Curated · September 2026

Best Daycares in Kensington, CA

Our top licensed picks in Kensington — ranked on license status, capacity, and verification recency from California Department of Social Services — Community Care Licensing Division. 10 centers reviewed. No paid placement, ever.

How we picked: from 10 licensed centers in Kensington, we surface those with a current license, larger licensed capacity, and the most recent verification. Ranking is objective and editorial — providers cannot pay for placement. Always confirm current license status before enrolling.

1

San Jose Children's Place #474

Kensington, CA · 94707

Before & After School Care Capacity 118 3 years - 5 years
2

First Steps San Francisco #83

Kensington, CA · 94707

Child Care Center Capacity 117 0 months - 12 months
3

Oakland Kids First Academy #182

Kensington, CA · 94707

Licensed Group Child Care Home Capacity 111 6 weeks - 5 years
4

Riverside Smart Start Academy #282

Kensington, CA · 94708

Before & After School Care Capacity 107 3 years - 5 years
5

Oakland Sunshine Daycare #183

Kensington, CA · 94708

Preschool Capacity 100 2 years - 5 years
6

Nurturing Hearts Riverside #281

Kensington, CA · 94707

Head Start Capacity 98 2 years - 12 years
7

Bakersfield Playhouse Academy #573

Kensington, CA · 94707

Montessori Capacity 76 6 weeks - 12 years
8

Happy Days San Jose Daycare #475

Kensington, CA · 94708

Infant Care Capacity 75 5 years - 12 years
9

San Francisco Little Scholars #84

Kensington, CA · 94708

Family Daycare Capacity 64 0 months - 5 years
10

Bakersfield Learning Center #574

Kensington, CA · 94708

Child Care Center Capacity 32 0 months - 12 months

How we ranked these Kensington daycares

This ranking is built from public licensing records, not from opinions or paid placements. Every center on this page is pulled from the state licensing database, and the order is decided by three objective signals applied in this exact sequence:

  1. Current license status first. Centers whose permit is on record as licensed appear above those with any other status. A license is the single strongest signal a state gives you.
  2. Licensed capacity, largest first. Bigger licensed capacity usually means more classrooms, more age groups served and a better chance of an open spot — but it is not a measure of quality, and a small center may suit your child better.
  3. Most recent inspection date. A center inspected recently has fresher public data behind it, so what you read here is closer to today's reality.

What does not affect this ranking

No center can pay to be listed, to rank higher, or to change its description. We do not accept payment from providers, and affiliate links elsewhere on this site never influence the order of any listing.

What this list cannot tell you. Licensing data says nothing about staff turnover, how a room feels at 4pm, or whether a director answers the phone. Those you can only learn by visiting.

Before you enrol anywhere, verify the license yourself in your state database, tour during operating hours, and ask for the ratio in your child's specific room — our 30-point tour checklist walks through exactly what to ask.

Contains affiliate links

Starting daycare soon? Here is what to pack

Bottles, name labels, nap bedding and spare clothes — our checklist by age covers what centers ask you to bring, and what they ask you not to send.

See the checklist →

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