Best Child Daycare & Preschools in East Lansing, MI
Compare 11 child daycare & preschools in East Lansing. Average rating: 4.28/5 stars. See top 10 ranked daycares, compare by type, and find the right childcare for your family.
East Lansing, Michigan at a glance
- Programs
- 11
- Avg rating
- 4.28/5
- Parent reviews
- 131
- Top rated (4.5+)
- 3
East Lansing has 11 licensed child daycare & preschools with 131 parent reviews averaging 4.28/5.The largest concentration is in 48823 with 20 programs.Start with our top-10 ranked list below or filter by philosophy.
Top 10 Best Rated Daycares in East Lansing
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.
- 1St. Thomas Aquinas School4.64 score4.8(20)
955 Alton Road, East Lansing, MI · Church Daycare · Capacity: 84 children
Note: The reviews provided are for St. Thomas Aquinas Parish Church, not a daycare facility. Reviews consistently praise the parish as a welcoming Catholic community with knowledgeable and caring priests, beautiful facilities, and engaging liturgy that attracts high attendance.
Welcoming communityknowledgeable and compassionate priestsbeautiful church buildingthought-provoking homilies - 2Ymca Parkwood Kids Time Preschool4.24 score4.3(20)
2306 Haslett Road, East Lansing, MI · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 54 children
Parents praise the preschool program for its school-like structure, caring teachers, outdoor activities, and affordable pricing. The facility offers quality swimming lessons with excellent instructors and engaging summer camps. However, some concerns include facility maintenance issues and membership costs.
Caring and knowledgeable staffstructured preschool programfrequent field tripsquality swimming instruction - 3Bailey Preschool & Childcare Center4.15 score4.2(16)
300 Bailey Street, Suite 100, East Lansing, MI · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 119 children
Bailey Preschool & Childcare Center receives overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents, with all reviews rating 5/5 stars. Parents consistently praise the caring and professional staff, hands-on educational activities, safety measures, and the accessible leadership of owner Ms. Sheri. The center is noted for accommodating special needs including food allergies, language barriers, and diverse learning opportunities.
Caring and attentive stafftransparent communic - 4Spartan Child Development Center4.06 score4.1(8)
33 Crescent Road, East Lansing, MI · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 140 children
Spartan Child Development Center receives highly polarized reviews. Satisfied parents praise excellent communication, quality care, strong curriculum, and teacher dedication. Dissatisfied parents cite concerns about RIE practices, staffing shortages, potty training policies, lack of diversity/multilingual support, and leadership issues.
Excellent communicationattentive care with incident updatesstellar curriculumwell-organized - 5Appletree Early Care & Preschool3.92 score3.9(20)
3341 Coleman Road, East Lansing, MI · Child Daycare & Preschools · Capacity: 169 children
Appletree Early Care & Preschool in East Lansing receives consistently high praise from parents, with all reviews rating it 5/5 stars. Parents highlight the caring and experienced staff, safe and clean environment, strong communication, and developmental support as key strengths. Many families have enrolled multiple children and report long-term satisfaction with the center.
Caring and nurturing staffSafe and clean environmentExcellent communication with parentsStrong curriculum and learning activities - 6City Of East Lansing-Glencarin3.62 score3.5(16)
939 Harrison Road, East Lansing, MI · Before or After School Daycare · Capacity: 51 children
The reviews provided do not appear to be related to the daycare center itself. Instead, they contain reviews about various City of East Lansing municipal services including public art projects, city clerk services, and voter registration. No actual daycare parent reviews are present in this data.
None relevant to daycare services
Rating Distribution
Based on 11 daycares with Google ratings in East Lansing
Daycare Types Compared
Average ratings by facility type in East Lansing, based on parent reviews
Best Rated Neighborhoods
East Lansing zip codes ranked by average daycare rating
| Zip Code | Daycares | Avg. Rating | Top Rated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48823 | 20 | 4.29 | 3 |
Facility Sizes
Capacity distribution of daycares in East Lansing (16–169 children)
Small
up to 30 children
3
Medium
31–75 children
6
Large
76–150 children
11
Very Large
150+ children
1
Top Rated
Highest rated daycares in East Lansing based on parent reviews
Ymca Parkwood Kids Time Preschool
2306 Haslett Road, East Lansing, MI
Parents praise the preschool program for its school-like structure, caring teachers, outdoor activities, and affordable pricing. The facility offers quality swimming lessons with excellent instructors and engaging summer camps. However, some concerns include facility maintenance issues and membership costs.
Abbott Nursery School INC.
800 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI
One parent describes the facility as having great teachers and programs. The single review provided offers only positive feedback regarding the staff and curriculum.
Bailey Preschool & Childcare Center
300 Bailey Street, Suite 100, East Lansing, MI
Bailey Preschool & Childcare Center receives overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents, with all reviews rating 5/5 stars. Parents consistently praise the caring and professional staff, hands-on educational activities, safety measures, and the accessible leadership of owner Ms. Sheri. The center is noted for accommodating special needs including food allergies, language barriers, and diverse learning opportunities.
