Best Child Daycare & Preschools in Dayton, OH
Compare 101 child daycare & preschools 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
- Programs
- 101
- Avg rating
- 4.02/5
- Parent reviews
- 665
- Top rated (4.5+)
- 36
Dayton has 101 licensed child daycare & preschools 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
Child Daycare & Preschools in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio, offers a robust selection of 101 childcare and preschool facilities, providing parents with diverse options to suit their specific needs. The directory highlights a strong concentration of highly-rated centers in the 45419 zip code, where facilities consistently earn perfect scores. Parents frequently highlight the importance of clean environments and professional, caring staff when evaluating these programs.
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 Child Daycare & Preschools in Dayton
Showing 101 results
Parents consistently praise KinderCare Learning Center #949 for its clean, safe environment and caring, professional staff. The center is noted for excellent leadership, particularly the Center Director, and strong communication with parents through photo updates and engagement. Children are reported to thrive academically and emotionally, with parents expressing confidence in their child's care and development.
- Address
- 1074 Governours Square Dr, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 435-1231
Parents consistently praise KinderCare Learning Center #111 in Dayton for its caring and professional staff, particularly highlighting teachers like Ms. Casey and Ms. AK. Families report their children enjoy attending, show developmental progress in speech and learning, and feel safe in the facility. Parents appreciate the strong communication and involvement from staff regarding their children's daily activities and needs.
- Address
- 7161 Brandt Pike, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 236-8490
KinderCare Learning Center #91 in Dayton receives mostly positive reviews, with parents praising the warm and caring staff, particularly director Terri and staff members like Ms. Lucille. Parents report their children develop well, gain independence, and receive individualized attention, though one reviewer noted chaotic conditions.
- Address
- 5387 Burkhardt Rd, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 253-6907
- Address
- 1824 St. Charles Avenue, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 258-0090
- Address
- 4257 Hoover Avenue, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 268-0747
One parent describes an exceptional experience with a clean, newly built center that features a convenient location and engaging staff, while another reports a concerning safety incident involving unsupervised children in an adjacent playground area.
- Address
- 28 Hill Street - Mvh-Ccc, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 208-4500
Mini University Inc in Dayton receives consistently positive feedback from parents who praise the center's developmental approach, caring staff, and strong communication. Parents report significant growth in their children's academic and social development, with particular appreciation for the warm, nurturing environment and engaging curriculum. All recent reviews gave 5-star ratings.
- Address
- 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 775-4070
- Address
- 5520 Far Hills Avenue, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 434-1934
- Address
- 4544 W Hillcrest Ave, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 277-1679
- Address
- 4242 Needmore Rd, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 233-7789
- Address
- 413 Valley Street, Dayton, OH
- Phone
- (937) 641-3300
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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