Finding daycare in Minnesota means working with a licensing system shared by the state and its 87 counties, a Twin Cities metro that holds most of the capacity, and rural areas where openings are harder to find. Our directory lists 1,938 programs. This page explains how they are regulated, how they differ by region, and what to check before you enroll a child.

Who Licenses Daycare in Minnesota

Child care here is regulated under Minnesota Statutes chapter 245A, the human services licensing law, together with chapter 245C, which governs background studies. The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) is the state agency responsible for child care policy, licensing and the Child Care Assistance Program, duties that used to sit mainly with the Department of Human Services. Detailed standards for child care centers appear in Minnesota Rules chapter 9503. Standards for family child care homes appear in chapter 9502.

In practice, the work is divided. Child care centers are licensed at the state level. Family child care homes, where a provider cares for children in their own residence, are usually licensed through the county where the home sits. A home provider in Duluth therefore deals with a different local licensor than one in Rochester, even though both follow the same state rules. If you have a complaint, start with the licensing agency named on the provider's license.

A license is more than a certificate on the wall. Adults who work with children, and the adults living in a licensed home, must clear a background study. Providers must complete training in areas such as safe sleep for infants, first aid and CPR, and recognizing child abuse. Licensors can inspect programs and issue correction orders when they find violations.

Check the License Before You Tour

Before you visit, search the state's online licensing lookup for the provider's name. It shows whether the license is active, the licensed capacity, the ages served, and any public licensing actions. Compare that record with what the provider tells you. If the age range, hours or headcount do not match, ask why before you sign anything.

Also ask whether the program takes part in Parent Aware, Minnesota's voluntary quality rating system, which awards one to four stars. Many strong programs are not rated, so treat a star rating as one piece of evidence, not the whole verdict.

Twin Cities Metro Versus Greater Minnesota Daycare

The seven-county metro area (Hennepin, Ramsey, Dakota, Anoka, Washington, Scott and Carver counties) holds most of the state's programs. Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, Bloomington, Minnetonka, Plymouth and Wayzata, has the largest share of our listings. Ramsey County centers on St. Paul and Roseville, while Dakota County covers suburbs such as Eagan, Burnsville and Apple Valley. Choice is wide in these places, but the best-known programs often keep waitlists, especially for infants.

Metro families can mix program styles. ABC Montessori School on Normandale Boulevard and Eden Prairie Montessori Learning Center offer Montessori classrooms. Ascension Lutheran Preschool in Plymouth and Bright Beginnings Learning Center in Maple Grove show how neighborhood programs fill the suburban ring. Kindercare Learning Center in Apple Valley represents the national chains. Many parents pick a program near their commute route rather than near home, so search both ends of your daily trip.

Regional Centers: Rochester, Duluth, St. Cloud, Moorhead and Mankato

Outside the metro, a handful of regional hubs anchor supply. In Rochester, home to the Mayo Clinic and part of Olmsted County, our listings include a Head Start site on 2nd Avenue Northeast. In Duluth, in St. Louis County, Benedictine Early Childhood Program operates on East 8th Street. St. Cloud has Campus Playhouse at St. Cloud Technical College, a campus-based program. Moorhead, in Clay County, sits across the Red River from Fargo, North Dakota, and ABC Infant Daycare is listed there. Mankato's listings include Jesus Loves Me Learning Center on Monroe Avenue.

In small towns and farm country, family child care homes make up most of the supply. Distances are longer, and a single provider may care for children from several families. Ask each provider about backup care when they are sick, because a home program often has no substitute. Ask about winter weather too. Snow and ice can close rural roads, and providers set their own policies on delays and closings.

Types of Daycare in Minnesota Listings

Not every listing offers the same service. Knowing the category helps you narrow your search quickly.

Minnesota law also exempts some arrangements from licensing, such as care by relatives and care for children from a single unrelated family. These arrangements are not inspected, so ask about training, other adults in the home and sleeping arrangements.

Paying for Daycare: Assistance Open to Minnesota Families

Costs vary widely between a metro center and a rural home, so ask for a written fee schedule. Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps eligible families pay. Eligibility is based on income and family size, and parents generally must be working, looking for work or attending school. Families pay a copayment on a sliding scale, and the program pays part of the rest to an approved provider. You apply through your county human services office, so the county you live in matters.

