Texas and California
The headline numbers on licensed child care centers, from state records: how many there are, how often they’re inspected, how often inspectors find a problem, the rules cited most, what happens with complaints, how many open and close, and what care costs. The figures update daily and can be quoted with a link.
Data through Oct 15, 2026.
Texas
Records from Oct 18, 2021 through Oct 15, 2026, for the 9,611 centers licensed today. Texas keeps five years of records, so “since October 2021” moves forward as the state’s file does.
| Statistic | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed child care centers | 9,611 | |
| Licensed capacity (children) | 1,132,055 | |
| Centers licensed to care for infants | 6,715 (70%) | |
| Centers listed as accepting child care subsidies (the state’s field; not a check of open subsidy slots) | 5,027 (52%) | More → |
| Inspections in the past 12 months | 26,209 | |
| Inspections per center in the past 12 months (average) | 2.73 | |
| Inspections per center in the past 12 months (median) | 2 | |
| Centers licensed a year or more with an inspection in the past 12 months | 100% (8,813 of 8,813) | |
| Inspections in the past 12 months that found no rule broken | 75% | |
| Citations per 100 inspections, past 12 months | 56.2 | |
| Centers cited at least once in the past 12 months, on any visit (inspections and investigations) | 55% | |
| Centers cited at an inspection in the past 12 months | 46% | |
| Centers with a high-risk citation in the past 12 months, on any visit | 2,809 (29%) | More → |
| Centers that account for half of the past 12 months’ high-risk citations | 608 (6.3% of centers) | More → |
| Centers licensed before October 2021 with no citation since then | 376 of 6,187 (6.1%) | |
| Citations since October 2021 corrected during the visit | 12% | |
| Investigations since October 2021 (reports from parents and others, plus incidents centers reported) | 29,081 | More → |
| Investigations of outside reports that found a rule broken | 35% | More → |
| Infant centers cited under the safe sleeping rules since October 2021 | 21% | More → |
| Citations since October 2021 for missing or out-of-date immunization records | 2,499 | More → |
| Licensed child care homes (not included in the figures above) | 1,589 | |
| Registered child care homes (not included) | 1,744 | |
| Listed family homes (not included) | 1,364 |
335 inspections from the past 12 months still had a pending result and are left out of the “no rule broken” share and citations per 100.
Rules cited most in the past 12 months
All visits, including complaint and incident investigations; Texas rules are in Title 26 of the Texas Administrative Code (26 TAC).
| Rule | What it covers | Citations | Centers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 TAC §746.1205 | Supervision: caregivers keep track of each child | 1,238 | 926 |
| 26 TAC §746.3407 | Building, grounds and equipment safe, clean and in good repair | 796 | 591 |
| 26 TAC §746.2805 | Prohibited punishments (such as grabbing, yelling or harsh discipline) | 643 | 478 |
| 26 TAC §746.901 | Personnel records | 611 | 472 |
| 26 TAC §746.603 | Children’s records | 560 | 475 |
| 26 TAC §746.5101 | Annual fire inspection | 555 | 500 |
| 26 TAC §746.1301 | Training required for employees, caregivers and directors | 495 | 359 |
| 26 TAC §746.1201 | Caregiver responsibilities: competence, good judgment and self-control | 490 | 421 |
| 26 TAC §746.3701 | Areas free from hazards | 469 | 396 |
| 26 TAC §746.1315 | Pediatric first aid and CPR training | 466 | 380 |
Selected safety rules, past 12 months
All visits, including investigations.
