Best Daycares in Santa Monica

Santa Monica offers a solid selection of licensed providers with 84 licensed facilities, including 10 Child Care Centers and 5 Family Child Care Homes. 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 Monica, Los Angeles County is strong — 100% of the top-ranked facilities have a clean inspection record with no citations. Our top pick, Beach Moms Cdc Infant Center, holds an Excellent facility score.

When it comes to cost, licensed child care centers in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County charge a median of $1,306 per month for infant care and $1,063 for preschool. These are county-level estimates — individual facilities may vary. Family child care homes are typically more affordable, with infant care averaging around $1,136 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.