Polk County · Florida
Winter Haven at a glance
85 licensed child care providers in Winter Haven, drawn from the state licensing agency's public records. Each profile carries the license number, status, and capacity on record. Where the state publishes nothing for a field, or the daycare is not licensed, the profile says so plainly.
About licensed daycares in Winter Haven
Winter Haven is in the center of Polk County, between Lakeland and the Kissimmee-Orlando corridor, and best known as home to LEGOLAND Florida. The city sits on a chain of lakes that shape both its geography and its neighborhoods, and the economy leans on hospitality, healthcare through BayCare and AdventHealth, agriculture in the surrounding citrus and cattle country, and a growing logistics sector.
Neighborhoods and districts include the historic downtown grid around Central Park, the lakeside older neighborhoods, and the newer developments on the south and east sides toward Cypress Gardens Boulevard. Many families here work in hospitality on non-standard schedules, and the licensed provider directory includes accredited centers, faith-based programs, and family day care homes across a mix of older and newer neighborhoods.
Winter Haven averages
Averaged across every provider on record.
Parent sentiment
+0.3 vs Florida averageAverage parent review rating on Google or Yelp.
- Winter Haven3.7
- Florida3.4
43 providers sampled
Daycare Index Rating
-19 vs Florida averageAverage Daycare Index Rating across the providers here that carry a score. Each score is built only from the public record available for that provider, and whatever the data cannot answer is excluded rather than guessed at. See scoring guide.
- Winter Haven36
- Florida55
85 providers sampled
Top 10 Google RatingsYelp
Bayesian-adjusted so review volume matters, not just stars.
Top 10 Safety Ratings
Ranked by the composite Daycare Confidence Index.
Most-Reviewed Winter Haven Daycares
Raw review volume. Not a quality signal on its own.
Most Loved by Winter Haven ParentsYelp
Trust-adjusted parent rating, so review volume counts.
Highest-confidence providers
Ranked by the overall Confidence Index: the regulatory record, parent reviews, accreditation, staff qualifications, and how much each provider publishes about itself. How scoring works.
85 daycares in Winter Haven
More daycares in Winter Haven
25 more, in the same order as the cards above. Each name opens that provider’s licence record, inspections and parent reviews.
- Polk County Schools - Chain of Lakes Elementary
Center-based · No parent reviews yet · VPK
- Polk County Schools - Garden Grove Elementary
Center-based · No parent reviews yet · VPK · Head Start
- Polk County Schools - Inwood Elementary
Center-based · No parent reviews yet · VPK · Head Start
- Polk County Schools - Jewett School of the Arts
Center-based · No parent reviews yet · VPK
- Polk County Schools - Lake Shipp Elementary
Center-based · No parent reviews yet · VPK
- Polk County Schools Head Start - Garner Elementary
Center-based · No parent reviews yet · VPK · Head Start
- Polk County Schools Head Start - Wahneta Elementary
Center-based · No parent reviews yet · VPK · Head Start
- Polk County Schools Head Start – Winter Haven Community Center
Center-based · No parent reviews yet
- RCMA Wahneta Child Development Center
Center-based · No parent reviews yet · VPK · Head Start
- Reach For Success
Center-based · No parent reviews yet
- Ridge Teen Parent
Center-based · No parent reviews yet
- Smart Start Enterprises, Inc. DBA Lake Ruby Learning Center
Center-based · No parent reviews yet · VPK
- Smart Start Youth & Family Services, Inc. @ Chain Of Lake KidCare
Center-based · No parent reviews yet
- Smart Start Youth And Family Services Inc @ Garden Grove Kidcare
Center-based · No parent reviews yet
- St. Joseph Catholic School
Center-based · No parent reviews yet · VPK · Faith-based
- Taylor'd To Learning Academy
Center-based · No parent reviews yet · VPK
- Tiny Blossoms Learning Center, LLC
Home daycare · No parent reviews yet
- VILLAGE POINT CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER Llc
Center-based · No parent reviews yet
- Wee Explore Academy
Center-based · No parent reviews yet
- Wee Explore Academy Inc.
Center-based · No parent reviews yet
- Winter Haven Christian School, Inc
Center-based · No parent reviews yet
- Winter Haven Montessori N
Center-based · No parent reviews yet
- Yoanna's Playground Family Daycare LLC
Home daycare · No parent reviews yet
- Tiny Tykes Preschool
Center-based · Google 3.8, 10 reviews · VPK
- Hope Creative School
Center-based · Google 3.7, 19 reviews · VPK
Parents ask
Frequently asked
How many licensed daycares are in Winter Haven, Florida?
As of the latest Florida Department of Children and Families sync, there are 85 licensed child care providers within the Winter Haven city limits, in Polk County. Verify current status at myflfamilies.com, which is the authoritative record.
How many Winter Haven daycares offer VPK?
43 of the 85 licensed providers in Winter Haven currently offer Florida's free Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) program for 4-year-olds — filter by the VPK badge on the sidebar to see them.
How many Winter Haven daycares hold Gold Seal accreditation?
No Winter Haven providers currently hold Florida's Gold Seal Quality Care designation in the DCF record. Gold Seal requires an outside quality accreditation on top of a DCF license.
Which Winter Haven daycares accept Florida School Readiness subsidies?
45 providers in Winter Haven are on record as offering the Florida School Readiness subsidized child care program. Filter by the School Readiness chip to see the current list.
Are there Head Start programs in Winter Haven?
8 providers participate in the federal Head Start program in Winter Haven. Head Start serves income-eligible children ages 3 to 5 at no cost to the family.
How often are Winter Haven daycares inspected by DCF?
Licensed child care facilities in Florida are inspected at least three times per year by the Florida Department of Children and Families, plus additional visits in response to complaints or reported incidents. Every routine inspection recorded by DCF appears on the daycare's profile page on this site.
Are most Winter Haven daycares child care centers or family day care homes?
Of the 85 licensed providers in Winter Haven, roughly 73 are licensed child care centers or facilities and roughly 11 are family day care homes. The remaining providers hold other DCF license classifications.
How do I verify a Winter Haven daycare's current license status?
Every daycare profile on this site links back to the Florida Department of Children and Families public license lookup. Before enrolling, verify the current license status, capacity, and any open corrective actions directly at myflfamilies.com. The DCF record is authoritative and more current than anything published here.