Why This is Important
Research has shown that positive, healthful early development environments lead to more resilient brain development and greater flexibility in the acquisition of skills throughout life. Stable, high-quality child care in the early years of child development has life-long implications. Foundational stages of brain development that guide behavior and health for years to come occur before age 5.
Access to quality care can be compromised by inadequate local facilities or public transit service, challenges posed by neighborhood safety and other environmental or economic factors. Between 2013 and 2018 the number of registered child care centers has declined in Durham county by 19% (from 351 to 285). Has this change impacted your neighborhood?
About the Data
This measure includes both child care centers and family child care homes which are licensed by the state of North Carolina’s Division of Child Care and Early Development. It does not include unlicensed locations. Data is collected each year in April and reflects a snapshot of the calendar year’s licensed centers.
Source: NC Division of Child Care and Early Development
Additional Resources
| Resource | Learn More and Take Action |
|---|---|
| About Licensing for Child Care Centers | Who is regulated by the Division of Child Development and Early Education? |
| Child Care Services Association | Child Care Services Association (CCSA) is a nationally recognized nonprofit working to ensure affordable, accessible, high quality child care for all families through research, services and advocacy. |
| Durham's Partnership for Children | Mobilizing and unifying the Durham community to create and support innovative and successful collaborative approaches to serving the needs of young children birth to age 5 and their families. |
| More About Star Ratings | How does the star rating system work? |
| Smart Start NC | Smart Start brings together all the people involved in a young child’s life—families, teachers, doctors, caregivers, social workers, and many others—to ensure every child has all they need for healthy growth and development. |
Select a base geography (depending on the dataset, different geographies may be available).
Data Distribution, 2022
Child Care Centers per Square Mile
