Licensed Daycares in Sacramento, CA

Daycare & Childcare in Sacramento

As of August 2026

Sacramento's 662 licensed providers split fairly evenly between 343 centers and 319 family child care homes, a near-balanced mix similar to what shows up in Los Angeles. Total licensed capacity comes to 22,710 children, averaging 34 per provider under the California Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing Division's oversight. That balance gives Sacramento parents a genuine choice between center-based and home-based settings rather than one format dominating the roster. CloverMap lists all 662 verified Sacramento providers for side-by-side comparison.

What to know about childcare in Sacramento

Sacramento's roster of 662 providers includes 343 centers and 319 family child care homes — centers hold a slight edge at about 52% of the total. Centers typically run from a dedicated facility with multiple staff and classrooms organized by age; family child care homes operate out of a provider's residence, usually serving a smaller group across a wider age mix. With the split this close, Sacramento parents aren't pushed toward either format by sheer availability — the decision comes down to what setting suits the family.

Combined licensed capacity across Sacramento providers is 22,710 slots, averaging about 34 per provider. That average reflects a mix of smaller home-based capacities and larger center capacities blending together; a single provider's actual licensed size can vary well above or below that citywide figure, so it's worth confirming directly.

Age coverage: 380 providers report serving infants, 380 report toddlers, 542 report preschool-age children, and 362 report school-age children. Preschool is the most broadly covered age group at about 82% of the roster. Infant and toddler coverage comes in at 57%, and school-age coverage at 55% — both meaningful shares, giving Sacramento families reasonable odds of finding coverage across the full 0-to-12 age range in a single search.

Every provider on this list is licensed by the California Department of Social Services' Community Care Licensing Division, which sets distinct standards for centers and family child care homes covering ratios, safety practices, and the facility itself. A license on file means the state reviewed the operator against those standards before children could be enrolled; it doesn't reflect day-to-day quality on its own.

With centers and family child care homes represented in nearly equal numbers, Sacramento families can approach their search by first deciding on a format — a center like ABRAHAM LINCOLN PRESCHOOL for a structured multi-classroom setting, or a family child care home for something smaller and closer to home — and then narrowing by the age of the child. That two-step approach is the fastest way through 662 listings.

Sacramento parents can use the near-even 52/48 center-to-home split as a starting filter, then narrow further by age group given how evenly infant, toddler, preschool, and school-age coverage runs across the roster. Because this listing reflects licensing status rather than day-to-day quality or availability, a shortlist built from format and age filters is best confirmed with a phone call to each provider — asking about current openings, daily schedule, and staff experience with a child's specific needs rounds out what the roster alone can't show. Sacramento's 662 providers make that kind of two-step narrowing considerably more manageable than browsing the full list at once.