1,400+ licensed providers from Williamsburg to Bay Ridge, with verified 2026 tuition ranges, parent reviews, and clear information on NYC 3-K, Pre-K for All, and QUALITYstarsNY. Always free for families.
Tuition ranges are full-time, center-based monthly rates from 780+ Brooklyn providers, cross-checked against the New York City Department of Health Article 47 licensing database.
Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, and Park Slope cluster at the top of the range. Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, and Crown Heights offer the broadest mid-priced options.
New York City has the tightest toddler ratios in the country (1:5 for ages two, with at least one teacher per group), which keeps quality consistent and prices firm.
NYC 3-K and Pre-K for All offer free full-day pre-K for three- and four-year-old NYC residents at over 700 sites across Brooklyn, including dozens of partner community daycares.
Sources: New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Article 47 child care database, Child Care Aware of America 2025 New York state report, NYC DOE Early Childhood Education Division, DaycareSquare Brooklyn operator survey (Q1 2026). Updated May 2026.
Eight verified providers across the borough. The full directory holds 1,400+ listings — filter by neighborhood, age, accreditation, and cost.
Brooklyn tuition can swing $700 per month across a single subway stop. These are the neighborhoods with the most active providers in our directory.
Brooklyn has the largest daycare market of any New York City borough, the country's tightest published ratios, and a free, full-day public pre-K program that begins at age three. The combination is unusual: high tuition for infants and toddlers, then a cliff at age three where many families switch entirely to a free 3-K or Pre-K for All seat. This page is meant to help you plan around that cliff before you start touring.
3-K for All and Pre-K for All are New York City's free, full-day, mixed-income public pre-K programs for three- and four-year-old NYC residents. Seats are offered at over 700 sites across Brooklyn, including district schools, NYC Early Education Centers, and community-based partner daycares. Applications run annually through MySchools.nyc. Read our 3-K and Pre-K for All walkthrough.
QUALITYstarsNY is the state's voluntary quality rating and improvement system on a 1 to 4 star scale. Star 3 and Star 4 programs operate above state minimum on curriculum, ratios, learning environment, and family engagement. Many 3-K and Pre-K for All contracts require participation in QUALITYstarsNY, so quality and affordability often line up at the same providers.
New York City daycares are licensed under Article 47 of the New York City Health Code, which is more stringent than state-level licensing. Ratios are 1:4 for infants, 1:5 for ages one to two, and 1:7 for two-year-olds, with at least one credentialed teacher per group. Every Brooklyn provider in our directory is cross-checked against the city's Article 47 database monthly.
In addition to 3-K and Pre-K for All, working families up to a state-set income threshold may qualify for a child care voucher through the Administration for Children's Services. NYC also runs the Promise NYC program for families regardless of immigration status, and the federal Head Start program operates dozens of Brooklyn sites. All families can use the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and a Dependent Care FSA. Our tax credit explainer walks through the math at common Brooklyn income levels.
Before your first tour, download the free DaycareSquare comparison checklist and the tour questions list.
Costs, licensing, QUALITYstarsNY, and subsidy programs across all of New York State.
View state page → Free toolPlug in your ZIP, child age, and care type. Get your personal monthly range in about sixty seconds.
Try the calculator → Free downloadTwenty-seven questions to ask at every tour, plus a side-by-side scoring sheet. PDF.
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