Best Daycare Centers in Dayton, OH
Compare 134 daycare centers in Dayton. Average rating: 4.02/5 stars. See top 10 ranked daycares, compare by type, and find the right childcare for your family.
Dayton, Ohio at a glance
- Daycares
- 134
- Avg rating
- 4.02/5
- Parent reviews
- 665
- Top rated (4.5+)
- 36
Dayton has 134 licensed daycares with 665 parent reviews averaging 4.02/5.36 are top-rated with 4.5+ stars — 46% of rated programs, well above average.The highest-rated options cluster around 45419 (avg 5 stars), while 45405 has the largest selection (13 programs).Start with our top-10 ranked list below or filter by philosophy.
Top 10 Best Rated Daycares in Dayton
Ranked using a weighted score that combines Google rating with the number of parent reviews — daycares with more reviews rank higher than those with a high rating but few reviews. Last updated: March 2026.
- 1A Great Start Preschool INC4.8 score5(20)
7001 Far Hills Ave, Dayton, OH · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: -999 children
A Great Start Preschool receives universally positive feedback from parents who praise the school's educational quality, safe environment, and strong staff leadership under director Christina Miller. Parents consistently report significant developmental progress in their children, who enjoy attending and form lasting friendships. The school is noted for its engaging activities and welcoming atmosphere.
Excellent director leadershipcaring and professional staffstrong academic preparation for kindergartenfun activities and events - 2Little Heart School House Early Learning Academy LLC4.72 score4.9(20)
4501 Riverside Drive, Dayton, OH · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: -999 children
Little Hearts School House Early Learning Academy receives consistently high praise from parents who describe it as a nurturing, family-oriented environment where children thrive academically and emotionally. Parents highlight the staff's genuine care, patience, and dedication to individual child development, along with the center's commitment to education and community engagement. Multiple parents credit the daycare with supporting their children's long-term success and pers
- 3Little Hearts School House Evening Family4.72 score4.9(20)
1823 N Main St, Dayton, OH · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: -999 children
Little Hearts School House Evening Family receives consistently perfect ratings from parents who praise the caring, nurturing environment and dedicated staff. Parents report their children thrive academically and emotionally, with the center going above and beyond to meet individual needs including special needs accommodation. The facility is also recognized for community involvement through mentoring programs and educational scholarships.
Caring and attentive staffnurturing family-like environmentstrong child development and progresspersonalized attention - 4Little Hearts School House Infant Toddler Academy4.72 score4.9(20)
4821 Salem Ave., Dayton, OH · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: -999 children
Little Hearts School House Infant Toddler Academy receives consistently high praise from parents who describe it as a nurturing, family-oriented center with dedicated staff who provide personalized attention and genuine care. Parents highlight the center's educational focus, strong community involvement, and willingness to accommodate individual child needs, including special needs support. Multiple reviewers credit the center with significant developmental progress in their children and express long-term loyalty.
Dedicated and attentive staffpersonalized child carefamily-oriented atmosphereeducational curriculum - 5Playtime Nursery School4.72 score4.9(20)
821 Whitmore Ave, Dayton, OH · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 33 children
Playtime Nursery School receives universal 5-star praise from parents who highlight the welcoming environment, caring staff leadership under owner Ms. Terri, and strong educational curriculum that prepares children for grade school. Parents consistently report their children are excited to attend, feel safe, and thrive developmentally in a clean, family-oriented setting.
Convenient hourswelcoming staffeducational curriculumclean facility - 6Center For Jewish Culture & Education4.71 score5(12)
525 Versailles Drive, Dayton, OH · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 88 children
Parents praise the Center for Jewish Culture & Education as an outstanding daycare with consistently excellent staff who are described as family-like and welcoming. The facility is well-organized, clean, and offers quality childcare alongside special events, community programs, and kosher food. All reviews are 5-star ratings highlighting the positive experience for both children and families.
Caring and family-like staffquality childcarewell-organized programsspecial events - 7For Love Of Chidren4.64 score4.8(20)
128 W. First St, Dayton, OH · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: -999 children
For Love of Children (FLOC) is a highly-regarded nonprofit organization in the Dayton area that provides comprehensive support to struggling children and youth through tutoring, mentorship, and assistance programs. Parents consistently praise the dedicated volunteer staff for their genuine care, transformative impact on children's academic performance and well-being, and generous support including clothing, food, and educational resources. The organization serves foster children, homeless youth, and families in need across Montgomery and Greene Counties.
