Center-based Child Care and Early Education Providers' Sources of Revenue and Participation in Public Programs - OPRE Report 2025-074

Oct 15, 2026

Nationally representative estimates examine center-based child care and early education providers serving children age 5 and under not yet in kindergarten. Using 2012 and 2019 NSECE data, the chartbook reports revenue source ranges across private funding and public programs, how centers combine public funds, and participation in subsidies such as CCDF. It highlights statistically significant changes between 2012 and 2019, including growth in CCDF-funded centers and differences in the share of children whose care is paid by families only.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages31

Reading Time1 h 18 min

AccessFree to download

Revenue Sources and Public Programs

How Centers Combine Public Funds

Participation in Child Care Subsidies

Selected Findings

CHARTBOOK Center-based Child Care and Early Education Providers’Sources of Revenue and Participation in Public Programs OPRE Report \#2025-074 May 2025 What's Inside 􀁦 Revenue Sources and Public Programs 􀁦 How Centers Combine Public Funds 􀁦 Participation in Child Care Subsidies This chartbook presents nationally representative estimates about center-based care to children age 5 and under not yet in kindergarten, using data from the 2012 and 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) . In 2019, there were 121,000 centers providing CCEE to children age 5 and under, not yet in kindergarten. These centers may have served children up to age 13. Altogether, centers in 2019 served 9.49 million children under age 13.1This chartbook describes center-based child care and early education (CCEE) providers’ range of revenue sources across both private sources and public programs, their combining of public funds, and their participation in child care subsidies such as the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) program. This chartbook also identifies statistically significant changes between 2012 and 2019 where available. Key definitions are found in the next section. The chartbook features: Revenue Sources and Public Programs Receipt of revenue from private sources, Self-reported mix of funding, Combination of public funding, Any receipt of public funding, Children whose fees are paid only by parents How Centers Combine Public Funds Receipt of combinations of public sources, Requirements to meet multiple standards, State and Local Funding among public pre-K funded centers, Participation in Child Care Subsidies Subsidy receipt, What parents receiving subsidies pay for, Limits on number of children with child care subsidies Selected findings include: • In 2019, as in 2012, over two thirds of centers received at least some revenue from tuition payments ( Exhibit 1 ) . • In 2019, about half of centers (51 .2%) reported receiving both private and public funds, but in more than 90 percent of centers, either private or public funds make up the large majority of revenues; very few centers (8 .2%) evenly balance public and private funds ( Exhibit 2 ) . 1 A R Datta, Z Gebhardt, C Zapata-Gietl, (2021) . Center-based Early Care and Education Providers in 2012 and 2019: Counts and Characteristics. OPRE Report No. 2021-222, Washington DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and [Human Services.](Human Services. www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/center-based-early-care-and-education-providers-)[ ](Human Services. www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/center-based-early-care-and-education-providers-)[www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/center-based-early-care-and-education-providers-](Human Services. www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/center-based-early-care-and-education-providers-)[ ](Human Services. www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/center-based-early-care-and-education-providers-)[2012-and-2019-counts-and](2012-and-2019-counts-and) • In 2019, the number of centers reporting receiving funding from CCDF showed a significant increase to 54,000 centers from 37,500 centers in 2012. The number of centers receiving funding from public pre-K and Head Start, the two other largest CCEE public funding types, also increased significantly from 2012 to 2019 ( Exhibit 4 ) . • Compared to 2012, more centers in 2019 were receiving Head Start or public pre-K funding in combination with CCDF funding. The number of centers receiving Head Start or public pre-K funding without CCDF funding was similar in 2012 and 2019 ( Exhibits 6a-6c) . • In 2019, on average, centers report that 44 .0% of their enrolled children had their care paid for only by their families, with no subsidies, discounts or scholarships. This percentage varied from an average of 15.6% of enrolled children in centers that had either public pre-K or Head Start funding (but not both), to an average of 72.9% of e

FAQs

What data sources does the chartbook use to analyze center-based providers?

It uses data from the 2012 and 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE). The focus is on center-based care for children age 5 and under who are not yet in kindergarten.

What revenue source patterns are highlighted for 2019?

More than two thirds of centers received at least some revenue from tuition payments in 2019. About half reported receiving both private and public funds, but in most centers either private or public funds dominate revenues.

How did CCDF participation change from 2012 to 2019?

The number of centers reporting CCDF funding increased significantly to 54,000 centers in 2019 from 37,500 in 2012.

Oct 15, 2026

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