Licensed Full-Day Daycare in Cerritos, CA

Full-Day Daycare in Cerritos

As of August 2026

Of the 24 licensed child care providers in Cerritos, 13 are centers and 11 are family child care homes — a far more even split than many nearby cities, with centers making up about 54% of the total. Together these providers report licensed capacity for roughly 1,078 children, an average of 45 per site. Twenty of the 24 providers serve preschool-age children, making Cerritos one of the more preschool-oriented markets in this dataset. CloverMap compiles all 24 of Cerritos's licensed providers into one searchable, verified directory.

What to know about childcare in Cerritos

Cerritos stands out for how evenly its child care market splits between center-based and home-based care: 13 of its 24 licensed providers are centers and 11 are family child care homes, putting centers at about 54% of the total. That near-even balance gives parents genuine choice between the two formats rather than one dominating the local market, as happens in many cities where centers or homes make up the overwhelming majority. That mix gives parents a genuine decision to make rather than a market dominated by one format.

Licensed capacity across Cerritos's 24 providers adds up to about 1,078 children, an average of roughly 45 per site. Because capacity data is reported for all 24 providers in the roster, that average is a full-market figure rather than an estimate drawn from a partial sample, and it sits below the citywide averages seen in more center-dominated markets — a reasonable outcome given how many smaller family child care homes are part of the mix. It's worth noting that licensed capacity describes the maximum a provider is permitted to serve, not necessarily how many open spots exist at any given moment, so contacting a provider directly remains the only way to confirm current availability. Even so, capacity figures give families a useful sense of a program's overall scale before reaching out.

Age coverage in Cerritos leans heavily toward preschool: 20 of the 24 providers serve preschool-age children, well above the 13 providers each that serve infants, toddlers, and school-age kids. That means preschool-age families in Cerritos have the deepest bench of options, while parents seeking infant or toddler placements are working with a smaller, though still meaningful, set of 13 providers each. Coverage numbers like these reflect how many providers report serving each age band, and they typically decline for the youngest age groups, since infant care usually requires a lower staff-to-child ratio and more specialized training than programs for older children. Families with an infant in the mix should plan to start their search earlier than families looking only for preschool or school-age care.

California licenses child care providers through the California Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD). Whether a provider operates as a center or a family child care home, a CCLD license confirms the operator has met the state's requirements for staff-to-child ratios, group sizes, facility safety standards, and program administration required to legally care for children. The licensing process covers areas such as staff background checks, staff-to-child ratios, indoor and outdoor space requirements, and emergency preparedness planning, and it applies whether a provider operates out of a dedicated commercial building or a private home. Choosing a licensed provider over an unlicensed arrangement means a baseline set of state-mandated standards has already been verified before a family ever visits.

Because Cerritos splits nearly evenly between centers and family child care homes, parents here have a genuine choice to make early in their search: a larger center environment or a smaller, home-based setting from a provider like CERRITOS LANE PRESCHOOL. With 20 of 24 providers serving preschool-age children, that age group has the most depth, while families with infants or toddlers will want to reach out directly to the 13 providers serving those ages to confirm current openings.