# Daycare & Preschool Directory Scraper (`jungle_synthesizer/daycare-preschool-directory-scraper`) Actor Licensed daycare, preschool, and family child-care providers in California, Florida, Texas, and New York. Search by ZIP, city, county, or name keyword. Returns license, status, capacity, contact, inspection counts, programs (VPK, Gold Seal, Texas Rising Star), and operating hours. - **URL**: https://apify.com/jungle\_synthesizer/daycare-preschool-directory-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [BowTiedRaccoon](https://apify.com/jungle_synthesizer) (community) - **Categories:** Lead generation, Business, Automation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Daycare & Preschool Directory Scraper Scrapes licensed daycare, preschool, and family child-care providers from state regulators in California, Florida, Texas, and New York. Returns license number and status, capacity, contact info, inspection history, and (where available) program enrollment, operating hours, and geo-coordinates in flat JSON. - **California (CA):** [CDSS Community Care Licensing](https://www.ccld.dss.ca.gov/carefacilitysearch/) — ~55,000 licensed providers across 7 facility types. - **Florida (FL):** [DCF CARES Public Search](https://caressearch.myflfamilies.com/PublicSearch) — ~12,500 licensed and exempt providers, including VPK / Gold Seal / School Readiness program flags. - **Texas (TX):** [HHS Child Care Search](https://childcare.hhs.texas.gov/Public/childcaresearch) — ~14,500 licensed providers across 5 facility types, including Texas Rising Star quality ratings and deficiency-tier breakdowns. - **New York (NY):** [OCFS / data.ny.gov](https://data.ny.gov/Human-Services/Child-Care-Regulated-Programs/cb42-qumz) — ~16,800 licensed and registered child-care providers across 5 program types, including age-tier capacities and per-facility inspection history. --- ### Daycare & Preschool Directory Scraper Features - Searches by ZIP code, city, county, or facility-name keyword. Combine filters to target a specific block or a specific brand statewide. - Four states in one actor with one consistent output schema. State-specific fields fall back to empty / null sentinels when a regulator does not publish them, so downstream code does not have to branch. - Florida output includes operating hours by day of week, latitude/longitude, and program flags (Gold Seal, VPK, Head Start, School Readiness, religious-exempt). California output includes a full inspection-and-complaint count breakdown with Type A and Type B violation tallies. Texas output includes the Texas Rising Star quality rating, subsidized-care flag, working hours, and per-inspection deficiency-tier counts (mapped into the same Type A / Type B fields California uses). - Hits state JSON APIs directly. No browser. CA, TX, and NY run unproxied; FL routes through US residential proxies because the regulator IP-blocks non-US clients. - Optional listing-only mode for California, Texas, and New York (`includeDetails: false`) for cheap, fast pulls when you just need contact info. - License-status filter strips out closed, exempt, or pending facilities before the detail fetch. --- ### Who Uses Child-Care Provider Data? - **B2B SaaS sales teams** — childcare management software (Brightwheel, Procare, HiMama), payroll, and scheduling vendors prospecting licensed centers. - **Curriculum and supply vendors** — filter by capacity to target the centers actually buying at scale. - **Insurance brokers** — child-care liability is a defined underwriting niche; this gives you the contact set with capacity figures already attached. - **Compliance and screening tools** — pull license status, complaint counts, deficiency tiers, and program flags to feed parent-facing review sites or regulatory dashboards. - **PE