Best Daycare Centers in Portland, OR
Compare 245 daycare centers in Portland. Average rating: 4.55/5 stars. See top 10 ranked daycares, compare by type, and find the right childcare for your family.
Portland, Oregon at a glance
- Daycares
- 245
- Avg rating
- 4.55/5
- Parent reviews
- 929
- Top rated (4.5+)
- 67
Portland has 245 licensed daycares with 929 parent reviews averaging 4.55/5.67 are top-rated with 4.5+ stars — 67% of rated programs, well above average.The highest-rated options cluster around the 97212 zip code, averaging 5 stars across 19 programs.Start with our top-10 ranked list below or filter by philosophy.
Top 10 Best Rated Daycares in Portland
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.
- 1Creative Minds Learning Center - Gateway4.8 score5(20)
334 Se 146th Ave, Portland, OR · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 45 children
Creative Minds Learning Center (Cadence Academy) Gateway receives universal 5-star ratings from parents who praise the warm, engaging staff and strong developmental outcomes for their children. Parents highlight the director Emily's supportive leadership, creative teachers, and smooth transitions to kindergarten, with families reporting their children thrived socially and academically during their time at the center.
Warm and engaging staffstrong social and academic preparation for kindergartencreative lesson plans and activitiesresponsive and communicative director - 2Overlook Collaborative Preschool4.78 score5(18)
1707 N Jarrett St, Portland, OR · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 12 children
Overlook Collaborative Preschool receives consistently high praise from parents for its warm, welcoming environment and thoughtful, child-centered approach to education. Parents highlight the dedicated leadership of owner Erin and her teaching staff, along with the school's excellent daily communication and play-based learning model. Children are reported to show enthusiasm for attending, confidence growth, and strong social-emotional development.
Warm and welcoming environmentthoughtful and caring teacherschild-led/play-based curriculumdaily email updates with pictures and stories - 3St James Child Development Center4.77 score5(17)
1315 Sw Park Ave, Portland, OR · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 120 children
St. James Child Development Center in Portland receives consistently excellent feedback from parents who praise the dedicated, long-tenured staff and warm community atmosphere. Parents report their children thrive academically and socially, with many staying enrolled for multiple years and willingly commuting despite distance to keep their children there.
Highly experienced and stable staff with low turnovercaring and attentive teachersstrong sense of community - 4Northeast Community Child Development Center4.74 score5(14)
1624 Ne Hancock St, Portland, OR · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 30 children
Northeast Community Child Development Center in Portland receives consistently high praise from parents. The center is recognized for its experienced and caring staff, play-based curriculum emphasizing social-emotional growth, extended operating hours, and large secure outdoor courtyard. Parents particularly value the cooperative model that encourages parent involvement and the inclusive, community-oriented environment.
Experienced and dedicated long-term teacherswarm and caring staffplay-based curriculum with emphasis on social-emotional learningextended hours (7:30am-5:30pm) - 5Creative Minds Learning Center-Woodstock4.72 score4.9(20)
7103 Se 60th Ave, Portland, OR · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 42 children
Parents consistently praise Cadence Academy for its caring, attentive staff and nurturing environment where children thrive academically and socially. The director Estera is highlighted as responsive and organized, and the facility provides meals, enrichment activities, and outdoor play. Multiple families report their children have made significant developmental gains and enjoy attending.
Caring and attentive staffresponsive directorclean facilitymeals provided - 6David Douglas Day Care4.72 score4.9(20)
1610 Se 130th Ave, Portland, OR · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 68 children
Parents consistently praise David Douglas Day Care for its caring, experienced staff, strong leadership, and inclusive environment. Children thrive academically and socially while parents appreciate the competitive pricing, flexible policies, and excellent communication. This family-owned business is described as special, with staff who genuinely love the children and attract quality families to their community.
Caring and patient teachersminimal staff turnoverre - 7Irvington Preschool Co-Op4.71 score5(12)
2710 Ne 14th Ave, Portland, OR · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: -999 children
Irvington Preschool Co-Op is a highly regarded play-based preschool in Portland where parents consistently praise the warm, respectful community and child-led learning approach. Teacher Sam is repeatedly highlighted as exceptional, deeply understanding individual children and fostering their social-emotional growth. The co-op model is valued for enabling meaningful family involvement and authentic community building.
Play-based learning environmentchild-led approachTeacher Sam's exceptional care and skillwarm and respectful community - 8Aprende Con Amigos LLC4.67 score5(10)
5206 N Interstate Ave, Portland, OR · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 30 children
Aprende con Amigos is a highly regarded Spanish immersion preschool in Portland where parents report exceptional experiences. Parents consistently praise the bilingual curriculum, caring and well-trained staff, strong child development practices, and nurturing environment that supports both academic and social growth.
