Who Licenses Daycare in Louisiana: The Department of Education and Its Rules

Finding a daycare in Louisiana starts with knowing who regulates it. Child care centers in the state are licensed by the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE). The same department runs the Child Care Assistance Program, known as CCAP, and publishes quality information on licensed sites. Our database holds 1,321 daycare, preschool and Head Start records, and this page explains how to read them and what to do next.

A licensed center has met state requirements before it opens. Staff go through criminal background checks, the building is inspected, and the center is visited again after it opens. Licensing is not the same as quality, but it is the floor. A center that cannot show you a current license should not be your first choice.

Louisiana licenses centers in two main classes. Class A centers are the group most families think of as daycare, and they are the ones that can take CCAP payments. Class B centers are generally smaller or run on a more limited basis, and many are church-affiliated. Class B centers typically do not accept CCAP. Ask which class a center holds before you fall in love with the classroom.

Home-based care is handled under separate rules. A provider who keeps a small group of children in a private home may be registered as a family child care provider rather than licensed as a center. These providers can be a good fit for infants and for parents who work odd hours. Ask to see their registration the same way you would ask a center for its license.

Parishes, Not Counties: How Louisiana Daycare Listings Are Organized

Louisiana has parishes instead of counties, a legacy of its Spanish and French colonial past. Our directory files each parish under a county-style label, so you will see names such as East Baton Rouge Parish County and Jefferson Parish County. They are the same thing. If you search by the parish name you already use, you will land in the right place.

The biggest concentration of listings is in East Baton Rouge Parish County, which includes the city of Baton Rouge and the state capital's government and university workforce. Next is Caddo Parish County around Shreveport, followed by Lafayette County in Acadiana. Rapides and Ouachita come after those, anchored by Alexandria and Monroe.

Parish lines matter in practice. Many Head Start programs are run by a parish school board or a community action agency, so the program you qualify for depends on where you live, not where you work. A family in Bossier City who commutes to Shreveport may need to apply to a Bossier program even if a Caddo site is closer to the office.

Baton Rouge, Shreveport and Lafayette Compared With Rural Louisiana

In the larger metros you will find the widest choice. Baton Rouge has independent centers such as A Total Learning Center on Highland Road. Shreveport has Amanda Clark Head Start on Fairfield Avenue. Lafayette has Butterflies Youth Education Centers on Pandora Street. In these cities you can tour three or four centers in a week and compare them on cost, hours and classroom ratings.

Mid-sized cities work the same way on a smaller scale. In Monroe, the Arco Early Intervention Program sits on Bres Avenue, and across the Ouachita River in West Monroe you will find Claiborne Christian Preschool on Laird Street. In the Alexandria and Pineville area, Rapides County listings include Castle Rock Day Care on Willowood Lane and Donahue Family Day School on Donahue Ferry Road.

Rural parishes look different. There may be only one licensed center in town, and it may be a Head Start site. Chicot Head Start in Ville Platte, The Prep Center in Bastrop and Breda Town Head Start in Natchitoches are examples of programs that serve a wide surrounding area. In these places the questions change. How far is the drive? Does the program offer transportation? Is there a waiting list that runs through the school year?

Waiting lists exist everywhere, but they are longest for infant rooms. Many centers keep fewer infant spots because the staffing requirements are tighter. If you are expecting a baby, start calling during pregnancy, not after your leave begins.

Head Start, Church Programs and Family-Run Centers in Louisiana

The listings in our database fall into a few recognizable types. Knowing which one you are calling helps you ask the right questions.

Head Start and Early Head Start are federally funded programs for children from low-income families. Early Head Start serves infants and toddlers, and Head Start serves preschoolers. Services are free to eligible families. Examples in our data include Lincoln Head Start Center on West Vaughn Avenue in Ruston and Covington Early Head Start on East Stadium Drive.

Church-based programs are common across the state. Airline Baptist Church Child Development Center in Bossier and Claiborne Christian Preschool in West Monroe are two. They often run on a school-year calendar and may close for summer or holiday weeks. Confirm the calendar before you rely on one for full-year care.

Family-named independent centers fill much of the map. Fran's Day Care And Preschool in Opelousas, Ginger Bread House in New Iberia, Richardson's Kiddie Land in Amite City and Boyer's Preschool And Child Care in Breaux Bridge are typical. These centers are often decades old and rooted in their neighborhoods, so ask other parents about them.

Public school pre-K is a separate track. Louisiana funds pre-K for four-year-olds through programs such as LA 4, and your local school district handles enrollment. It is worth asking about even if you also plan to use a daycare for before-care and after-care.