and M&A research** — count centers by county, segment by license type, track new openings and closures over time. - **Local marketing agencies** — pitch every preschool in a metro without copying rows out of a clunky search UI like it's 2009. --- ### How Daycare & Preschool Directory Scraper Works 1. Pick your state (`CA`, `FL`, `TX`, or `NY`) and your filter. ZIP codes are the most precise. CA and FL cap each query at 250 / 200 records; TX returns all matching records inside a 10-mile radius around the ZIP centroid; NY returns up to 5 000 matching records per ZIP via Socrata pagination. Several ZIPs in one run is the right move for any metro. 2. Choose facility types matching the selected state. CA has 7 license types, FL has 3, TX has 5, NY has 5. 3. The scraper runs each facility-type × filter combination, dedupes by license number, and (for California, Texas, and New York) optionally hits the per-facility detail endpoint to fill in director/contact name, license-renewal date, and inspection visit history. Florida embeds inspection metadata in the search response — no second call needed. 4. Records stream into the dataset as flat JSON. Stop early with `maxItems`, or let it sweep an entire ZIP set. --- ### Input ```json { "state": "CA", "zips": ["94110", "94103", "94114"], "facilityTypes": ["Child Care Center Preschool", "Child Care Center"], "includeDetails": true, "maxItems": 100 } ```` | Field | Type | Default | Description | |-------|------|---------|-------------| | `state` | string | `"CA"` | US state to search. `CA` (California), `FL` (Florida), `TX` (Texas), or `NY` (New York). | | `zips` | array | `["94110"]` | ZIP codes to search. The most precise filter and the recommended starting point. | | `cities` | array | `[]` | City names. CA / FL: server-capped per query (250 / 200). TX: no server-side city filter — TX falls back to fuzzy keyword matching against provider name and post-filters by city client-side. NY: exact-match against the canonical OCFS city value. | | `counties` | array | `[]` | County names. CA / FL: coarse server-capped filter. TX: keyword fallback like cities. NY: exact-match against the canonical OCFS county value. | | `facilityNameKeyword` | string | — | Substring match on facility name. Useful for tracking national brands ("KinderCare", "Montessori"). | | `facilityTypes` | array | `["Child Care Center Preschool", "Child Care Center"]` | One or more license types matching the selected state's vocabulary. CA: 7 types; FL: 3; TX: 5; NY: 5. Pick at least one. | | `statusFilter` | string | `""` | Limit to a specific license status. CA values: `Licensed`, `Closed`, `Pending Application`. FL values: `Licensed`, `Exempt`. TX values: `Full Permit`, `Initial Permit`, `Certified`, `Registered`. NY values: `License`, `Registration`, `Pending Revocation`, `Pending Revocation and Denial`, `Suspended`. Empty = all statuses. | | `includeDetails` | boolean | `true` | California, Texas, and New York — fetches the per-facility detail endpoint or profile page (NY: scrapes inspection history from the public OCFS profile). Set `false` for a fast, cheap listing-only pull. Florida ignores this flag (the search response already embeds full detail). | | `maxItems` | integer | `15` | Cap on records returned, 1–50000. Default is conservative for the Apify tester. | #### California facility types - `Child Care Center Preschool` - `Child Care Center` - `Child Care - Infant Center` - `School Age Child Care Center` - `Single Licensed Child Care Center` - `Family Child Care Home (Small)` - `Family Child Care Home (Large)` #### Florida facility types - `Child Care Facility` — licensed daycare centers and preschools. - `Family Day Care Home` — small home-based providers. - `Large Family Child Care Home` — larger home-based providers. #### Texas