Trusted Childcare Services Across Delaware

Delaware offers families a well-organized early childhood system that combines licensing oversight, quality improvement initiatives, and financial assistance programs within the First State’s compact geography that allows relatively easy access to childcare options across the state. The Delaware Office of Child Care Licensing (OCCL) within the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families regulates all childcare facilities, ensuring providers meet comprehensive health, safety, and program quality standards established in Delaware regulations. Delaware Stars for Early Success serves as the state’s quality rating and improvement system, rating participating programs on a scale from one to five stars based on staff qualifications, learning environment, family and community engagement, and management and administration practices. The Purchase of Care program provides childcare subsidies to eligible Delaware families, helping low-income working parents and those in approved training programs access quality childcare that might otherwise be unaffordable. Delaware’s relatively small size means families often have access to multiple childcare options within reasonable distance, though availability can vary between New Castle County’s urban and suburban communities and the more rural Sussex and Kent Counties. Licensed providers must maintain specific staff-to-child ratios that vary by age group, with Delaware recognizing the importance of smaller group sizes for younger children requiring more intensive care and supervision. Delaware’s early childhood community benefits from strong collaboration between state agencies, early childhood organizations, and higher education institutions working together to improve program quality and support the childcare workforce. Parents seeking Delaware childcare should check Delaware Stars ratings, verify OCCL licensing status, visit programs to observe daily activities, ask about curriculum approaches and teacher qualifications, and understand policies regarding communication, discipline, and health practices. The state’s position in the mid-Atlantic corridor means many families commute across state lines, creating unique considerations for childcare logistics.