| Rule | Citations | Centers |
|---|---|---|
| Supervision (26 TAC §746.1205) | 1,238 | 926 |
| Prohibited punishments, such as grabbing, yelling or corporal punishment (26 TAC §746.2805) | 643 | 478 |
| Child-to-caregiver ratios and group sizes (26 TAC §746.1601–746.1615) | 513 | 390 |
| Background checks (26 TAC §745.601–745.691) | 573 | 504 |
New centers and prices
| Statistic | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Centers licensed in the past 12 months and still open | 798 (licensed for 77,988 children) | |
| Median price of full-day infant care (under 12 months) at a licensed center (2026 Texas Child Care Market Rate Survey) | $45.00 a day (about $11,700 a year) | More → |
| Median price of full-day care for a 3-year-old at a licensed center (2026 Texas Child Care Market Rate Survey) | $41.00 a day (about $10,660 a year) | More → |
| Change in the infant median since the 2025 survey | +7.7% (from $41.80 a day) | More → |
Texas removes a center from its data when it closes, so the state’s file can’t show closures or a net change. This counts centers whose permit date and first state record both fall in the past 12 months. A change of owner ends a Texas permit (26 TAC §745.439), so some are existing centers under new owners. Prices are statewide medians from the 2026 Texas Child Care Market Rate Survey, weighted by children served; a year is five days a week for 52 weeks. Texas and California define age groups differently (Texas infants are under 12 months, California’s under 2), so don’t compare their prices.
Inspections by year
For the 6,187 centers licensed before October 2021 and still licensed, so every year compares the same centers. Texas drops closed centers from its data, so a statewide count by year isn’t possible.
| Year | Inspections | Per center | Citations per 100 | High-risk per 100 | Inspections with none |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 14,583 | 2.36 | 83.3 | 15.9 | 66% |
| 2023 | 14,660 | 2.37 | 75.0 | 14.1 | 68% |
| 2024 | 14,507 | 2.34 | 71.4 | 13.0 | 70% |
| 2025 | 14,879 | 2.40 | 64.1 | 11.4 | 72% |
Texas law requires each licensed center to be inspected at least once a year, with at least one visit unannounced; a center with a history of substantial compliance can be moved to an unannounced inspection every two years (Human Resources Code §42.044(b), (b-3)).
California
Records from Feb 8, 2021 through Oct 9, 2026 (the latest report posted), for the 13,290 centers licensed today. Inspections are the state’s routine visits (annual random, annual required, one-year and three-year required); prelicensing, follow-up and case-management visits and complaint investigations aren’t counted as inspections.
| Statistic | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed child care centers | 13,290 | |
| Licensed capacity (children) | 755,024 | |
| Licensed as day care centers (preschool age) | 8,226 | |
| Licensed as infant centers | 1,979 | |
| Single licenses covering several age groups | 1,555 | |
| Licensed as school-age centers | 1,526 | |
| Licensed as mildly ill care centers | 4 | |
| Inspection reports in the past 12 months | 8,577 | |
| Centers licensed three years or more with an inspection in the past three years | 98% (11,391 of 11,614) | |
| Centers licensed a year or more with an inspection in the past 12 months | 66% (8,299 of 12,631) | |
| Inspections in the past 12 months with no citation | 80% | |
| Citations per 100 inspections, past 12 months | 37.2 | |
| Centers cited at least once in the past 12 months, on any visit (inspections and investigations) | 23% | |
| Centers cited at an inspection in the past 12 months | 12% | |
| Centers with a Type A (most serious) citation in the past 12 months, on any visit | 911 (6.9%) | |
| Citations since February 2021 that were Type A | 19% | |
| Centers licensed before February 2021 with no citation since then | 3,496 of 10,237 (34%) | |
| Complaints with a published investigation since February 2021 (unfounded complaints aren’t published) | 9,980 | More → |
| Published complaints with at least one allegation substantiated | 42% | More → |
| Median days from complaint to the state’s first report | 52 | More → |
| Tested centers with a water result above the 5 ppb lead action level (5.5 ppb or more) | 1,898 of 8,555 (22%) | More → |
| Licensed infant centers cited under the infant sleep rules since February 2021 | 22% | More → |
Rules cited most in the past 12 months
All visits, including complaint investigations. 22 CCR is Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations; HSC is the Health and Safety Code.