facility types - `Licensed Center` — licensed daycare centers (the bulk of TX records). - `Licensed Child-Care Home` — licensed home providers. - `Registered Child-Care Home` — registered (smaller) home providers. - `Small Employer Based Child Care` - `Listed Family Home` — minimum-regulation home care. #### New York facility types - `Day Care Center` — licensed daycare centers (DCC). - `Group Family Day Care` — group home providers (GFDC). - `Family Day Care` — small home-based providers (FDC). - `School-Age Child Care` — after-school programs (SACC). - `Small Day Care Center` — small licensed centers (SDCC). #### California — Montessori centers across SF ```json { "state": "CA", "zips": ["94110", "94103", "94114", "94117"], "facilityTypes": ["Child Care Center Preschool"], "facilityNameKeyword": "Montessori", "includeDetails": true, "maxItems": 50 } ``` #### Florida — Miami ZIP example ```json { "state": "FL", "zips": ["33126"], "facilityTypes": ["Child Care Facility", "Family Day Care Home", "Large Family Child Care Home"], "maxItems": 50 } ``` #### Texas — Austin licensed centers ```json { "state": "TX", "zips": ["78701", "78745", "78723"], "facilityTypes": ["Licensed Center"], "includeDetails": true, "maxItems": 100 } ``` #### New York — Manhattan ZIPs ```json { "state": "NY", "zips": ["10002", "10003"], "facilityTypes": ["Day Care Center", "Group Family Day Care", "School-Age Child Care"], "includeDetails": true, "maxItems": 100 } ``` #### California — listing-only fast mode ```json { "state": "CA", "zips": ["94110"], "facilityTypes": ["Child Care Center"], "includeDetails": false, "maxItems": 200 } ``` *** ### Output Fields The output schema is uniform across all three states. Fields a regulator does not publish are emitted as empty strings, `null`, `false`, or `[]` so downstream consumers do not have to branch on `state`. #### California sample ```json { "facilityNumber": "384004339", "state": "CA", "facilityName": "MISSION KIDS", "facilityType": "Child Care Center Preschool", "facilityTypeCode": "850", "status": "Licensed", "licenseeName": "MISSION KIDS", "contactName": "MARCHIEL, CHRISTINA M.", "capacity": 96, "streetAddress": "969 TREAT AVENUE", "city": "San Francisco", "zip": "94110", "county": "San Francisco", "phone": "(415) 970-9027", "email": "", "latitude": null, "longitude": null, "licenseFirstDate": "2/4/2021", "licenseEffectiveDate": "2/4/2021", "licenseExpirationDate": "", "lastVisitDate": "8/28/2024", "dateClosed": "", "clientsServed": ["950 - CHILDREN"], "comments": "LICENSED TO SERVE CHILDREN AGES TWO TO ENTRY INTO FIRST GRADE.", "districtOffice": "SAN BRUNO CC RO", "districtOfficePhone": "(650) 266-8800", "totalVisits": 4, "inspectionVisits": 2, "complaintVisits": 1, "complaintsTotal": 1, "complaintsSubstantiated": 0, "complaintsInconclusive": 0, "complaintsUnsubstantiated": 1, "typeAViolations": 0, "typeBViolations": 0, "visitDates": ["08/28/2024", "02/13/2023", "12/15/2021", "12/03/2021"], "operatingHours": {}, "programs": [], "services": [], "isGoldSeal": false, "isVPK": false, "isHeadStart": false, "isReligiousExempt": false, "isFaithBased": false, "starRating": "", "subsidizedChildCare": false, "profileUrl": "https://www.ccld.dss.ca.gov/carefacilitysearch/#/FacDetail/384004339", "sourceState": "CA", "sourceUrl": "https://www.ccld.dss.ca.gov/transparencyapi/api/FacilityDetail/384004339", "scrapedAt": "2026-04-27T18:30:41.667Z" } ``` #### Florida sample ```json { "facilityNumber": "C11MD0255", "state": "FL", "facilityName": "Bamby's Day Care Center And Nursery School Inc", "facilityType": "Child Care Facility", "facilityTypeCode": "1", "status": "Licensed", "licenseeName": "", "contactName": "", "capacity": 75, "streetAddress": "860 NW 44th Ave", "city": "Miami", "zip": "33126", "county": "Miami-Dade", "phone": "(305) 