Best Daycares in El Cajon

El Cajon offers a wide range of daycare options for families with 294 licensed facilities, including 18 Family Child Care Homes and 1 Single Licensed Child Care Centers. We ranked the top 20 based on their official compliance record and parent reviews to help you find the best fit for your family.

The daycare landscape in El Cajon, San Diego County is strong — 100% of the top-ranked facilities have a clean inspection record with no citations. Our top pick, Academy of Play, holds an Excellent facility score.

When it comes to cost, licensed child care centers in El Cajon, San Diego County charge a median of $1,550 per month for infant care and $1,070 for preschool. These are county-level estimates — individual facilities may vary. Family child care homes are typically more affordable, with infant care averaging around $1,017 per month.

Each facility listed below links to a detailed profile page where you can review inspection history, complaint records, capacity, and contact information. We update our rankings regularly as new licensing data becomes available.