Curated · August 2026

Best Daycares in Richmond, CA

Our top licensed picks in Richmond — ranked on license status, capacity, and verification recency from California Department of Social Services — Community Care Licensing Division. 15 centers reviewed. No paid placement, ever.

How we picked: from 15 licensed centers in Richmond, we surface those with a current license, larger licensed capacity, and the most recent verification. Ranking is objective and editorial — providers cannot pay for placement. Always confirm current license status before enrolling.

1

Bakersfield Bright Futures Daycare #578

Richmond, CA · 94801

Head Start Capacity 108 2 years - 12 years
2

Riverside Kindersmile #286

Richmond, CA · 94801

Family Daycare Capacity 101 0 months - 5 years
3

Bakersfield Sunshine Daycare #581

Richmond, CA · 94805

Montessori Capacity 77 6 weeks - 12 years
4

San Jose Little Scholars #482

Richmond, CA · 94805

Before & After School Care Capacity 75 3 years - 5 years
5

Oakland Bright Beginnings #187

Richmond, CA · 94801

Montessori Capacity 74 6 weeks - 12 years
6

San Francisco Learning Tree #90

Richmond, CA · 94804

Montessori Capacity 57 6 weeks - 12 years
7

First Steps San Jose #481

Richmond, CA · 94804

Head Start Capacity 57 2 years - 12 years
8

Bakersfield Kids First Academy #580

Richmond, CA · 94804

Infant Care Capacity 55 5 years - 12 years
9

Jumping Jacks San Francisco #91

Richmond, CA · 94805

Child Care Center Capacity 51 0 months - 12 months
10

Happy Days Oakland Daycare #190

Richmond, CA · 94805

Licensed Group Child Care Home Capacity 45 6 weeks - 5 years

How we ranked these Richmond daycares

This ranking is built from public licensing records, not from opinions or paid placements. Every center on this page is pulled from the state licensing database, and the order is decided by three objective signals applied in this exact sequence:

  1. Current license status first. Centers whose permit is on record as licensed appear above those with any other status. A license is the single strongest signal a state gives you.
  2. Licensed capacity, largest first. Bigger licensed capacity usually means more classrooms, more age groups served and a better chance of an open spot — but it is not a measure of quality, and a small center may suit your child better.
  3. Most recent inspection date. A center inspected recently has fresher public data behind it, so what you read here is closer to today's reality.

What does not affect this ranking

No center can pay to be listed, to rank higher, or to change its description. We do not accept payment from providers, and affiliate links elsewhere on this site never influence the order of any listing.

What this list cannot tell you. Licensing data says nothing about staff turnover, how a room feels at 4pm, or whether a director answers the phone. Those you can only learn by visiting.

Before you enrol anywhere, verify the license yourself in your state database, tour during operating hours, and ask for the ratio in your child's specific room — our 30-point tour checklist walks through exactly what to ask.

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Starting daycare soon? Here is what to pack

Bottles, name labels, nap bedding and spare clothes — our checklist by age covers what centers ask you to bring, and what they ask you not to send.

See the checklist →

See all 15 Richmond daycares

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