448-2458", "email": "cfranco@bellsouth.net", "latitude": 25.78038, "longitude": -80.26811, "licenseFirstDate": "4/14/1990", "licenseEffectiveDate": "", "licenseExpirationDate": "4/13/2027", "lastVisitDate": "4/5/2023", "dateClosed": "", "clientsServed": ["After School", "Before School", "Food Served", "Full Day", "Infant Care"], "comments": "", "districtOffice": "", "districtOfficePhone": "", "totalVisits": 11, "inspectionVisits": 11, "complaintVisits": null, "complaintsTotal": null, "complaintsSubstantiated": null, "complaintsInconclusive": null, "complaintsUnsubstantiated": null, "typeAViolations": null, "typeBViolations": null, "visitDates": ["4/5/2023", "8/9/2023", "12/12/2023", "3/18/2024", "8/1/2024", "12/2/2024", "3/5/2025", "8/12/2025", "12/12/2025", "1/15/2026", "3/19/2026"], "operatingHours": { "monday": "6:30AM to 6:30PM", "tuesday": "6:30AM to 6:30PM", "wednesday": "6:30AM to 6:30PM", "thursday": "6:30AM to 6:30PM", "friday": "6:30AM to 6:30PM", "saturday": "Closed", "sunday": "Closed" }, "programs": ["School Readiness", "VPK"], "services": ["After School", "Before School", "Food Served", "Full Day", "Infant Care"], "isGoldSeal": false, "isVPK": true, "isHeadStart": false, "isReligiousExempt": false, "isFaithBased": false, "starRating": "", "subsidizedChildCare": false, "profileUrl": "https://caressearch.myflfamilies.com/PublicSearch?searchText=C11MD0255", "sourceState": "FL", "sourceUrl": "https://caresapi.myflfamilies.com/api/publicSearch/Search?searchText=C11MD0255&tag=Providers", "scrapedAt": "2026-04-28T07:44:25.542Z" } ``` #### Texas sample ```json { "facilityNumber": "1778596", "state": "TX", "facilityName": "AISD Blanton Third Base", "facilityType": "Licensed Center", "facilityTypeCode": "DCC", "status": "Full Permit", "licenseeName": "", "contactName": "", "capacity": 170, "streetAddress": "5408 Westminster Dr", "city": "Austin", "zip": "78723", "county": "Travis", "phone": "(512) 414-0220", "email": "", "latitude": 30.306568011, "longitude": -97.690080962, "licenseFirstDate": "8/7/2024", "licenseEffectiveDate": "", "licenseExpirationDate": "8/7/2026", "lastVisitDate": "8/20/2025", "dateClosed": "", "clientsServed": ["Pre-Kindergarten", "School"], "comments": "", "districtOffice": "", "districtOfficePhone": "", "totalVisits": 13, "inspectionVisits": 12, "complaintVisits": 0, "complaintsTotal": null, "complaintsSubstantiated": null, "complaintsInconclusive": null, "complaintsUnsubstantiated": null, "typeAViolations": 20, "typeBViolations": 0, "visitDates": ["8/20/2025", "5/21/2025", "1/28/2025", "7/16/2024", "6/26/2024", "5/14/2024", "3/25/2024", "1/10/2024", "12/15/2023", "11/15/2023", "11/2/2023", "10/26/2023", "7/24/2023"], "operatingHours": { "allDays": "Mon - Fri: 3:00 PM-6:00 PM" }, "programs": ["Subsidized Child Care"], "services": [], "isGoldSeal": false, "isVPK": false, "isHeadStart": false, "isReligiousExempt": false, "isFaithBased": false, "starRating": "3-Star", "subsidizedChildCare": true, "profileUrl": "https://childcare.hhs.texas.gov/Public/operationdetails?operationId=1451912&resCareFlag=N", "sourceState": "TX", "sourceUrl": "https://childcare.hhs.texas.gov/__endpoint/ps/daycare/operationDetails/1451912", "scrapedAt": "2026-04-29T13:41:52.867Z" } ``` #### New York sample ```json { "facilityNumber": "40060", "state": "NY", "facilityName": "Tots-N-Us", "facilityType": "Day Care Center", "facilityTypeCode": "DCC", "status": "License", "licenseeName": "Hannah C. Furey", "contactName": "Hannah C. Furey", "capacity": 91, "streetAddress": "1451 Route 300", "city": "Newburgh", "zip": "12550", "county": "Orange", "phone": "(845) 564-7215", "email": "", "latitude": 41.527936, "longitude": -74.06919, "licenseFirstDate": "4/16/1989", "licenseEffectiveDate": "4/15/2023", "licenseExpirationDate": "4/14/2027", "lastVisitDate": "1/8/2026", "dateClosed": "", "clientsServed": ["Toddler", "Preschool", "School-Age"], "comments": "12 