How to check a child care license in NY, PA, MA and WA

Step-by-step: how to check a child care license in New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and Washington, what the state record shows, and what to do if you cannot find a program.

A child care license is the baseline: it tells you a state agency has authorized the program to operate under its rules. Checking it takes a few minutes and is worth doing for every program on your list, including ones recommended by friends. This guide points you to the official lookup in each of the four states covered here, explains what a roster listing does and does not tell you, and sets out what to do next. It is general information, not legal advice.

What this site shows, and what it does not

Our listings come from each state's open data. They are rosters: a program appears if the state file showed it as currently licensed or registered on the day we checked. The files do not contain inspection results or complaints, so we show none, and we send you to the state's own lookup for that. Our data can also lag behind the state's live record. That is why the state check below matters.

Step 1: get the license details from the program

Licensed programs are generally required to display their license, and any program can show you a copy on request. Note the license or provider number and the expiry date. Ask which age groups the license covers and the maximum number of children. If a program is reluctant to share these, treat that as information.

Step 2: look it up with the state

New York

The Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) regulates child day care. Its Regulated Child Care Search at hs.ocfs.ny.gov/DCFS lets you search by program name, address or city and ZIP, and by county or borough. The same page links to pre-licensing inspections. Our profiles show the OCFS facility ID so you can find the program quickly. Programs in New York City are also overseen locally by the city health department, so if you cannot find a city program in the state search, ask the program which agency regulates it.

Pennsylvania

The Department of Human Services (DHS) regulates child care, and its provider search is at findchildcare.pa.gov. It needs JavaScript turned on to work. Our profiles show the state's Keystone STARS level where one is published; see what Keystone STARS means.

Massachusetts

The Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) licenses child care. Start at the agency's page, mass.gov/orgs/department-of-early-education-and-care, which links to its provider search and licensing information. The state file we use also marks programs whose license renewal is in progress, and our profiles show that status as the state gives it. A renewal in progress is a routine status, so ask the program about it and confirm with EEC.

Washington

The Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) licenses child care. Its Child Care Check tool at findchildcarewa.org describes itself as the state's licensed child care status and record database. You can search by provider name, provider ID, phone, city or ZIP, and review background check status, licensing history and monitoring reports. DCYF notes that Child Care Check is meant to supplement, not replace, other sources of information. For help finding care, Child Care Aware of Washington lists 1-800-446-1114. Programs the state data labels payment-only or certified are not licensed and are not on this site.

Step 3: read what you find

• Status. Confirm it is current and covers your child's age group.
• Name and address. Make sure they match the place you visited. Programs sometimes operate under a different business name.
• Inspection and complaint history. Where the state publishes it, read it. Note the dates, and ask the director about anything that stands out. A single citation is different from the same one repeated.
• Capacity. It is a maximum set by the license, not an enrolment figure.

If you cannot find the program

1. Try other spellings, the owner's name, or the street address.
2. Ask the program for its license number and search by number.
3. Check whether it is regulated by someone else, such as a city agency, or exempt (see licensed, registered and exempt child care).
4. Call the state licensing agency and ask them to confirm the status.

Reporting a concern

If you believe a licensed program is breaking the rules, contact the state agency that licenses it, using the contact details on the official sites above. If you think a program is operating without a license, tell the state too. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.

Next: what to ask and look for on a visit.

A five-minute checklist

Use this for each program on your shortlist. It takes only a few minutes once you have the license number.

1. Write down the program's name, address, license number and expiry date as the program gave them to you.
2. Search the state tool and confirm the same name and address appear.
3. Check that the status is current, and that the age group and capacity match what you were told.
4. Read any inspection, monitoring or complaint history the state shows, and note the dates.
5. Write down questions for the director about anything you did not understand.
6. Save a screenshot or note of the date you checked, since the state's record changes over time.

Why records can differ

If our page and the state's page disagree, trust the state's. Rosters are updated on the state's schedule, and our copy is refreshed periodically. A program might have renewed, moved, changed its capacity or closed since our last refresh. Differences in how a business name is written can also make a program look missing when it is not. When in doubt, ask the state licensing office to confirm the program's status by phone or in writing.

Updated 2026-10-02.

General information only, current as of the date above. The information on Daycare License Check is not a safety rating or recommendation. Inspection records show what the state found on the dates shown; problems may since have been corrected, and a clean record does not guarantee future safety. Visit any program in person and check the state's own records before you choose. Rules and programs change; check the official sources linked in this guide.