Spartan Child Development Center
33 Crescent Road, East Lansing, MI
Spartan Child Development Center receives highly polarized reviews. Satisfied parents praise excellent communication, quality care, strong curriculum, and teacher dedication. Dissatisfied parents cite concerns about RIE practices, staffing shortages, potty training policies, lack of diversity/multilingual support, and leadership issues.
Eastminster Child Development Center
693 N Hagadorn Road, East Lansing, MI
Parents highlight exceptional teachers and a strong curriculum that exceed expectations for preschool and kindergarten preparation. While the facility is noted as old with accessibility challenges, ongoing updates and a welcoming staff atmosphere are seen as positive compensations.
Child Development Laboratories At Old Central Sc
325 W Grand River Ave, East Lansing, MI
One parent highlights the highly educated staff and NAEYC accreditation as key strengths, noting their neurodiverse child is thriving in a welcoming environment. Another review cites a specific incident involving excessive handwashing causing skin damage and a rude response from a teacher, though the office was understanding.
Map
Daycare types in East Lansing
Browse by type in East Lansing
Child Daycare & Preschools in East Lansing, Michigan
There are 11 child daycare & preschools in East Lansing, Michigan, making up 52% of the 21 total childcare facilities in the city. Below you'll find a complete directory to help you compare and choose the right daycare for your child.
Based on Google reviews, daycares in East Lansing have an average rating of 4.28 out of 5 across 11 rated facilities, with 27% scoring 4.5 stars or higher. Headstart Programs facilities lead with an average of 5 stars. Our analysis covers 131 parent reviews.
When choosing a daycare in East Lansing, consider visiting facilities in person, checking their licensing status, and asking about staff-to-child ratios, daily routines, and safety policies.
All Child Daycare & Preschools in East Lansing
Showing 11 results
One parent describes the facility as having great teachers and programs. The single review provided offers only positive feedback regarding the staff and curriculum.
- Address
- 800 Abbot Road, East Lansing, MI
- Phone
- (517) 351-7410
Parents praise the preschool program for its school-like structure, caring teachers, outdoor activities, and affordable pricing. The facility offers quality swimming lessons with excellent instructors and engaging summer camps. However, some concerns include facility maintenance issues and membership costs.
- Address
- 2306 Haslett Road, East Lansing, MI
- Phone
- (517) 827-9680
Bailey Preschool & Childcare Center receives overwhelmingly positive feedback from parents, with all reviews rating 5/5 stars. Parents consistently praise the caring and professional staff, hands-on educational activities, safety measures, and the accessible leadership of owner Ms. Sheri. The center is noted for accommodating special needs including food allergies, language barriers, and diverse learning opportunities.
- Address
- 300 Bailey Street, Suite 100, East Lansing, MI
- Phone
- (517) 488-5759
Spartan Child Development Center receives highly polarized reviews. Satisfied parents praise excellent communication, quality care, strong curriculum, and teacher dedication. Dissatisfied parents cite concerns about RIE practices, staffing shortages, potty training policies, lack of diversity/multilingual support, and leadership issues.
- Address
- 33 Crescent Road, East Lansing, MI
- Phone
- (517) 353-5154
One parent highlights the highly educated staff and NAEYC accreditation as key strengths, noting their neurodiverse child is thriving in a welcoming environment. Another review cites a specific incident involving excessive handwashing causing skin damage and a rude response from a teacher, though the office was understanding.
- Address
- 325 W Grand River Ave, East Lansing, MI
- Phone
- (517) 355-1900
Parents highlight exceptional teachers and a strong curriculum that exceed expectations for preschool and kindergarten preparation. While the facility is noted as old with accessibility challenges, ongoing updates and a welcoming staff atmosphere are seen as positive compensations.
- Address
- 693 N Hagadorn Road, East Lansing, MI
- Phone
- (517) 332-2311
Appletree Early Care & Preschool in East Lansing receives consistently high praise from parents, with all reviews rating it 5/5 stars. Parents highlight the caring and experienced staff, safe and clean environment, strong communication, and developmental support as key strengths. Many families have enrolled multiple children and report long-term satisfaction with the center.
- Address
- 3341 Coleman Road, East Lansing, MI
- Phone
- (517) 580-4616
- Address
- 2961 Lake Lansing Road, East Lansing, MI
- Phone
- (517) 337-7615
KinderCare Learning Center #387 in East Lansing receives universal 5-star ratings from parents who praise the caring, attentive staff and strong communication through the facility's app. Parents consistently highlight their children's happiness, developmental progress, and the clean, safe environment.
- Address
- 525 E. Saginaw Highway, East Lansing, MI
- Phone
- (517) 351-6166
- Address
- 1370 Beech Street, East Lansing, MI
- Phone
- (517) 336-0422
- Address
- 1811 Pinecrest Drive, East Lansing, MI
- Phone
- (517) 333-7819
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Frequently asked questions
- Licensing status with Michigan's regulatory agency
- Staff-to-child ratios (requirements vary by age group in Michigan)
- Safety measures and cleanliness
- Daily routines and educational curriculum
- Parent reviews and ratings
- Location and hours that fit your schedule
- Child Daycare & Preschools — 11 facilities
- Headstart Programs — 1 facilities
- Church Daycare — 2 facilities
- Before or After School Daycare — 7 facilities