NYC Childcare Data Brief — October 2026
Data as of Oct 5, 2026. Every number below is computed from official government records — the city Health Department’s daily roster and inspection files, New York State’s licensing registry, and the DOE’s MySchools directory. No estimates, no survey data. Free to cite with a link.
The numbers
| Licensed daycare centers | 2,753 (+7 since last month) |
| Free Pre-K / 3-K programs | 2,343 (unchanged) |
| Home-based programs (state-licensed) | 7,149 (+33 since last month) |
| Centers with an open critical violation | 204 (+15 since last month) |
| Centers with a clean recent record | 312 (−7 since last month) |
| Home programs with uncorrected violations | 719 (+62 since last month) |
| Home programs under state enforcement | 16 (+2 since last month) |
| Centers with elevated water-lead results | 80 (+3 since last month) |
Free Pre-K and 3-K seats
The DOE’s MySchools directory lists 80,380 free seats across 1,444 sites in its most recent admissions data, with 97,164 applicants — about 1.21 applicants per seat citywide. (−80380 seats since last month)
What changed this month
Programs whose official record changed since the start of the month, from the city and state records we track. Each links to its full record; "new open critical violation" and "enforcement action" report the government’s own status, which the program may have addressed since.
Newly listed on the city roster (16)
- Bais Ruchel Dsatmar · Brooklyn
- Barclay Preschool · Manhattan
- Concordia Fort Greene, Inc. · Brooklyn
- Fun Generation Center, LLC · Bronx
- Fun Generation Center, LLC · Bronx
- Grace Lutheran Church · Brooklyn
- Ivy Prep Early Learning Academy · Staten Island
- Ivy Prep Early Learning Academy · Staten Island
- …and 8 more
New state enforcement action this month (2)
- Mercado, Jacqueline · Manhattan
- Rojas, Raylin · Manhattan
New open critical violation this month (37)
- Beanstalk Child Care Academy · Bronx
- Beanstalk Child Care Academy · Brooklyn
- Boys And Girls Club Of Metro Queens Inc. · Queens
- Bright Start Early Learning Academy LLC · Queens
- Canarsie Children First Academy · Bronx
- Cardinal Mccloskey Community Services · Bronx
- Children Of America (Jericho Turnpike) LLC · Queens
- Children's All Day School · Manhattan
- …and 29 more
About this data
Counts reflect the programs listed on official rosters on the date above. “Open critical” is the Health Department’s own severity class for issues posing a risk to children’s health or safety, not yet recorded as corrected. “Uncorrected” for home programs is the state record’s own status. Details and limitations: methodology.
Get next month's numbers by email
One email a month with the citywide brief — no other mail, unsubscribe anytime.
Cite this data
Free to reuse with a link (CC BY 4.0). Suggested citation:
NYC Daycare Check, “NYC Childcare Data Brief — October 2026,” computed from official NYC DOHMH, NYS OCFS, and NYC DOE records. https://nycdaycarecheck.com/briefs/2026-10
Download the monthly time series (CSV) → · RSS feed · For journalists →