Other options exist. Head Start and Early Head Start offer free early education to income-eligible families. Early learning scholarships can help families with young children attend a program that meets quality standards. School districts run Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) classes for parents and young children, and many offer School Readiness and voluntary pre-kindergarten. Ask a tax preparer about the federal and Minnesota child and dependent care credits, which can offset part of your costs.

Licensed daycare and childcare programs in Minnesota 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 323 cities across Minnesota. They are spread across 82 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, reflecting population centers where working families have the greatest demand for licensed childcare options.

Families in Minnesota 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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota to find the nearest location.

Starting Your Daycare Search in Minnesota Counties

Start with your county, because that decides who licenses home providers and who handles assistance applications. A family in Stearns County, where St. Cloud is the largest city, deals with different local offices than a family in Hennepin or Dakota County. The same is true in Scott, Wright and Sherburne counties, which mix growing suburbs with farmland.

Begin early. Infant spots in popular metro centers can fill long before a baby arrives, so join waitlists as soon as you know your timeline. Ask each program about its waitlist fee and how it handles offers.

On a tour, watch how staff talk with children and check that sleeping infants are placed on their backs in cribs. Look at the outdoor play area. Ask about staff turnover, how long the director has been there, and how illness is handled. Request the parent handbook and read the policies on pick-up, late fees and closures. If you can, plan a second visit at a different time of day.

Our listings also include programs such as Creative Kids Academy Inc in Wayzata and Afton School in Afton, so smaller communities around the metro are worth including in your search. Call before you drive. Hours, ages and openings change, and the phone number in a listing is the fastest way to confirm.

Daycare Questions Minnesota Parents Ask

Child care in Minnesota is regulated under Minnesota Statutes chapter 245A, and the Department of Children, Youth, and Families oversees child care licensing policy and the Child Care Assistance Program. Child care centers are licensed by the state. Family child care homes are generally licensed through the county where the provider lives. Standards for centers appear in Minnesota Rules chapter 9503, and standards for homes appear in chapter 9502. If you have a concern about a specific program, contact the licensing agency listed on its license, or call your county human services office if you are unsure which agency that is.

Use the state's online licensing lookup and search by provider name or city. The record shows whether the license is active, its capacity, the ages served and any public licensing actions, including correction orders. Save the page before you tour so you can ask the provider about anything unusual. A clean record does not replace a visit. A correction order is not always a reason to walk away, since some involve minor items and others are serious. Ask the provider what changed afterward. Your local child care resource and referral agency can also help you read a record.

Yes. The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps eligible families pay for care with an approved provider. Eligibility depends on income, family size and your activity, such as working, job searching or attending school. Families pay a copayment based on income, and CCAP covers part of the rest up to program limits. You apply through your county human services office. Head Start and Early Head Start are free for income-eligible families, and early learning scholarships are another option. Ask your county which programs fit your situation, and confirm that your chosen provider accepts CCAP before you enroll.

Start as early as you can, especially for infants. Popular centers in Minneapolis, St. Paul and suburbs such as Eagan, Plymouth and Woodbury often keep waitlists, and some families join during pregnancy. Contact several programs, ask about waitlist fees and expected timelines, and keep notes on each. Home providers sometimes have shorter lead times but fewer slots. Outside the metro, in places like Mankato or Moorhead, openings may be fewer, so a backup plan matters just as much. Keep checking back, because spots open when families move or children start kindergarten.

Minnesota law exempts some arrangements from licensing, including care by relatives and care for children from a single unrelated family. That care is not licensed or inspected by the county or state, so you carry more responsibility for judging safety. Ask about training in infant safe sleep and CPR, who else is in the home, and what the backup plan is. Some families receive CCAP for care by legal nonlicensed providers, but that has its own approval steps and requirements, so check with your county before you arrange payment.

Most programs ask for an enrollment form, emergency contacts, authorized pick-up names, health and allergy information, and a signed fee agreement. Minnesota law requires immunization documentation for children in licensed child care, or a signed exemption statement, so ask your clinic for an up-to-date record. Infants usually need a feeding and sleeping plan. Some programs also charge a deposit or registration fee. Read the parent handbook for rules on illness, late pick-up, vacation days and closures, and keep a copy for reference.