Spanish immersion programbilingual language developmentthoughtful curriculum combining Waldorf/Montessori/Reggio Emilia approacheshighly trained and passionate staff - 9Aleph Bet Jewish Day School4.64 score5(9)
6612 Sw Capital Hwy, Portland, OR · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 30 children
Parents consistently praise Aleph Bet Jewish Day School (The Gan) as a nurturing, safe environment that combines progressive education with Jewish cultural foundations. The director Mimi and teaching staff are highlighted as warm, experienced, and responsive, with children showing genuine enthusiasm for attending. Parents appreciate the balance of academic learning tailored to individual development and strong emotional support.
Warm and caring staffdirector's kindness and professionalismReggio method trainingindividualized learning pace - 10El Pilar School4.64 score5(9)
6805 Sw Vermont St, Portland, OR · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 43 children
El Pilar School is a highly-regarded center-based daycare in Portland with 25 years of operation under owner Imma. Parents consistently praise the caring staff, child development outcomes, and Spanish language instruction, with children showing enthusiasm for attendance. The facility prioritizes genuine care and structured learning over modern communication apps.
Caring and attentive staffstrong Spanish language developmentstructured daily schedulesmooth transitions between age groups
Rating Distribution
Based on 100 daycares with Google ratings in Portland
What Parents Value Most
Top qualities mentioned across 929 reviews, analyzed by AI
Daycare Types Compared
Average ratings by facility type in Portland, based on parent reviews
Best Rated Neighborhoods
Portland zip codes ranked by average daycare rating
| Zip Code | Daycares | Avg. Rating | Top Rated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97212 | 19 | 5 | 9 | |
| 97215 | 7 | 4.87 | 3 | |
| 97206 | 15 | 4.81 | 7 | |
| 97220 | 6 | 4.8 | 1 | |
| 97217 | 12 | 4.73 | 5 | |
| 97219 | 19 | 4.72 | 5 | |
| 97201 | 12 | 4.67 | 2 | |
| 97232 | 6 | 4.58 | 2 | |
| 97213 | 8 | 4.58 | 3 | |
| 97229 | 17 | 4.57 | 2 |
Facility Sizes
Capacity distribution of daycares in Portland (8–185 children)
Small
up to 30 children
75
Medium
31–75 children
106
Large
76–150 children
52
Very Large
150+ children
9
Top Rated
Highest rated daycares in Portland based on parent reviews
Creative Minds Learning Center - Gateway
334 Se 146th Ave, Portland, OR
Creative Minds Learning Center (Cadence Academy) Gateway receives universal 5-star ratings from parents who praise the warm, engaging staff and strong developmental outcomes for their children. Parents highlight the director Emily's supportive leadership, creative teachers, and smooth transitions to kindergarten, with families reporting their children thrived socially and academically during their time at the center.
Overlook Collaborative Preschool
1707 N Jarrett St, Portland, OR
Overlook Collaborative Preschool receives consistently high praise from parents for its warm, welcoming environment and thoughtful, child-centered approach to education. Parents highlight the dedicated leadership of owner Erin and her teaching staff, along with the school's excellent daily communication and play-based learning model. Children are reported to show enthusiasm for attending, confidence growth, and strong social-emotional development.
St James Child Development Center
1315 Sw Park Ave, Portland, OR
St. James Child Development Center in Portland receives consistently excellent feedback from parents who praise the dedicated, long-tenured staff and warm community atmosphere. Parents report their children thrive academically and socially, with many staying enrolled for multiple years and willingly commuting despite distance to keep their children there.
Northeast Community Child Development Center
1624 Ne Hancock St, Portland, OR
Northeast Community Child Development Center in Portland receives consistently high praise from parents. The center is recognized for its experienced and caring staff, play-based curriculum emphasizing social-emotional growth, extended operating hours, and large secure outdoor courtyard. Parents particularly value the cooperative model that encourages parent involvement and the inclusive, community-oriented environment.
Creative Minds Learning Center-Woodstock
7103 Se 60th Ave, Portland, OR
Parents consistently praise Cadence Academy for its caring, attentive staff and nurturing environment where children thrive academically and socially. The director Estera is highlighted as responsive and organized, and the facility provides meals, enrichment activities, and outdoor play. Multiple families report their children have made significant developmental gains and enjoy attending.
David Douglas Day Care
1610 Se 130th Ave, Portland, OR
Parents consistently praise David Douglas Day Care for its caring, experienced staff, strong leadership, and inclusive environment. Children thrive academically and socially while parents appreciate the competitive pricing, flexible policies, and excellent communication. This family-owned business is described as special, with staff who genuinely love the children and attract quality families to their community.
Map
Daycare types in Portland
Browse by type in Portland
Daycare Centers in Portland, Oregon
Portland offers a robust selection of 245 childcare facilities, ranging from large centers to intimate home-based options. Parents frequently highlight the importance of safe environments, affordable pricing, and caring staff when evaluating these choices. With 70 facilities holding ratings of 4.5 stars or higher, families have plenty of highly-regarded options to explore.
