Childcare Landscape Study - Flipbook - Page 49
Davidson County Child Care Landscape Study Results
7
Infant Care Is Limited; Child Care Centers Can Serve Only 1 in 5
Infants Born in the Last Year
Infant care represents a small share of greater Davidson County’s child care capacity. Based
on Child Care Provider Survey responses, of the 19,183 occupied slots, 1,816 slots (10%) are
allocated to infants (see Figure 1). A similar pattern holds for open slots: of the 3,001 open
slots, 10 percent are allocated to infants, meaning that just 10 percent of all full-day actual
capacity serves the region’s youngest children. Thirty percent of all full-day actual capacity is
allocated to toddlers, and the remaining 60 percent is allocated to preschoolers. For
comparison, an analysis of 19 states that identify licensed capacity by age shows that
statewide licensed capacity specifically allocated to infants can range from 1 to 23 percent.d,17
In 2024, according to national data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
10,645 infants were born in Davidson County.e,18 Based on current full-day actual capacity,
the center-based child care system can only serve approximately 20 percent, or 1 in 5,
infants born in the last year (see Figure 4).
Figure 4: Infant Population and Infant Child Care Supply
Infants
Born
Infants
Born in
in Davidson
County
Davidson
County
in 2024
10,645
Total Infants
in 2024
Full-Time
Actual
Infant
Full-Day
Capacity
Actual Capacity
2,120
Total Slots
Occupied
Slots
1,816
Open
Slots
304
Source: Davidson County Child Care Provider Experience Survey. The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, 2025. n=246. Center
for Disease Control Natality Information, 2026. Note: Results were extrapolated to represent the estimated full population of
available infant slots across greater Davidson Counties’ 246 child care centers; 2025 birth statistics are not yet available.
Though not all families need or want full-time center-based child care for their infants, this
comparison between the number of open slots and the number of infants born in the region
highlights the current system's limited ability to adequately serve greater Davidson County’s
youngest children. Child care providers commonly serve more preschoolers compared to toddlers
and infants because older children cost less to serve, and preschoolers may even be the only age
group that is profitable to serve.19 However, limited infant care supply can create numerous
challenges for working families, impacting employment decisions, household income and
resources, and the quality of infant care during their child’s critical developmental period.20,21
d Tennessee does not identify licensed capacity by age and is not included in this analysis.
e 2025 birth statistics are not yet available.
Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center 2026
www.pn3policy.org
