Off-Site Early Childhood & Child Care Support
Often, parents seek programs that are off campus or in their home. We understand that each family's needs are different and are here to help find the best option for you.
To assist you with your child care search, please review our Choosing Child Care Guide.
Center-Based Early Childhood Education Programs and/or Family Day Care Providers
To find child care and day care centers in your area, reach out to a Resource and Referral Agency in your county that links parents and childcare providers within a designated geographical area:
- Santa Clara County Office of Education
- San Mateo County 4cs
- Northern Alameda County - Bananas Inc.
- Southern Alameda County 4cs
- San Francisco County Children's Council
- Santa Cruz Child Development Resource Center (CDRC)
- Community Care Licensing Facility Search - a search tool to conduct a facility search which provides the public with access to information regarding facilities licensed by the Division of Community Care
- Palo Alto - The City of Palo Alto, Office of Human Services maintains a listing and map of licensed child care centers and homes in Palo Alto
- Palo Alto Community Child Care (PACCC) - a community based nonprofit, serving children in Palo Alto community from infancy through elementary school
- Redwood City - An interactive map that identifies the location of child care/preschool centers in the Redwood City/North Fair Oaks area, serving children birth to 12 years
If you don’t see your county listed, use this link to connect to your local child care resource and referral agency.
- Child Care Resource & Referral Options (mychildcareplan.org)
- County Financial Support available from the county
To find NAEYC Accredited Centers, visit NAEYC for Families.
We suggest you call Community Care Licensing to confirm that a provider’s license is active and to request a file review:
- Santa Clara County Licensing (serving Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties): (408) 324-2148
- San Mateo County Licensing: (650) 266-8843
Nannies and Babysitters
Bright Horizons Additional Family Supports
Searching for a nanny? Need a night out of the house? Find experienced nannies and sitters for evening and weekend child care, as well as discounts and preferred enrollment access for center-based child care and before- or after-school care.
Benefits-eligible faculty and staff may register for a free membership to Sittercity ($140 value) and get access to an online database of pre-screened caregivers and services for your child care needs.
To register, visit Bright Horizons Family Solutions, or call 877-BH-CARES (877-242-2737).
Bright Horizons
Through the Bright Horizons Back-Up Care, benefits-eligible faculty and staff have the following supports to assist in the search for ongoing child care:
- Priority access enrollment status for full-time enrollment at Bright Horizons child care centers
- Discounts at their partner network centers
Visit Bright Horizons Family Solutions and select “Center-Based Child Care” to locate a center near you.
Drop-In Child Care Resources
There are some times in every parent’s life where they need immediate, drop-in care for their child. The Bright Horizons Back-Up Care is a resource available to assist with those situations.
Financial Resources
- Child Care Subsidy Grant
- Faculty Child Care Assistance Program (Faculty only)
- Junior Faculty Travel Grant (Faculty only)
These lists are provided as a service only. The WorkLife Office and Stanford University do not endorse any of these references. These resources are not exhaustive but a sample of local resources.