Finding daycare in Maine usually starts with a short list of licensed programs near home or work. Our database holds 1,299 daycare entries across 242 Maine cities and towns, from Portland and South Portland to Houlton, near the New Brunswick border. This page explains who regulates these programs, how the options differ between southern Maine and the north, and what to check before you sign up.

How Maine Licenses and Regulates Child Care

Child care in Maine is regulated by the state, not by individual towns. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) licenses programs, and its Office of Child and Family Services sets policy and manages subsidies. Licensing staff review applications, inspect sites and follow up on complaints. The underlying law is in Title 22 of the Maine Revised Statutes, and DHHS adopts the detailed rules.

The state licenses two broad types of programs. Child care centers operate from a dedicated space, such as a church hall, a school wing or a stand-alone building. Family child care providers care for a smaller group in their own homes. Both types must follow rules on staff qualifications, child-to-staff ratios, group size, supervision, safe sleep, medication, food and emergency plans.

Staff at licensed programs must clear criminal history and child protective record checks before working with children. Ratios and group sizes depend on the children's ages, and infants and toddlers need the most staff per child. Ask any program to show you its current license and its posted ratios.

Not every arrangement needs a license. Care by relatives and some small informal setups can fall outside the licensing rules, so ask each provider directly. Head Start programs also follow federal performance standards, and those offering full-day care often hold a state license as well.

Maine also runs Quality for ME, a voluntary rating system with four steps. A program earns a higher step by going beyond the minimum licensing rules, for example through staff education, family engagement and curriculum planning. Maine Roads to Quality, based at the University of Southern Maine, supports provider training. An unrated program can still be licensed and well run, so treat the step as one input among several.

Daycare in Southern and Central Maine: Portland to Augusta

Southern Maine holds the largest share of our listings. Cumberland County leads the state with 330, and Portland alone has 55. Back Cove School at 535 Ocean Avenue is one neighborhood-based program in the city. Across the Fore River, Children's Adventure Center at 1156 Broadway serves South Portland. Farther out, A Joyful Noise Christian Daycare & Learning Center is on Roosevelt Trail in Windham, and Apple Blossom Childcare is on Mountain Road in Falmouth.

Coastal communities north and south of Portland add more choices. Beansprouts Early Learning Childcare Center is on Lower Main Street in Freeport. The Bath YMCA runs its Coffin School program at 20 Barrows Street in Brunswick. Creative Beginnings Childcare Ctr is on Gorham Road in Scarborough.

Demand in this part of the state is high, and popular centers often keep waiting lists, especially for infants. Many families join several lists early. Commuters should weigh a program's location against their daily route, because a center near your commute may save more time than one near home.

York County has 199 listings. Little Lambs Learning Center at 574A Main Street in Sanford and Imagination Station at 644 Main Street in Saco show the spread from inland mill towns to the coast. In Biddeford, Mind & Muscle Educational Preschool operates inside Dudziak's Gymnastics on Pomerleau Street, a preschool built around physical activity. Gazebo School, at 279 York Street, serves the town of York.

Moving inland, Lewiston (35 listings) and Auburn (31) sit on opposite banks of the Androscoggin River. Androscoggin County has 107 listings in total. Andro Head Start runs Pre-K and child care sites, including the B Street site at 292 Bates Street in Lewiston and the Washburn site at 125 Whitney Street in Auburn. Head Start serves eligible families under federal income guidelines, and enrollment can also take into account factors such as homelessness or foster care.

In Kennebec County, Augusta has 25 listings, including Buker Community Center at 22 Armory Street. In Waterville, the Children's Place at Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers is at 93 Silver Street. Farther north in Somerset County, KVCAP runs a before-school child care and preschool program at 33 Jewett Street in Skowhegan.

Bangor, Aroostook and Downeast: Daycare Across Rural Maine

North of the southern coast, programs are fewer and the distances grow. Penobscot County has 105 listings, and Bangor accounts for 32 of them. All Children's Daycare And Preschool at 676 Broadway is one Bangor option. Because Bangor is the main service center for central and eastern Maine, families from surrounding towns often search there too.

Aroostook County is the largest county in Maine by area, and the largest east of the Mississippi River. It has 57 listings. Houlton, the county seat, has 22, including Bright Beginnings at 7 Park Street. In Presque Isle, the Aroostook County Action Program runs the Child & Family Center at 44 Park Street. Winter weather can close roads for a day, so a reliable provider close to home often beats a well-regarded one a long drive away.

On the coast, Hancock County has 61 listings. One is Watch Me Shine in Ellsworth, at 85 State Street. Seasonal tourism in Downeast Maine can mean early starts, late finishes and irregular schedules, so ask about early drop-off, late pickup and summer coverage. In Waldo County, Cornerspring Montessori School is at 256 Congress Street in Belfast. In Sagadahoc County, you will find Country Kids Academy on Meadow Road in Topsham and The Children's Schoolhouse at 223 North Street in Bath.