Steps to Take Before You Enroll a Child in a Louisiana Daycare

A little preparation saves weeks. Work through this list in order.

Some listings are not child care centers at all. The state children and family services office in Thibodaux, for example, is an agency office. Phone before you drive to any site that does not clearly look like a school or childcare center, and confirm the address and hours.

Licensed daycare and childcare programs in Louisiana are regulated by the state's child care licensing division, which establishes standards for health, safety, staff qualifications, and caregiver-to-child ratios to protect enrolled children.

Daycare locations are available in 226 cities across Louisiana. They are spread across 62 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Lafayette, reflecting population centers where working families have the greatest demand for licensed childcare options.

Families in Louisiana searching for licensed childcare should verify that any facility is currently licensed by the state, check inspection history, and inquire about available subsidy programs that may reduce out-of-pocket childcare costs.

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Families in Louisiana can verify the licensing status of any childcare provider through the state's child care licensing agency online database. Income-eligible families may qualify for childcare subsidies through the Child Care and Development Fund program administered at the state level.

Browse Daycare by county across Louisiana to find the nearest location.

Daycare From the North Shore to Acadiana and the Delta

Louisiana's regions each have their own pattern of care. On the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, Tangipahoa County centers such as Alaya's Early Learning Center in Hammond and Richardson's Kiddie Land in Amite City serve a mix of commuters and local families. Neighboring St. Tammany County includes Covington Early Head Start, one of several programs for infants and toddlers in the area.

In Acadiana, you will find Young World Child Care in Eunice, Fran's Day Care And Preschool in Opelousas and Boyer's Preschool And Child Care in Breaux Bridge. South of Baton Rouge, Dee's Respite Child Care And Learning Center operates in Plaquemine, and Beyond The Sky Day Care Center is in Houma. Southwest Louisiana has Baby Boutique Childcare in Lake Charles. West of New Orleans, Discovering Abc's Early Childhood Development Center is in Marrero. Livingston Parish has A Lil One's Learning Center in Denham Springs.

Distances between towns can be long, so choose a center that fits your commute, not just your neighborhood. Many families in rural parishes pick a site near the workplace instead of home.

The Louisiana Department of Education licenses child care centers and also administers the Child Care Assistance Program. Start by asking the center to show you its current license, which should be posted where parents can see it. You can then look up the center on the department's early childhood web pages, which publish licensing and quality information for providers. If the center cannot show a license, or the details do not match what you were told, choose a different provider and report your concern to the department.

The main program is the Child Care Assistance Program, or CCAP, run by the Louisiana Department of Education. Parents typically must be working or attending school or training, and household income must fall under the program's limits. You apply through the department, not through the daycare. Not every center takes CCAP, and Class B centers generally do not, so ask each one before you apply. Keep pay stubs, a photo ID and your child's birth certificate ready, since delays usually come from missing paperwork.

Head Start is a federal program that serves children aged three to five, and Early Head Start serves infants, toddlers and pregnant women. Families usually qualify when household income is at or below the federal poverty guideline. Children who are homeless, in foster care, or in families receiving certain public benefits can qualify regardless of income. You apply directly at the site, such as Amanda Clark Head Start on Fairfield Avenue or Lincoln Head Start Center in Ruston. Bring proof of income, the child's birth certificate and immunization record.

Expect to bring a birth certificate, a current immunization record, proof of address and emergency contact details. Many centers also want your pediatrician's name, a list of allergies and any custody papers. Immunization records can usually be requested from your doctor or from the state's immunization registry. If you are applying for CCAP or Head Start, add proof of income and proof of work or school. Each center sets its own forms and deposit rules, so call ahead and ask for the enrollment packet to be emailed.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, and storms such as Laura and Ida closed many Louisiana centers for days or weeks. Licensed centers are expected to have written emergency plans. Ask yours how it will notify parents, where children go if the building is unsafe, and how it handles tuition when it is closed. Also ask how quickly it normally reopens after a storm. Have a backup plan with a relative or second provider, particularly in coastal parishes such as Terrebonne and Jefferson.

No. A daycare provides regular supervised care while parents work. An early intervention program, such as the Arco Early Intervention Program on Bres Avenue in Monroe, focuses on developmental services for young children. The state's Early Steps system supports infants and toddlers with disabilities or delays. Our listings also include a state children and family services office in Thibodaux, which is an agency office and not a child care center. Call before visiting any listing, and ask what services it offers and whether it takes walk-ins.