Licensed Daycares in National City, CA

Daycare & Childcare in National City

As of August 2026

National City's licensing roster holds 53 providers -- 34 family child care homes and 19 centers, a 64/36 split favoring homes. Reported capacity totals 1,423 slots, averaging 27 per provider, one of the lower averages in this batch. Age coverage is broad, led by 94% of providers serving preschoolers and 68% serving infants and toddlers each. Licensing runs through California's Community Care Licensing Division. CloverMap lets families browse National City's verified listings directly.

What to know about childcare in National City

National City's roster leans firmly toward home-based care: 34 of its 53 providers are family child care homes, compared with 19 centers, a 64% to 36% split. Parents searching here will more often be comparing smaller, single-caregiver programs run from a residence than large center facilities, though 19 centers remain a real option for those who prefer that structured setting.

Combined licensed capacity across National City's 53 providers totals 1,423 children, averaging roughly 27 slots per provider -- one of the lower per-provider averages in this batch, consistent with a roster where family child care homes, which typically hold fewer children, make up nearly two-thirds of all providers.

Age-group coverage in National City is notably strong: 36 providers report serving infants (68%), 36 report toddlers (68%), 50 report preschoolers (94%), and 34 report school-age children (64%). The 94% preschool figure is among the highest recorded in this batch, and infant and toddler coverage at 68% each is also comparatively strong, suggesting families across every age band have a reasonably wide field to search from.

National City's providers are licensed through California's Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD), a unit of the California Department of Social Services. CCLD applies the same baseline licensing standards -- covering staffing, health and safety, and facility conditions -- to both centers and family child care homes, with ongoing oversight continuing after a license is issued.

Given National City's strong home-based presence and broad age coverage, parents here have a wide field to search regardless of the age of their child or their preferred format. ADVENTURE POINT EARLY LEARNING CENTER is one named center on the roster; CloverMap's listings make it straightforward to compare all 53 National City providers by type, capacity, and ages served.

National City's combination of a low 27-slot average capacity and high age-band coverage across the board describes a roster built from many smaller providers rather than a few large ones -- a pattern that shows up in several of the more home-heavy cities in this batch, and one that tends to widen the total number of choices even when individual capacity runs lower. National City's 64% home-based share is one of the higher home-leaning ratios recorded in this batch, second only to a handful of cities like Paso Robles and Hemet -- worth knowing for a family whose search assumptions are built around a more center-heavy market elsewhere in the region.