A short, honest guide to Arizona daycare.
Arizona is a mid-priced daycare market, with significant spread between the East Valley (Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Chandler) at the top and the West Valley, Yuma, and rural Arizona at the more affordable end. The state's child care landscape is shaped less by a single universal Pre-K program and more by First Things First, the voter-created early childhood agency funded primarily by a dedicated tobacco tax.
First Things First and Quality First Scholarships
First Things First (FTF) is Arizona's voter-created early childhood agency, funded primarily by a dedicated tobacco tax through Proposition 203 (2006). FTF funds the statewide Quality First quality rating system, plus Quality First Scholarships, which subsidize tuition for eligible families at participating 3-, 4-, or 5-star providers. FTF also funds home visiting, professional development, and family support. Read our First Things First explainer.
Source: First Things First 2024 Annual Report. Approximately 18,500 Quality First Scholarships awarded statewide in FY2024, with the largest counts in Maricopa, Pima, and Pinal counties.
Quality First
Quality First is Arizona's voluntary statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System, administered by First Things First. Providers earn 1- through 5-star ratings based on classroom environment, teacher-child interactions, curriculum, family engagement, and program administration. 3-, 4-, and 5-star Quality First programs significantly exceed state minimum on every category. Filter our directory by Quality First star count.
Arizona licensing and ratios
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) Bureau of Child Care Licensing licenses and inspects every legal child care center, group home, and certified family child care home in Arizona. Center ratios are 1:5 for infants under twelve months, 1:6 for one-year-olds, 1:8 for two-year-olds, 1:13 for three-year-olds, and 1:15 for four-year-olds. Every provider in our directory is cross-checked monthly.
Financial help in Arizona
The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) Child Care Assistance program funds subsidized care for working families up to 165 percent of the federal poverty line at intake (with continued eligibility above the initial cap). First Things First Quality First Scholarships, federal Head Start, and Early Head Start fund additional free seats. All families can use the federal Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit and a Dependent Care FSA if offered through work. Our tax credit explainer walks through the math.
Where Arizona parents tend to overpay
- Premium East Valley centers when a 5-star Quality First program in central Phoenix, Mesa, or Tempe runs $200 to $500 less per month.
- Skipping the DES Child Care Assistance application because of the historical waitlist; the state has expanded funding and reduced waits since 2022.
- Add-on supply and registration fees that bundle items families already own (diapers, wipes, bedding).
Before your first tour, download the free DaycareSquare comparison checklist and the tour questions list.