In counties with fewer listings, such as Oxford, Knox and Lincoln, family child care homes often fill the gap. Ask neighbors, employers and your pediatrician for names, then confirm each license yourself.

Paying for Daycare in Maine and Choosing a Provider

DHHS runs a child care subsidy program for working families, students and others who meet income limits. Parents typically apply through DHHS. If approved, they pay a share of the cost based on income, and the state pays the rest to the provider. Income limits and copayments change, so confirm current figures with DHHS before you plan around any number.

Head Start and Early Head Start are separate and free for eligible families. In our database, grantees such as Andro Head Start, KVCAP and ACAP appear as local operators. Many Maine school districts also offer public pre-K for four-year-olds. Availability varies by district, so call your local school office. Some districts partner with Head Start or child care programs to offer a full working day.

Questions to Ask on a Tour

Visit at least two programs, and keep your questions concrete:

Visit during normal hours, watch how staff talk with the children, and ask for references from current families. Our listings give a starting address and phone number, but hours, openings and licenses change, so call before you visit.

Licensed daycare and childcare programs in Maine 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 242 cities across Maine. They are spread across 16 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Portland, Lewiston, South Portland, reflecting population centers where working families have the greatest demand for licensed childcare options.

Families in Maine 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.

Daycare by Counties

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Daycare by Cities

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Families in Maine 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 Maine to find the nearest location.

How Maine's Seasons and School Calendar Shape Daycare

Maine's calendar affects child care more than many new parents expect. School-age children need before- and after-school care, and many programs add school-vacation and summer sessions. YMCAs, Head Start agencies and community centers, such as Buker Community Center in Augusta, often run these. Ask early whether a school-age slot is guaranteed once your child leaves a preschool room.

Winter adds its own planning. Snow days, early dismissals and icy roads can leave working parents scrambling, especially in northern and western Maine, where drives are long. Ask each program how it handles storm closures, who decides, how families are notified, and whether you still pay for those days.

Seasonal work matters too. Tourism on the coast, summer construction and farm work inland can mean long or irregular hours. Programs vary in how they handle early drop-off, late pickup and summer-only enrollment, so raise your schedule at the first phone call rather than after you tour.

Finally, keep your paperwork organized. Save the enrollment contract, immunization records, emergency contacts, payment receipts and any subsidy approval letters. You will need them for renewals, tax filing and dependent care accounts, and they make a change of provider much easier.

Maine's Department of Health and Human Services licenses daycare programs through its Office of Child and Family Services. Licensing staff review applications, inspect facilities, confirm that required background checks are done and investigate complaints. The authority comes from Title 22 of the Maine Revised Statutes and the rules DHHS adopts under it. Child care centers and family child care homes are licensed under separate rules because the settings differ. Towns may apply zoning, fire and building codes, but they do not issue the child care license. If you are unsure, ask the provider for a copy of its current state license.

Start by asking the provider to show its current license. You can also contact DHHS child care licensing to confirm the license status and ask what inspection information is available. If you have a concern about a program's practices, report it to DHHS licensing so staff can follow up. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911. To report suspected abuse or neglect, call Maine's child protective services hotline at 1-800-452-1999. Keep dated notes of what you saw or heard, because specific details make any report easier to act on.

Yes. DHHS operates a child care subsidy program for families who meet income limits and are working, in school or in training. Parents generally apply through DHHS, pay a share based on income and let the state cover the rest. Not every provider accepts subsidy, so ask before you enroll. Head Start and Early Head Start are separate programs that are free for eligible families, and local operators such as Andro Head Start in Lewiston and Auburn or ACAP in Presque Isle handle their own applications. Income limits change, so verify current rules with DHHS.

Start as early as you can, especially for an infant. Portland has 55 listings in our database, South Portland 32 and Bangor 32, yet popular programs in busy areas often keep waiting lists. Lewiston and Auburn offer many options, including Andro Head Start sites, but Head Start follows its own application and eligibility process. In rural parts of Aroostook or Hancock County, you may have only a handful of choices, so contact each one early. Visit at least two programs, ask about openings by age group, and ask whether a deposit or registration fee holds your spot.

Quality for ME is Maine's voluntary quality rating system for child care. Programs can earn steps from 1 to 4, with higher steps showing that a program has gone beyond the basic licensing rules, for example through staff education and family engagement. Because participation is voluntary, a program without a rating may still be licensed and well run. Use the step as one factor. Weigh it alongside your own tour, the staff's turnover, the ratios in your child's room, references from other parents and how comfortable your child seems there.

Public kindergarten in Maine is generally open to children who turn five on or before October 15 of the school year. Public pre-K for four-year-olds is run by local school districts, and availability varies. Some districts offer it directly, some partner with Head Start or child care programs, and some do not offer it yet. Contact your district's central office in the winter or spring before the school year you want. Pre-K is optional. If you need full-day coverage, ask whether a licensed before- and after-school program can bridge the gap between the school day and your work hours.