Child care in Cottonwood

This is the one category on the site where every listing carries a state license number. Use it.

All nine child care providers we list in Cottonwood have an Arizona Department of Health Services license number on record, and it sits right on each listing page. Check the number against the state register before you enroll, because a license can change status between our checks. Seven are licensed as a Child Care Center, with numbers that start CDC. Two are licensed as a Child Care Group Home, with numbers that start SGH. A group home is a smaller operation run out of a house. A center is a larger facility. Which one suits your family comes down to group size and feel more than quality.

Take the license number and put it into the AZDHS license history search. That gives you the provider’s licensing record, including statements of deficiency from inspections. It is public and it is free, and it tells you what no directory listing and no review can: what an inspector actually found, and whether it got fixed. Do this before you tour, so you know what to ask about.

None of the nine has a website on record, which is normal for this trade. Every one has a phone number. You will be calling rather than browsing.

Two practical points. Waiting lists for infant places in the valley are usually the longest, so ask about the list and not just about the current opening. And ask about hours against your own shift. We do not yet hold opening hours for these providers, and the hours vary a great deal between a center and a group home.

The Head Start program in Cottonwood is included in the list and has its own eligibility rules.