Licensed Daycares in Manhattan Beach, CA

Daycare & Childcare in Manhattan Beach

As of August 2026

Manhattan Beach's 26 licensed providers report the highest average licensed capacity in this data set: a combined 2,319 slots works out to 83 children per site. Centers dominate the roster here, 26 to just 2 family child care homes. Every provider is licensed through the California Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD). CloverMap gives Manhattan Beach families a single, verified place to browse and compare these listings.

What to know about childcare in Manhattan Beach

Manhattan Beach's child care roster is almost entirely center-based: 26 of its 26 licensed providers, 93 percent, are centers, with only 2 family child care homes, 7 percent. That makes Manhattan Beach one of the most center-dominated cities in this data set, meaning families searching here will overwhelmingly encounter facility-based, classroom-style programs.

That center-heavy mix produces a striking result: Manhattan Beach's combined licensed capacity of 2,319 across 28 providers averages out to 83 children per site, the highest average capacity among the cities in this batch. Centers are generally licensed for larger groups than family child care homes, and with centers making up 93 percent of the roster here, the citywide average climbs well above typical levels.

Age coverage in Manhattan Beach leans toward preschool at 79 percent of providers, while infants and toddlers are each served by 29 percent of providers and school-age children by just 7 percent, the narrowest school-age coverage in this data set. Families searching for infant, toddler, or especially school-age care will be working with a notably small subset of the city's 28 providers.

Every Manhattan Beach provider is licensed by the California Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing Division, which regulates child care centers and family child care homes under distinct categories. Centers meet facility- and staffing-based standards designed for larger groups, which fits the scale seen across most of Manhattan Beach's roster.

Given how dominant centers are in Manhattan Beach, families here will primarily be comparing programs like American Martyrs Preschool against one another on factors like capacity and age-band fit, since the city's 2 family child care homes represent a very limited alternative. CloverMap's Manhattan Beach listings let parents compare the full roster by capacity and age coverage. Because Manhattan Beach's roster is so heavily center-based, families here will mostly be comparing classroom-style programs on factors like licensed capacity and age-band fit, particularly since school-age coverage is limited across the city's providers. Families specifically seeking a family child care home have very few options in this city, so reaching out as early as possible in the search process is especially worthwhile. Manhattan Beach families can also ask a shortlisted center directly about staffing and classroom organization relative to its licensed capacity, since the city's unusually high average capacity doesn't by itself describe how a given center groups children day to day. Reaching out early, particularly for school-age care, gives families more time to work through a shorter list of options.