Curated · August 2026

Best Daycares in Chesapeake, VA

Our top licensed picks in Chesapeake — ranked on license status, capacity, and verification recency from Virginia Department of Education — Office of Child Care Health and Safety. 16 centers reviewed. No paid placement, ever.

How we picked: from 16 licensed centers in Chesapeake, 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

Alexandria Wonder Years #17

Chesapeake, VA · 23323

Before & After School Care Capacity 108 3 years - 5 years
2

Norfolk Generations Daycare #164

Chesapeake, VA · 23320

Child Care Center Capacity 103 0 months - 12 months
3

Little Genius Alexandria #18

Chesapeake, VA · 23324

Infant Care Capacity 101 5 years - 12 years
4

Portsmouth Little Scholars #133

Chesapeake, VA · 23325

Montessori Capacity 82 6 weeks - 12 years
5

Portsmouth Golden Gate Daycare #137

Chesapeake, VA · 23325

Preschool Capacity 82 2 years - 5 years
6

Alexandria Learning Tree #13

Chesapeake, VA · 23323

Family Daycare Capacity 68 0 months - 5 years
7

First Steps Harrisonburg #258

Chesapeake, VA · 23324

Licensed Group Child Care Home Capacity 64 6 weeks - 5 years
8

Harrisonburg Kindercare #253

Chesapeake, VA · 23323

Before & After School Care Capacity 51 3 years - 5 years
9

Portsmouth Precious Moments #136

Chesapeake, VA · 23324

Licensed Group Child Care Home Capacity 43 6 weeks - 5 years
10

Harrisonburg Discovery Preschool #256

Chesapeake, VA · 23320

Child Care Center Capacity 34 0 months - 12 months

How we ranked these Chesapeake 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 16 Chesapeake daycares

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

selected