Toddlers, 65 Preschoolers and 14 School-Aged Children", "districtOffice": "YRO", "districtOfficePhone": "", "totalVisits": 10, "inspectionVisits": 10, "complaintVisits": null, "complaintsTotal": null, "complaintsSubstantiated": null, "complaintsInconclusive": null, "complaintsUnsubstantiated": null, "typeAViolations": null, "typeBViolations": null, "visitDates": ["1/8/2026", "12/1/2025", "8/12/2025", "5/30/2025", "3/5/2025", "12/23/2024", "10/24/2024", "8/21/2024", "5/30/2024", "5/2/2024"], "operatingHours": {}, "programs": [], "services": [], "isGoldSeal": false, "isVPK": false, "isHeadStart": false, "isReligiousExempt": false, "isFaithBased": false, "starRating": "", "subsidizedChildCare": false, "profileUrl": "https://hs.ocfs.ny.gov/dcfs/Profile/Index/40060", "sourceState": "NY", "sourceUrl": "https://data.ny.gov/resource/cb42-qumz.json?facility_id=40060", "scrapedAt": "2026-04-29T14:20:25.498Z" } ``` #### Field reference | Field | Type | CA | FL | TX | NY | Description | |-------|------|----|----|----|----|-------------| | `facilityNumber` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | State-issued license / facility number, unique within state. CA / TX / NY numeric, FL alphanumeric. | | `state` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | `CA`, `FL`, `TX`, or `NY`. | | `facilityName` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | Facility business name. FL appends `(DBA )` when distinct from the legal name. | | `facilityType` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | Human-readable facility type. | | `facilityTypeCode` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | Internal regulator code (CA: `850`, `810`, `0`, …; FL: `1`, `2`, `4`; TX: `DCC`, `GDH`, `RFH`, `SEBCC`, `LH`; NY: `DCC`, `GFDC`, `FDC`, `SACC`, `SDCC`). | | `status` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | License status. | | `licenseeName` | string | yes | — | detail | yes | CA always; TX populated only with `includeDetails: true` (uses the administrative director name); FL not in public feed; NY uses the OCFS `provider_name` field. | | `contactName` | string | yes | — | detail | yes | Same as `licenseeName` for TX (director name) and NY (provider name). FL not in public feed. | | `capacity` | integer | yes | yes | yes | yes | Maximum licensed capacity. `null` when withheld. | | `streetAddress` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | Physical street address. NY: empty when `address_omitted=Y` for in-home providers. | | `city` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | | | `zip` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | 5-digit ZIP. | | `county` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | | | `phone` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | Formatted `(XXX) XXX-XXXX` when raw digits permit. FL: empty when the provider opted out of public phone display. NY: empty when `phone_number_omitted=Y` for in-home providers. | | `email` | string | — | yes | yes | — | FL when the provider opted in to public email display; TX when surfaced by HHS; empty for CA and NY (not in public feed). | | `latitude` | number | — | yes | yes | yes | Geocoded latitude. Null for CA. | | `longitude` | number | — | yes | yes | yes | Geocoded longitude. Null for CA. | | `licenseFirstDate` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | License issue / origination date, `M/D/YYYY`. NY: facility opened date. | | `licenseEffectiveDate` | string | yes | — | — | yes | Effective date of the current license. CA: license-effective date. NY: most-recent license-issue date (renewal). | | `licenseExpirationDate` | string | — | yes | detail | yes | FL: license