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Delaware Child Care Licensing: A Parent's Guide

A plain-English guide to how child care licensing works in Delaware — who regulates it, how to check any provider's license and public record, and where to find the official state information. Childcare Alerts indexes 1,249 licensed Delaware providers, free.

Who licenses child care in Delaware?

Child care in Delaware is licensed and monitored by the Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing. Delaware licenses providers through DHSS's Office of Child Care Licensing. Delaware publishes its full compliance record openly — every visit with the regulations cited, plus complaint investigations.

How to check a provider's license and record

1. Search on Childcare Alerts. Look up any Delaware 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. Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing ↗ is the system of record — always the final word.

What Childcare Alerts shows for Delaware

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

See the Delaware child care report and the Delaware deserts map 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 Delaware.