Licensed Daycares in Youngstown, OH

Daycare & Childcare in Youngstown

As of July 2026

Ohio's licensing data lists 107 providers in Youngstown, where home-based programs outnumber centers: 62 homes to 39 centers. Of the 107 providers, 33 carry a Google rating, averaging 4.1 stars, and 12 are rated 4.5 stars or higher. Under Ohio's Step Up To Quality system, 46 Youngstown providers hold a Gold, Silver, or Bronze rating — 23 Gold, 2 Silver, and 21 Bronze. CloverMap lists Youngstown's full roster, including verified providers like Bundle of Joy Childcare Center, so parents can compare directly.

What to know about childcare in Youngstown

Youngstown's 107 providers tilt toward home-based care, with 62 homes against 39 centers — roughly 58% homes and 36% centers. That's a clear reversal of the pattern seen in several larger Ohio cities, where centers make up the majority. For Youngstown families, that means a home-based provider is statistically the more common starting point rather than the exception, and a search here should expect to weigh home settings seriously rather than treating them as a fallback. With 39 centers still on the roster, families who specifically want a larger facility have a meaningful, if smaller, pool to choose from as well.

On quality, 46 of Youngstown's 107 providers — 43% — hold a rating under Ohio's Step Up To Quality program, split as 23 Gold, 2 Silver, and 21 Bronze. Google ratings cover a smaller slice: 33 providers have one, averaging 4.1 stars, with 12 rated 4.5 stars or higher. With only 2 Silver-rated providers citywide, that particular medal tier is genuinely rare in Youngstown compared to Gold and Bronze, which are far more evenly matched at 23 and 21.

Every Youngstown provider is licensed through Ohio's Department of Children and Youth (DCY), which sets the statewide baseline for staffing, health and safety, and operating standards for both centers and family child care homes. Step Up To Quality is a separate, voluntary rating layered on top of that DCY license, and in Youngstown just under half the roster has been rated under it so far, which leaves a majority still unrated rather than reflecting a poor showing.

Of Youngstown's 46 medaled providers, Gold and Bronze are close in number — 23 and 21 respectively — while Silver trails far behind at just 2. That means a parent comparing rated Youngstown providers is essentially choosing between Gold and Bronze in nearly all cases, with a Silver rating being an unusual find.

Given that most of Youngstown's care options are home-based, a parent's search here often starts by evaluating a handful of home providers directly rather than defaulting to a center. With 46 of 107 providers carrying a Step Up To Quality medal, checking that rating remains a useful filter for a little under half the roster, and the 33 providers with a Google rating — including 12 rated 4.5 stars or better — offer another lens for comparing options before a family reaches out. Combining both signals, rather than relying on just one, is generally the more reliable way to shortlist a provider in a market where less than half the roster carries a formal quality medal.