Best Daycares in Santa Barbara County

Santa Barbara County offers one of the largest daycare markets in California with 565 licensed facilities, including 18 Family Child Care Homes and 1 Child Care - Infant 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 Santa Barbara County is strong — 100% of the top-ranked facilities have a clean inspection record with no citations. Our top pick, A Child's Village Learning Center, holds an Excellent facility score.

When it comes to cost, licensed child care centers in Santa Barbara County charge a median of $1,729 per month for infant care and $1,072 for preschool. These are county-level estimates — individual facilities may vary. Family child care homes are typically more affordable, with infant care averaging around $1,276 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.