Licensed Preschool in Ontario, CA

Preschool in Ontario

As of August 2026

The average licensed capacity among Ontario's child care providers is 38 children per program, a useful starting point for understanding the scale of care available across the city. Ontario counts 75 licensed providers in total, made up of 48 centers and 27 family child care homes, giving parents a mix of larger group settings and smaller home-based options to choose from. Every one of these providers is licensed by the California Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing Division. CloverMap lets families browse the full, verified list in one place.

What to know about childcare in Ontario

An average licensed capacity of 38 children per provider gives a rough sense of scale across Ontario's child care landscape, though individual programs vary depending on whether they are a center or a family child care home. Of the city's 75 licensed providers, 48 are centers and 27 are family child care homes, a split of roughly 64% centers to 36% homes. Centers, which make up close to two-thirds of the total, typically operate in a dedicated space with multiple staff and can usually accommodate more children at once, which helps explain why the citywide average capacity sits well above what a single-caregiver home setting could hold on its own. A program like Bright Star Montessori Preschool reflects the kind of center-based option that makes up the bulk of Ontario's listings.

For parents, a provider's licensed capacity is one of the more concrete numbers available when comparing options, since it reflects the maximum number of children the state has approved that location to serve. A program near Ontario's 38-child average is generally large enough to separate children into age-based groupings while still being small enough for staff to track each child's day closely. Smaller family child care homes will typically sit well under that figure, while larger centers can run above it, so it is worth checking a specific provider's listed capacity rather than assuming every program matches the citywide average.

Age-group coverage across Ontario's providers is fairly consistent, with preschool-age care the strongest at 56 providers, or 75% of the total. School-age coverage follows at 37 providers, or 49%, while infant and toddler coverage are each reported by 36 providers, or 48%. That means preschool-age families have the deepest set of options in Ontario, while parents searching for infant or toddler placements are working with a somewhat smaller pool and may benefit from starting their search early and contacting several providers at once.

Every provider included in Ontario's listings, whether a large center or a single-caregiver home, holds a license from the California Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing Division. That license confirms the state has reviewed the operation against California's child care licensing standards, but it does not describe the specific daily schedule, activities, or approach any individual program uses. Parents should treat the license as a baseline and follow up directly with each provider to learn how a program actually operates.

Because Ontario's providers skew toward centers and carry a moderate average capacity, families here are likely to encounter a fairly typical mix of mid-sized programs rather than an unusually small or unusually large market. Parents who want a program close to the citywide average capacity of 38 have a wide field of centers to choose from, while those seeking a smaller, more intimate setting can focus on the smaller share of family child care homes. Comparing listed capacities side by side on CloverMap is a practical way to narrow down Ontario's 75 providers to a shortlist that matches a family's preferred group size.