Child Care Centers

Child care centers usually serve six or more children below age 13 in a licensed, non-residential setting. In New Jersey, child care centers are required to be licensed and inspected by the New Jersey Department of Children and Families, Office of Licensing. To contact the Office of Licensing, please call toll free at 877-667-9845 or visit www.nj.gov/dcf/providers/licensing.

For tip sheets and other resources to use in your child care search, see Forms section on this page.

Parents needing assistance finding child care can contact our community line at 609-989-8101, or self-search by clicking this link: Search for Providers in Mercer County. If you would like further information regarding any providers found on-line, please call our community line at the number listed above. For families looking for care who are not Mercer County residents, click here for the list of NJ Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies by County. For visitors who are not New Jersey residents, visit www.childcareaware.org to find the CCR&R serving your area.

Parents can review inspection records to view the type of licensing violations centers have recently incurred. To look up a center you are interested in using, click here.

We do not license, endorse, or recommend any particular provider and cannot assure that any provider offers quality child care. You should visit several providers to determine which is best for your family and decide for yourself if any fulfill your needs.

We maintain strict confidentiality policies regarding any personally identifiable or family information you provide.