Licensed Daycares in La Crescenta, CA

Daycare & Childcare in La Crescenta

As of August 2026

Under California's CCLD licensing system, La Crescenta is home to 11 licensed child care providers — a nearly even mix of 11 centers and 10 family child care homes, about 52% center-based. These providers report a combined licensed capacity of roughly 927 children, an average of 44 per site. Sixteen of the 21 providers serve preschool-age children, and 12 each serve infants and toddlers. CloverMap lets La Crescenta parents compare all of these verified, licensed listings in one place.

What to know about childcare in La Crescenta

La Crescenta's 11 licensed providers split nearly evenly between formats: 11 operate as centers and 10 as family child care homes, putting center-based care at about 52% of the total. That near-parity gives families a genuine choice between a larger center setting and a smaller, home-based one. That mix gives parents a genuine decision to make rather than a market dominated by one format. Centers tend to run structured, multi-classroom programs with dedicated staff for each age group, while family child care homes typically offer a smaller group size, more flexible scheduling, and a single consistent caregiver — trade-offs families weigh differently depending on a child's age and temperament.

Combined licensed capacity across La Crescenta's 21 providers totals roughly 927 children, an average of about 44 per site. This figure is based on capacity data reported by all 21 providers, giving families a dependable picture of typical program size in the city. That capacity figure reflects the maximum number of children each provider is licensed to serve at one time — not a guarantee of a current opening — so families should always confirm real-time availability directly with a provider. Still, comparing licensed capacity across providers is a useful first filter for families deciding between a large, multi-classroom program and a smaller, more intimate setting.

Preschool-age children are the best-served group in La Crescenta, with 16 of the 21 providers offering that age range. Infant and toddler care are each available at 12 providers — a strong showing compared to many other cities in this dataset — and school-age care is offered at 11. This kind of age-group breakdown matters because not every licensed provider serves every age range — some specialize in a narrower band, such as preschool only, while others cover infants through school age at a single site. Families juggling children of different ages often find it easier to search for providers that report coverage across multiple groups rather than coordinating separate arrangements.

Child care licensing in La Crescenta, as throughout California, is handled by the California Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD). A CCLD license means a provider, center or family child care home, has met the state's requirements for staffing, group size, and facility conditions. This oversight includes staff background checks, required staff-to-child ratios, facility and safety standards for the physical space, and emergency planning requirements, applied the same way to centers and family child care homes alike. Families comparing providers can treat a valid license as a baseline confirmation of these state requirements, separate from the day-to-day fit of any individual program.

With La Crescenta's near-even split between centers and family child care homes, families here — including those considering a home-based provider like FIRST STEPS — have real flexibility in choosing a setting. Sixteen of 21 providers serve preschool-age children, the largest single group, while the 12 providers each serving infants and toddlers offer strong coverage for younger children too.