Curated · August 2026

Best Daycares in Nashville, TN

Our top licensed picks in Nashville — ranked on license status, capacity, and verification recency from Tennessee Department of Human Services — Child Care Licensing. 76 centers reviewed. No paid placement, ever.

How we picked: from 76 licensed centers in Nashville, 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

Clarksville Bright Futures Daycare #114

Nashville, TN · 37201

Child Care Center Capacity 120 0 months - 12 months
2

Jackson Kindersmile #113

Nashville, TN · 37218

Montessori Capacity 119 6 weeks - 12 years
3

Jackson Rainbow Learning Center #119

Nashville, TN · 37205

Before & After School Care Capacity 117 3 years - 5 years
4

Explorer Kids Nashville #99

Nashville, TN · 37210

Family Daycare Capacity 116 0 months - 5 years
5

Clarksville Little Stars Daycare #112

Nashville, TN · 37220

Infant Care Capacity 116 5 years - 12 years
6

Tiny Tots Of Clarksville #118

Nashville, TN · 37207

Head Start Capacity 116 2 years - 12 years
7

Nashville Little Angels #98

Nashville, TN · 37209

Child Care Center Capacity 114 0 months - 12 months
8

Hendersonville Children's Place #135

Nashville, TN · 37218

Before & After School Care Capacity 114 3 years - 5 years
9

Little Hearts Nashville #109

Nashville, TN · 37220

Preschool Capacity 111 2 years - 5 years
10

Tiny Tots Of Jackson #124

Nashville, TN · 37210

Licensed Group Child Care Home Capacity 107 6 weeks - 5 years

How we ranked these Nashville 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.

Contains affiliate links

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 76 Nashville daycares

Filter by age, program type, and ZIP — free, no signup.

selected