Best Daycares in Merced

Merced offers a wide range of daycare options for families with 101 licensed facilities, including 12 Family Child Care Homes and 5 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 Merced, Merced County is strong — 100% of the top-ranked facilities have a clean inspection record with no citations. Our top pick, Ada Givens Preschool, holds an Excellent facility score.

When it comes to cost, licensed child care centers in Merced, Merced County charge a median of $960 per month for infant care and $748 for preschool. These are county-level estimates — individual facilities may vary. Family child care homes are typically more affordable, with infant care averaging around $918 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.