| Rule | What it covers | Citations | Centers | Type A |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 CCR §101229 | Care and supervision | 675 | 593 | 388 |
| 22 CCR §101223 | Personal rights | 654 | 540 | 257 |
| HSC §1596.8662 | Mandated reporter training | 514 | 509 | 0 |
| 22 CCR §101212 | Reporting requirements | 376 | 338 | 7 |
| 22 CCR §101216 | Staff health screening and personnel requirements | 375 | 347 | 16 |
| 22 CCR §101238 | Buildings and grounds | 344 | 289 | 44 |
| HSC §1596.7995 | Staff immunizations | 326 | 318 | 0 |
| 22 CCR §101226 | Health-related services | 198 | 179 | 23 |
| 22 CCR §101216.3 | Teacher-child ratio | 159 | 142 | 68 |
| 22 CCR §101238.2 | Outdoor activity space | 145 | 127 | 9 |
New centers and closures
| Statistic | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| New center licenses issued in the past 12 months | 695 (licensed for 45,420 children) | |
| Licensed centers that closed in the past 12 months | 1,000 (licensed for 51,492 children) | |
| Net change in center licenses, past 12 months | −305 | |
| Addresses with at least one licensed center | 10,633 (−151 in the past 12 months) | |
| Net change in licensed spaces from openings and closures, past 12 months | −6,072 | |
| Closures with a new license at the same address within six months before or after (a new owner, or a switch to a single license) | 365 of 1,000 |
Openings and closures by year
| Year | New licenses | Closures | Net change in licenses | Net change in addresses | Net change in licensed spaces | Closures with a same-address replacement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 720 | 741 | −21 | −62 | −3,199 | 213 |
| 2023 | 661 | 754 | −93 | −100 | −4,327 | 169 |
| 2024 | 525 | 854 | −329 | −161 | −9,556 | 254 |
| 2025 | 654 | 1,024 | −370 | −151 | −5,622 | 422 |
From the state’s facility file, which keeps closed licenses for five years. A change of owner closes the old license and issues a new one, so it counts as both a closure and a new license. Since 2024 California has been moving centers to a single license for all age groups; combining two or three licenses into one lowers the license count even though the center stays open. The change in addresses with a licensed center and the change in licensed spaces aren’t affected by either, so they’re the better measures of centers opening and closing. 169 applications closed in the past 12 months before a license was issued aren’t counted as closures. Licensed spaces are each license’s capacity, the most children it may care for at once, as last recorded; changes at centers that stayed open aren’t included. These are centers only: family child care homes and transitional kindergarten in public schools aren’t counted.
What care costs
| Statistic | Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time price of infant care (under 2) at a licensed center, per month, 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey | $1,535 a month in 2021 (about $1,940 in August 2026 prices) | More → |
| Median full-time price of preschool care (ages 2 to 4) at a licensed center, per month, 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey | $1,109 a month in 2021 (about $1,400 in August 2026 prices) | More → |
County medians from the 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey (California Department of Social Services), averaged with weights for the number of licensed centers in each county. California hasn’t run a newer survey. The August 2026 figures are our estimate: the 2021 price raised by the 26% rise in the national consumer price index for day care and preschool between the survey (June 18–December 31, 2021) and August 2026.
Inspections by year
Every center in our archive of the state’s reports, including centers that have since closed.
| Year | Inspections | Citations per 100 | Type A per 100 | Inspections with none |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 6,834 | 44.8 | 3.9 | 80% |
| 2023 | 8,707 | 55.7 | 4.2 | 74% |
| 2024 | 8,138 | 52.8 | 4.1 | 75% |
| 2025 | 9,000 | 42.6 | 3.5 | 78% |
California must inspect each licensed center at least once every three years. Each year it must also make unannounced inspections of at least 30% of centers, chosen at random, and of every center on probation, under a compliance plan that requires it, or facing a pending accusation (Health and Safety Code §1597.09).
Reports behind these numbers
Common questions
How many daycares are there in Texas?
Texas has 9,611 licensed child care centers, licensed for 1,132,055 children, as of Oct 15, 2026. 70% are licensed to care for infants. Texas also has 1,589 licensed child care homes, 1,744 registered homes and 1,364 listed family homes, which aren’t included here.
How many daycares are there in California?
