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Connecticut Child Care Licensing: A Parent's Guide

A plain-English guide to how child care licensing works in Connecticut — who regulates it, how to check any provider's license and public record, and where to find the official state information. Childcare Alerts indexes 3,248 licensed Connecticut providers, free.

Who licenses child care in Connecticut?

Child care in Connecticut is licensed and monitored by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood. Connecticut licenses providers through the Office of Early Childhood. Connecticut publishes its full record openly — inspections, cited violations, and complaint investigations.

How to check a provider's license and record

1. Search on Childcare Alerts. Look up any Connecticut provider by name, city, or ZIP — free. Each page shows what's on the public record in plain English and links to the official state file.
2. Read the record. Check the license status and any licensing actions. Not sure what a term means? See violations explained.
3. Confirm on the state's own site. Connecticut Office of Early Childhood ↗ is the system of record — always the final word.

What Childcare Alerts shows for Connecticut

For Connecticut, we surface the full inspection history — every licensing visit with the specific regulations cited — plus complaint investigations and any enforcement action.

See the Connecticut child care report for the statewide picture.

Before you choose care

The record is one input, not the whole story. See 10 questions to ask on a tour and what accreditation means. A provider with no action on record has not necessarily had a clean history — always open the official record.

Worried a provider is operating without a license, or seen something unsafe? Here's how to report it in Connecticut.