Caring and dedicated volunteersAcademic improvement in studentsSafe and welcoming environmentComprehensive support programs including tutoring and mentoring - 8On Purpose Academy And Mentoring Center4.56 score4.7(20)
51 Best Street, Dayton, OH · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 74 children
On Purpose Academy receives consistently excellent feedback from parents, with particular praise for Director Ms. Kim's personal attention and hands-on leadership. Parents highlight the qualified teaching staff, individualized education focused on kindergarten preparation, and strong partnerships with families for child development across academic, social, and emotional domains.
Director Ms. Kim knows families by name and is highly involved in enrollmentcompassionate and dedicated teaching staffindividualized attention to each child's needslive classroom cameras for parents - 9The Word Youth Center4.55 score4.9(8)
3401 W. Siebenthaler Ave, Dayton, OH · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 21 children
Unable to provide daycare summary. The reviews provided are for a church (The Word Youth Center functioning as a place of worship), not a daycare center. No reviews about childcare services, staff qualifications, activities, safety, or educational programs were found.
None applicable - reviews discuss religious worship experiencenot childcare - 10Steps Creative Center4.5 score5(5)
1930 N Main Street, Dayton, OH · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 100 children
STEPS CREATIVE CENTER receives perfect 5-star ratings from parents who praise the professional and caring staff, clean and safe facility, and engaging educational activities. Parents highlight the family atmosphere, nutritious meals, field trips, and annual pageant as standout features, with children expressing enthusiasm about attending.
Professional and caring staffclean and safe facilityfamily atmosphereengaging activities and field trips
Rating Distribution
Based on 78 daycares with Google ratings in Dayton
What Parents Value Most
Top qualities mentioned across 665 reviews, analyzed by AI
Daycare Types Compared
Average ratings by facility type in Dayton, based on parent reviews
Best Rated Neighborhoods
Dayton zip codes ranked by average daycare rating
| Zip Code | Daycares | Avg. Rating | Top Rated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45419 | 6 | 5 | 2 | |
| 45459 | 5 | 4.76 | 3 | |
| 45429 | 5 | 4.6 | 1 | |
| 45402 | 11 | 4.56 | 3 | |
| 45416 | 6 | 4.17 | 2 | |
| 45431 | 5 | 4.05 | 0 | |
| 45417 | 10 | 4.05 | 4 | |
| 45410 | 7 | 4.03 | 1 | |
| 45414 | 10 | 3.86 | 3 | |
| 45405 | 13 | 3.76 | 5 |
Facility Sizes
Capacity distribution of daycares in Dayton (21–225 children)
Small
up to 30 children
2
Medium
31–75 children
23
Large
76–150 children
20
Very Large
150+ children
4
Top Rated
Highest rated daycares in Dayton based on parent reviews
A Great Start Preschool INC
7001 Far Hills Ave, Dayton, OH
A Great Start Preschool receives universally positive feedback from parents who praise the school's educational quality, safe environment, and strong staff leadership under director Christina Miller. Parents consistently report significant developmental progress in their children, who enjoy attending and form lasting friendships. The school is noted for its engaging activities and welcoming atmosphere.
Little Heart School House Early Learning Academy LLC
4501 Riverside Drive, Dayton, OH
Little Hearts School House Early Learning Academy receives consistently high praise from parents who describe it as a nurturing, family-oriented environment where children thrive academically and emotionally. Parents highlight the staff's genuine care, patience, and dedication to individual child development, along with the center's commitment to education and community engagement. Multiple parents credit the daycare with supporting their children's long-term success and pers
Little Hearts School House Evening Family
1823 N Main St, Dayton, OH
Little Hearts School House Evening Family receives consistently perfect ratings from parents who praise the caring, nurturing environment and dedicated staff. Parents report their children thrive academically and emotionally, with the center going above and beyond to meet individual needs including special needs accommodation. The facility is also recognized for community involvement through mentoring programs and educational scholarships.
Little Hearts School House Infant Toddler Academy
4821 Salem Ave., Dayton, OH
Little Hearts School House Infant Toddler Academy receives consistently high praise from parents who describe it as a nurturing, family-oriented center with dedicated staff who provide personalized attention and genuine care. Parents highlight the center's educational focus, strong community involvement, and willingness to accommodate individual child needs, including special needs support. Multiple reviewers credit the center with significant developmental progress in their children and express long-term loyalty.