Based on Google reviews, daycares in Portland have an average rating of 4.55 out of 5 across 100 rated facilities, with 67% scoring 4.5 stars or higher. Headstart Programs facilities lead with an average of 4.67 stars. Our analysis covers 929 parent reviews. Parents in Portland most frequently praise daycares for safe environment, affordable pricing, and caring and attentive staff.
When choosing a daycare in Portland, 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 Portland
Showing 245 results
- Address
- 909 Ne 52nd Ave, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
Champions Cherry Park is highly regarded for its staff quality and program activities, with most parents praising teachers Anna and Bryce and noting children enjoy attending. However, significant billing and administrative issues plague the service, including double charges, lack of refunds, poor website navigation, and unresponsive customer service.
- Address
- 1930 Se 104th Ave, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
One parent highlights the dedicated teachers and individualized academic attention, while others cite serious safety concerns regarding the neighborhood and campus security. Specific complaints include the lack of cameras, unfenced grounds allowing unauthorized access, and incidents of students being locked outside during school hours.
- Address
- 740 Se 182nd, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
Peninsula Children's Center receives mixed reviews. Most parents praise the caring, well-trained staff, structured activities, cleanliness, and developmental focus, with children reportedly enjoying attendance. However, one parent reported serious concerns about staff conduct, overcrowding, and facility conditions.
- Address
- 4720 N Maryland Ave, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
Grandma's Place Rose Quarter receives highly polarized reviews, with most parents praising the caring staff, daily communication, and child development, while a smaller group reports serious concerns including staff turnover, inadequate supervision, food handling errors, and management issues.
- Address
- 1730 N Flint Ave, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
This appears to be a hospital (St. Vincent's Medical Center in Portland), not a daycare center. The reviews provided are for hospital departments including labor & delivery, cardiac care, and orthopedic surgery, not childcare services.
- Address
- 9205 Sw Barnes Rd, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
Parents consistently praise Pixie Child Care for its caring, professional staff and welcoming environment. Multiple reviewers highlight the director's attentiveness, detailed daily communication, and the staff's genuine affection for the children. The facility has built strong long-term relationships with families, with some parents using the center for over a decade.
- Address
- 2740 Se 174th Ave, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
KIDS INCORPORATED LEARNING CENTER receives mixed reviews with significant variation in parent experiences. Positive reviewers praise responsive staff, safety, cleanliness, and good communication, while negative reviewers report concerns about child hygiene, behavioral issues (profanity), staff responsiveness to problems, and strict nap time policies that restrict drop-off hours.
- Address
- 840 Ne 181st Ave, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
Growing Seeds North has experienced significant operational decline, with parents reporting severe staffing shortages, frequent closures, poor administrative communication, and serious safety incidents. While teachers are consistently praised as caring and dedicated, the facility's management issues have made it unreliable and difficult to use. Multiple parents indicate the center functioned better before 2020 but has deteriorated substantially since.
- Address
- 6505 Ne M L King Blvd, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
Growing Seeds North in Portland has experienced significant operational decline, particularly since 2020. While parents consistently praise individual teachers as caring and dedicated, the facility suffers from severe staffing shortages, poor administrative communication, safety incidents, unresolved financial issues, and unaddressed union complaints. Multiple families report frequent requests to keep children home due to inadequate ratios and lack of follow-up on promised cr
- Address
- 6527 Ne Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 7334 Ne Siskiyou, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 4206 Ne Garfield, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 9200 Ne Fremont, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 14750 Se Clinton, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 6941 N Central, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 6651 Sw Capitol Hwy, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 3421 Se Salmon, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
Reviews are extremely positive with all 5-star ratings. However, most reviews appear to reference the Salvation Army as a shelter, food bank, or community center rather than the child care program specifically. Only one review directly mentions a child ('my daughter'), making it difficult to assess the daycare's actual performance.
- Address
- 2640 Nw Alexandria Ave, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 840 Ne 41st Ave, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 4701 Se Bush, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 17625 Se Foster Rd, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 9030 Se Cooper, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 9935 Nw Durret St, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 4906 Ne 6th, Room 141, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 5309 Ne Alameda, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 127 N Rosa Parks Blvd, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 5601 N. Yale, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 3330 Se 43rd, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 2222 Ne 92nd Pl, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Address
- 3240 Ne 23rd, Portland, OR
- Phone
- NOT AVAILABLE
Page 4 of 9· 245 results
Frequently asked questions
- Licensing status with Oregon's regulatory agency
- Staff-to-child ratios (requirements vary by age group in Oregon)
- Safety measures and cleanliness
- Daily routines and educational curriculum
- Parent reviews and ratings
- Location and hours that fit your schedule
- Child Daycare & Preschools — 149 facilities
- Headstart Programs — 21 facilities
- Church Daycare — 3 facilities
- Before or After School Daycare — 72 facilities