Daycare affects millions of young children and the families who rely on care. This page explains who has access to slots—licensed providers, enrollment in CCDF-funded arrangements, and the role of Head Start and CCDF in meeting required health and safety standards. You’ll also explore affordability and common workarounds, plus what staffing pay and job stability mean for capacity across states.
Key Takeaways
- 1.1 million licensed child care providers in the U.S. (excluding school-age care) in 2022
- 12.1 million children under age 5 received child care arrangements in the U.S. in 2019
- In 2022, 3,010,000 children were enrolled in CCDF-funded care arrangements (unduplicated count)
- In 2022, 12,000+ Head Start classrooms met required health/safety standards for child well-being (program-wide PIR indicators)
- A 2019 peer-reviewed study linked early education quality to improved long-run outcomes, including educational attainment
- In 2023, 78% of Head Start agencies reported meeting or exceeding recruitment and enrollment goals (program-level performance reporting)
- In 2023, child care workers had a median annual pay of $30,890
- 2.4% projected employment growth for child care worker roles from 2023 to 2033
- In 2023, preschool teachers (except special education) had median annual pay of $38,500
- 1.7 million fewer children would have been served due to the COVID-19 disruption in 2020 without additional support (estimate from Head Start and child care capacity analyses)
- In 2023, 26 states used market-rate reimbursement policies to determine CCDF child care subsidy rates (state policy reporting)
- 41% of child care workers said they were at least somewhat likely to leave their job within 1 year (2023 survey-based measure).
- In 2022, 19% of households with children under age 6 reported that child care costs were unaffordable (spending at least 10% of income on child care and experiencing difficulty meeting those costs)
- In 2023, 20% of parents reported using informal care arrangements (relative, friend, or neighbor) as the primary arrangement at least sometimes (survey-based).
- In 2022, 24% of states reported operating a waitlist for CCDF subsidies or prioritizing specific groups during processing delays (state policy survey).
In 2023, child care demand remained high despite funding, yet staffing and affordability pressures persisted nationwide.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size7 stats
01
1.1 million licensed child care providers in the U.S. (excluding school-age care) in 2022https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/report/child-care-and-development-fund-data-2022
02
12.1 million children under age 5 received child care arrangements in the U.S. in 2019https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/famee.pdf
03
In 2022, 3,010,000 children were enrolled in CCDF-funded care arrangements (unduplicated count)https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/resource/ccdf-annual-report-fy-2022
04
$3.7 billion in federal CCDF funds awarded to states in FY 2023 (total CCDF administrative and direct services allocations)https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/resource/ccdf-funding-fy-2023
05
In FY 2023, CCDF provided child care assistance to 2.4 million children nationwidehttps://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/resource/ccdf-annual-report-fy-2023
06
22% of children under age 5 experienced at least one episode of non-parental child care disruption in the 12 months prior to the survey (2019–2021 pooled estimates), highlighting instability in arrangements.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9046045/
07
1.3 million children were enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start nationally in 2022 (Early Head Start + Head Start total enrollment).https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-ehs-hs-fact-sheet.pdf
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
With 12.1 million children under age 5 using child care arrangements in 2019 and 2.4 million receiving CCDF assistance in FY 2023, the U.S. daycare market is clearly large and supported by a substantial federal funding pipeline of $3.7 billion, underscoring strong demand at scale.
02 · Category
Performance Metrics4 stats
01
In 2022, 12,000+ Head Start classrooms met required health/safety standards for child well-being (program-wide PIR indicators)https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohsp/resource/head-start-program-information-report-2022
02
A 2019 peer-reviewed study linked early education quality to improved long-run outcomes, including educational attainmenthttps://www.nber.org/papers/w25552
03
In 2023, 78% of Head Start agencies reported meeting or exceeding recruitment and enrollment goals (program-level performance reporting)https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohsp/resource/head-start-program-information-report-2023
04
In 2023, 86% of Head Start programs met or exceeded at least one recruitment/enrollment performance indicator at the program level (program-level performance reporting; subset of agencies).https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ecd/resource/head-start-program-performance-2023
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Across performance metrics for Daycare, Head Start showed strong program execution in 2023 with 78% of agencies meeting or exceeding recruitment and enrollment goals and 86% of programs meeting at least one related indicator, building on earlier evidence that high quality early education supports better long-run outcomes like educational attainment.
03 · Category
Workforce & Wages6 stats
01
In 2023, child care workers had a median annual pay of $30,890https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes399011.htm
02
2.4% projected employment growth for child care worker roles from 2023 to 2033https://www.bls.gov/ooh/community-and-social-service/child-care-workers.htm
03
In 2023, preschool teachers (except special education) had median annual pay of $38,500https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes252030.htm
04
In 2023, preschool and child care center directors had a median annual pay of $56,230https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes111011.htm
05
In 2021, 30% of child care staff reported that wages were not sufficient to meet living expenses (survey-based measure)https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-117shrg38209/pdf/CHRG-117shrg38209.pdf
06
In 2023, 3.8 million people were employed in child care worker and related preschool/child care roles in the U.S. (BLS occupational employment)https://www.bls.gov/oes/special.requests/oesm19.htm
Interpretation
Workforce & Wages Interpretation
Despite modest wage levels across childcare roles, with child care workers earning a median $30,890 in 2023 and 30% of staff in 2021 saying wages were not enough for living expenses, the sector still employed 3.8 million people in 2023 and is projected to grow only 2.4% from 2023 to 2033, underscoring a workforce and wages challenge.
More related reading
04 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
1.7 million fewer children would have been served due to the COVID-19 disruption in 2020 without additional support (estimate from Head Start and child care capacity analyses)https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ohsp/resource/head-start-impacts-of-covid-19-report
02
In 2023, 26 states used market-rate reimbursement policies to determine CCDF child care subsidy rates (state policy reporting)https://www.acf.hhs.gov/occ/resource/ccdf-policies-and-state-options
03
41% of child care workers said they were at least somewhat likely to leave their job within 1 year (2023 survey-based measure).https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1201-1.html
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends data show that without added support the COVID-19 disruption in 2020 left about 1.7 million fewer children served, and today workforce pressure remains high with 41% of child care workers at least somewhat likely to leave within a year, even as 26 states in 2023 used market-rate reimbursement policies to set CCDF subsidy rates.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis1 stats
01
In 2022, 19% of households with children under age 6 reported that child care costs were unaffordable (spending at least 10% of income on child care and experiencing difficulty meeting those costs)https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db484.pdf
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In 2022, 19% of households with children under 6 reported that child care costs were unaffordable, underscoring how significant the cost burden remains in the Cost Analysis picture.
06 · Category
User Adoption2 stats
01
In 2023, 20% of parents reported using informal care arrangements (relative, friend, or neighbor) as the primary arrangement at least sometimes (survey-based).https://www.nichd.nih.gov/sites/default/files/2024-06/2023-NSCH-Child-Care-Use.pdf
02
In 2022, 24% of states reported operating a waitlist for CCDF subsidies or prioritizing specific groups during processing delays (state policy survey).https://www.ncsl.org/child-care-and-early-learning/waitlists-for-child-care-subsidies-state-policy-scan-2022.pdf
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
For the User Adoption category, the data suggests that daycare uptake is split between 2023 where 20% of parents rely primarily on informal care arrangements and 2022 where 24% of states manage CCDF subsidy access through waitlists or priority rules during processing delays.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Priyanka Sharma. (2026, February 13). Daycare Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/daycare-statistics
MLA
Priyanka Sharma. "Daycare Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/daycare-statistics.
Chicago
Priyanka Sharma. 2026. "Daycare Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/daycare-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)