Playtime Nursery School
821 Whitmore Ave, Dayton, OH
Playtime Nursery School receives universal 5-star praise from parents who highlight the welcoming environment, caring staff leadership under owner Ms. Terri, and strong educational curriculum that prepares children for grade school. Parents consistently report their children are excited to attend, feel safe, and thrive developmentally in a clean, family-oriented setting.
Center For Jewish Culture & Education
525 Versailles Drive, Dayton, OH
Parents praise the Center for Jewish Culture & Education as an outstanding daycare with consistently excellent staff who are described as family-like and welcoming. The facility is well-organized, clean, and offers quality childcare alongside special events, community programs, and kosher food. All reviews are 5-star ratings highlighting the positive experience for both children and families.
Map
Daycare types in Dayton
Browse by type in Dayton
Daycare Centers in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio offers a diverse landscape of childcare options, ranging from large centers to intimate family homes, all evaluated through the lens of parent feedback. The directory highlights a standout neighborhood in zip code 45419, which maintains a perfect average rating across its local facilities. Parents consistently emphasize the importance of clean environments and professional, caring staff when making their final decision.
Based on Google reviews, daycares in Dayton have an average rating of 4.02 out of 5 across 78 rated facilities, with 46% scoring 4.5 stars or higher. Church Daycare facilities lead with an average of 4.42 stars. Our analysis covers 665 parent reviews. Parents in Dayton most frequently praise daycares for clean facility, none mentioned, and caring and professional staff.
When choosing a daycare in Dayton, consider visiting facilities in person, checking their licensing status, and asking about staff-to-child ratios, daily routines, and safety policies.
All Daycare Centers in Dayton
Showing 134 results
One parent highlights a specific teacher's professionalism and care, while another reports that staff are amazing, understanding, and caring for children of various ages. The few reviews so far mention excellent staff attitudes and significant learning outcomes without citing any complaints.
- Address
- 2900 Shiloh Springs Road, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 837-2148
- Address
- 3705 Lori Sue Avenue, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-4426
Miami Valley CDC-Twin Towers receives mixed reviews. Parents praise the center's educational preparation for kindergarten, caring staff, and leadership, while also noting the importance of parental involvement in children's learning. However, several parents report significant frustration with enrollment communication and responsiveness.
- Address
- 517 Noel Court, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 258-2470
Miami Valley CDC receives mixed reviews. Parents praise the educational preparation for kindergarten, caring staff, and leadership, noting that parental involvement at home is key to success. However, several parents report significant difficulties with the enrollment process, including unresponsive staff and unanswered calls.
- Address
- 830 W. Fifth Street, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 228-1644
- Address
- 4401 Free Pike, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-4220
- Address
- 440 Shoup Mill Rd, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 1480 Edendale Rd, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 228 N Broadway St, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-4540
- Address
- 2314 Elsmere Ave, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-4590
- Address
- 615 Shiloh Dr, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 274-7195
- Address
- 715 Krebs Ave, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-4890
- Address
- 223 L St, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 229-5959
- Address
- 2268 S Smithville Rd, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 253-8831
- Address
- 1102 Pursell Ave, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-4340
- Address
- 1630 Miami Chapel Rd, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-4290
- Address
- 4870 Denlinger Rd, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 277-2291
- Address
- 5151 Denise Dr, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 104 W Dorothy Ln, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 293-9452
- Address
- 5086 Burkhardt Rd, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 256-1761
- Address
- 138 Gramont Ave, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 268-6391
- Address
- 1401 Leo St, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-5790
- Address
- 3871 Yellowstone Ave, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-5390
- Address
- 108 Linwood St, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-4640
- Address
- 407 Ambrose Ct, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-5680
- Address
- 4020 Bradwood Dr, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-5690
- Address
- 2805 Oakridge Dr, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 542-4990
- Address
- 249 Squirrel Road, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 278-4636
- Address
- 6951 Springboro Pk, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 673-5254
- Address
- 715 Krebs Avenue, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 278-4636
- Address
- 4100 S. Dixie Dr, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 776-1014
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Frequently asked questions
- Licensing status with Ohio's regulatory agency
- Staff-to-child ratios (requirements vary by age group in Ohio)
- Safety measures and cleanliness
- Daily routines and educational curriculum
- Parent reviews and ratings
- Location and hours that fit your schedule
- Child Daycare & Preschools — 101 facilities
- Church Daycare — 9 facilities
- Before or After School Daycare — 24 facilities