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New Jersey Child Care: Centers & Inspection Reports

Childcare Alerts indexes every licensed child care center in New Jersey from the state's open data. For each center we link directly to its official New Jersey DCF inspection-reports page — the real state record, one click away. It is a factual overview, not a safety rating of any center.

New Jersey has 4,144 licensed child care centers on public record across 21 counties. New Jersey's open data links each center to its official DCF inspection-reports page, so every center page here carries a direct link to the state's own inspection record.

Where the centers are

New Jersey counties with the most licensed centers:

1. Essex County — 470 centers
2. Bergen County — 438 centers
3. Hudson County — 392 centers
4. Middlesex County — 351 centers
5. Union County — 279 centers
6. Morris County — 270 centers
7. Monmouth County — 263 centers
8. Camden County — 235 centers
9. Passaic County — 234 centers
10. Mercer County — 209 centers

Cities with the most centers

1. Jersey City — 162 centers
2. Newark — 143 centers
3. Paterson — 66 centers
4. Union City — 57 centers
5. Trenton — 50 centers
6. Clifton — 49 centers
7. Camden — 48 centers
8. East Orange — 47 centers

New Jersey child care in the news

Recent third-party coverage of New Jersey child care. Headlines link to the original source — these are news reports, not our licensing records.

• WalletHub ranks New Jersey’s early education system 4th best in U.S.
  WRNJ Radio · Jul 28, 2026
• KinderCare ‘applauds’ recent state investments in child care
  TipRanks · Jul 27, 2026
• MI Tri-Share now law: Michigan parents pay one-third of childcare costs
  WILX · Jul 23, 2026
• Fordham drug bust prompts daycare evacuations after fentanyl thrown from apartment, authorities say
  News12 | New Jersey · Jul 16, 2026
• Daycare Owner Allegedly Gave Melatonin in 'Sweet Substance' to Children with Autism Without Parents' Consent
  People.com · Jul 16, 2026
• Middlesex County Daycare Owner Accused Of Giving Children Melatonin
  News12 | New Jersey · Jul 14, 2026

Coverage is gathered automatically from public news sources and isn't an endorsement; we link out and don't host the articles.

How to check a specific center

Search any New Jersey center by name or city to see its details and a direct link to its official DCF inspection reports.

Search a center →

Methodology & source

Centers and official inspection-report links: the New Jersey Department of Children and Families open data (data.nj.gov). Childcare Alerts surfaces and links to these public records — we don't host or vet them; the official government record always controls, and the absence of a record is not a guarantee of safety. Childcare Alerts is an independent service, not affiliated with any state agency.