A short, honest guide to Winston-Salem daycare.
Winston-Salem is anchored by Wake Forest University, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, and several large corporate employers (Hanesbrands, Reynolds American, BB&T/Truist). The result is a Forsyth County daycare market that combines an unusually high concentration of university-affiliated and faith-based programs with traditional center care. Local NAEYC-accredited and 5-star centers cluster in the historic neighborhoods of Ardmore, Buena Vista, and Reynolda, while West End and Old Salem hold a strong base of cooperative and Moravian-tradition preschools. Tuition runs noticeably below the Triangle, with infant care typically $250 to $400 less per month than Raleigh or Durham.
North Carolina star-rated licensing
North Carolina is one of the few states that publishes a mandatory star rating for every licensed center and home, on a 1- to 5-star scale. The rating reflects program standards (curriculum, ratios, activities) and staff education. About 70 percent of Winston-Salem licensed providers operate at 4 or 5 stars. Every rated provider in our directory is matched against the NC DCDEE registry monthly.
Source: North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education, Star Rated License System, 2025. Star ratings are mandatory for every licensed center in NC; the rating is updated annually.
North Carolina licensing and ratios
NC DCDEE licenses centers and family child care homes. Center ratios are 1:5 for infants under 12 months, 1:6 for ages 12 to 23 months, 1:10 for two-year-olds, 1:15 for three-year-olds, and 1:20 for ages four and five. 5-star NAEYC-accredited centers commonly operate well below these ceilings.
Wake Forest and Atrium family resources
Wake Forest University operates an on-campus Child Care Center primarily for faculty, staff, and graduate-student families, with a long waitlist. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist runs an employer-priority program at several near-campus centers in the Reynolda neighborhood. If either applies, the priority enrollment can compress a typical four- to six-month waitlist substantially.
Where Winston-Salem parents tend to overpay
- Ardmore and Buena Vista flagship centers when a comparable West End or Clemmons-border 5-star program is fifteen minutes away at a 15 to 20 percent discount.
- Skipping the NC Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program application when household income would qualify for partial or full subsidy at participating providers.
- Missing the Smart Start of Forsyth County scholarship and resource line, which sometimes places eligible families in 5-star centers ahead of the public waitlist.
Financial help
North Carolina's Subsidized Child Care Assistance Program covers most of the tuition bill for working families earning up to about 200 percent of the federal poverty level at participating providers. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and NC Pre-K run free preschool seats for eligible four-year-olds. Smart Start of Forsyth County coordinates additional scholarships and resource referrals. 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, and our scholarship guide covers private routes.
Before your first tour, download the free DaycareSquare comparison checklist and the tour questions list for a side-by-side scoring sheet.
