Finding Child Care

Santa Monica is home to many providers of early childhood education and child care.  On this page, the Santa Monica Early Childhood Task Force hopes to help families begin the search for the child care they need and want. To help you get started: 

First 5 California has this article on Child Care Options  to help you determine what kind of situation might work best for your family. 

 City of Santa Monica- Human Service Division Senior Administrative Analyst Ivy Chang wrote this Early Childhood Education series featuring 11 local preschool providers.

Connections for Children --  CfC is the non-profit Child Care Resource and Referral agency serving parents, child care providers, and educators in Santa Monica. They are the child care experts for the Westside and guide families and child care professionals towards quality services and programs. CfC can help you find child care and let you know if your child is eligible for financial assistance, including subsidies provided by the City of Santa Monica for income-eligible families.  If you need help in finding child care or inquiring about financial assistance,  please call their main office at (310) 452-3325, ext. 244.  

CfC has office hours in Santa Monica at the Santa Monica College Main Campus, 1900 Pico Boulevard, on the first floor of the Student Service Center, every second and fourth Wednesday of the month, from 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM.  Walk-ins are welcome but CfC encourages making an appointment by calling 310-452-3325 to ensure they can assist you. 

Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District Child Development Services -- CDS serves children from six weeks to three years of age in its Infant & Toddler Center, located on the campus of Santa Monica High School. Other CDS programs offer full-day and/or part-day preschool.  CDS preschool programs offer experiences for 3 and 4-year old children through the district facilitated and California State Preschool Programs (CSPP). Programs are available for a fee, or are no-cost or low-cost for financially eligible families. CDS has preschools on seven school campuses in Santa Monica as well as at a stand-alone site.  Please see this Sites page to find the right location for your family. For more information, please call the CDS main office at (310) 399-5865.  (The School District also offers Transitional Kindergarten and CDS provides before- and after-school care at all school sites for children in Transitional Kindergarten through grade 3.)

California Department of Social Services Search Tool for finding licensed facilities.  At this link, you can search for licensed child care facilities in California, including in Santa Monica! Here's how:

Use the drop down menu for Facility Type to select one of the following:

Child Care - Infant Center, serves ages 0-2

School Age Child Care Center, serves ages 5-17

Child Care Center, mildly ill

Child Care Center Preschool, serves ages 2-5

Family Child Care Home (Small), serves 8 children or less

Family Child Care Home (Large), serves up to 14 children

Then enter the zip code you are interested in searching, enter Los Angeles County, and click Search.  The website will provide you with a listing of licensed providers. Please note that this tool is currently imperfect and being further developed. For example, Family Child Care Home Small are not searchable although there are available. Please contact Connections for Children for further assistance!