Curated · August 2026

Best Daycares in Youngstown, OH

Our top licensed picks in Youngstown — ranked on license status, capacity, and verification recency from Ohio Department of Children and Youth — Child Care Licensing. 27 centers reviewed. No paid placement, ever.

How we picked: from 27 licensed centers in Youngstown, 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

Kids R Us Cincinnati #76

Youngstown, OH · 44509

Licensed Group Child Care Home Capacity 120 6 weeks - 5 years
2

Lorain Abc Childcare #67

Youngstown, OH · 44511

Head Start Capacity 117 2 years - 12 years
3

Nurturing Hearts Dayton #237

Youngstown, OH · 44504

Licensed Group Child Care Home Capacity 109 6 weeks - 5 years
4

Growing Minds Lorain #69

Youngstown, OH · 44503

Infant Care Capacity 108 5 years - 12 years
5

Dayton Smart Start Academy #238

Youngstown, OH · 44505

Preschool Capacity 104 2 years - 5 years
6

Explorer Kids Dayton #240

Youngstown, OH · 44507

Before & After School Care Capacity 100 3 years - 5 years
7

Lorain Sunshine Daycare #64

Youngstown, OH · 44507

Family Daycare Capacity 83 0 months - 5 years
8

Cincinnati Creative Kids #72

Youngstown, OH · 44504

Infant Care Capacity 74 5 years - 12 years
9

Dayton Kindersmile #242

Youngstown, OH · 44510

Montessori Capacity 63 6 weeks - 12 years
10

Active Kids Dayton #243

Youngstown, OH · 44511

Child Care Center Capacity 57 0 months - 12 months

How we ranked these Youngstown 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 27 Youngstown daycares

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