California has 13,290 licensed child care centers, licensed for 755,024 children, as of Oct 9, 2026. Family child care homes are licensed separately and aren’t included.
How often are Texas daycares inspected?
Texas law requires an inspection at least once a year, though a center with a strong record can be moved to every two years. In the past 12 months Texas made 26,209 inspections, an average of 2.7 per licensed center (median 2); 100% (8,813 of 8,813) centers licensed a year or more had at least one. 75% of the inspections found no rule broken.
How often are California daycares inspected?
California’s minimum is once every three years, plus unannounced yearly inspections of at least 30% of centers chosen at random and of centers on probation or under other conditions. 98% of centers licensed three years or more had an inspection in the past three years, and 66% of centers licensed a year or more had one in the past 12 months.
How many Texas daycares have serious violations?
2,809 of Texas’s 9,611 licensed centers (29%) were cited for breaking a high-risk rule in the past 12 months, on an inspection or an investigation. They are concentrated: 608 centers account for half of those citations.
What is the most common daycare violation in Texas?
In the past 12 months, the rule cited most was 26 TAC §746.1205, supervision: caregivers keep track of each child (1,238 citations at 926 centers), counting inspections and investigations.
What is the most common daycare violation in California?
In the past 12 months, the rule cited most was 22 CCR §101229, care and supervision (675 citations at 593 centers), counting inspections and complaint investigations.
How much does daycare cost in Texas?
In the 2026 Texas Child Care Market Rate Survey, the statewide median price of full-day infant care at a licensed center is $45.00 a day, about $11,700 a year, and $41.00 a day for a 3-year-old. The infant median rose 7.7% from $41.80 in the 2025 survey. Prices vary a lot by region; the Texas cost guide has every workforce area.
How much does daycare cost in California?
California’s latest price survey (2021) put the median full-time price at a licensed center at $1,535 a month for infants and $1,109 for preschoolers. Adjusted for price increases since then, that’s about $1,940 and $1,400 a month in August 2026 prices. Prices vary widely by county.
Are daycares closing in California?
More are closing than opening. In the past 12 months California issued 695 new center licenses and 1,000 licensed centers closed. The number of addresses with a licensed center changed by −151 and licensed spaces by −6,072. Some closures are a change of owner or a switch to California’s new single license: 365 had a new license at the same address within six months. More centers closed than opened in every year from 2022 to 2025, counting licenses, addresses or spaces. These figures are for centers only; family child care homes and transitional kindergarten aren’t included.
How many daycare complaints are substantiated in California?
Of 9,980 complaints about centers licensed today with an investigation published since February 2021, 42% had at least one allegation substantiated. California doesn’t publish complaints it finds unfounded, so the share of all complaints is lower.
About these numbers
- They come from the states’ own records: Texas HHS child care operations; Texas HHS inspections and investigations; Texas HHS non-compliance (citations); California Community Care Licensing facility reports; State Water Board lead sampling at child care centers; 2026 Texas Child Care Market Rate Survey; 2021 Regional Market Rate Survey (California). They update daily, except the lead results, which the State Water Board updates monthly, and the price surveys (Texas runs one each year; California’s latest is from 2021).
- They cover licensed child care centers only, not home daycares, and only centers licensed today unless a table says otherwise.
- A citation is a finding that one rule was broken on one visit, not proof that a child was harmed. An inspection with no citation means the inspector found nothing in the areas checked; California’s reports often note that only some areas were evaluated.
- Texas rates risk on five levels, from low to high; California rates citations Type A (an immediate risk to health, safety or personal rights) or Type B (a potential risk). Don’t compare the two states: their rules, scales and inspection schedules differ.
- “Past 12 months” means the 365 days to the latest record. California counts use our archive of the state’s reports, which starts in February 2021 and is thin for 2021.
Citing these numbers: “Daycare Record analysis of Texas and California child care inspection records, Oct 15, 2026,” with a link to this page (https://daycarerecord.com/reports/daycare-statistics/). The figures are free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Download every figure (CSV) · JSON. Questions or a custom cut: contact us.