expiration. TX: permit-renewal-next-due date (with `includeDetails: true`). NY: license expiration date. Empty for CA. | | `lastVisitDate` | string | yes | yes | detail | detail | Most recent inspection visit on record. TX and NY require `includeDetails: true` (NY scrapes from the public OCFS profile page). | | `dateClosed` | string | yes | — | — | — | Closure date when status is `Closed`. CA only — NY drops closed providers from the active feed. | | `clientsServed` | array | yes | yes | yes | yes | CA: population codes (e.g. `950 - CHILDREN`). FL: service tags (e.g. `Infant Care`). TX: age categories (`Infant`, `Toddler`, `Pre-Kindergarten`, `School`). NY: derived from non-zero `infant_capacity` / `toddler_capacity` / `preschool_capacity` / `school_age_capacity` columns. | | `comments` | string | yes | — | — | yes | License-condition notes. CA: COMMENTS field. NY: free-text capacity description (e.g. `12 children, ages 6 weeks to 12 years`). | | `districtOffice` | string | yes | — | — | yes | Regional licensing office. CA: District Office name. NY: OCFS region code (e.g. `YRO`). | | `districtOfficePhone` | string | yes | — | — | — | District office phone. CA only. | | `totalVisits` | integer | yes | yes | detail | detail | All-time count of inspection / investigation visits. TX and NY require `includeDetails: true`. NY: count of inspections in the past 24 months from the OCFS profile page. | | `inspectionVisits` | integer | yes | yes | detail | detail | CA: routine inspections only. FL: all visits (DCF does not split categories). TX: visits with `descType=INSPECTION`, requires `includeDetails: true`. NY: total inspections from the public profile (OCFS does not split categories). | | `complaintVisits` | integer | yes | — | detail | — | CA always. TX: visits with `descType=INVESTIGATION`, requires `includeDetails: true`. Null for FL and NY (neither regulator splits visit categories in the public feed). | | `complaintsTotal` | integer | yes | — | — | — | Total complaints filed. CA only. | | `complaintsSubstantiated` | integer | yes | — | — | — | Substantiated allegations. CA only. | | `complaintsInconclusive` | integer | yes | — | — | — | Inconclusive allegations. CA only. | | `complaintsUnsubstantiated` | integer | yes | — | — | — | Unsubstantiated allegations. CA only. | | `typeAViolations` | integer | yes | — | detail | — | CA: Type A (health/safety) violations. TX (detail mode): sum of medium / medium-high / high deficiency tiers across all activities. Null for FL and NY (per-inspection violation counts not in their public feeds). | | `typeBViolations` | integer | yes | — | detail | — | CA: Type B (operational/admin) violations. TX (detail mode): sum of low / medium-low deficiency tiers. Null for FL and NY. | | `visitDates` | array | yes | yes | detail | detail | All visit dates on record (`M/D/YYYY`). TX and NY require `includeDetails: true`. NY: past 24 months from the OCFS profile page. | | `operatingHours` | object | — | yes | yes | — | FL: per-day map (e.g. `{"monday": "6:30AM to 6:30PM", ...}`). TX: single `allDays` string (free-text from the API). Empty object for CA and NY (not in feed). | | `programs` | array | — | yes | yes | — | FL: subsidy / quality programs (`VPK`, `Gold Seal`, `School Readiness`). TX: `["Subsidized Child Care"]` when the operator accepts state subsidies. Empty for CA and NY. | | `services` | array | — | yes | — | — | Care services offered (e.g. `Infant Care`, `After School`). FL only. | | `isGoldSeal` | boolean | — | yes | — | — | FL Gold Seal accreditation flag. | | `isVPK` | boolean | — | yes | — | — | FL Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten participation flag. | | `isHeadStart` | boolean | — | yes | — | — | Federal Head Start participation flag. | | `isReligiousExempt` | boolean | — | yes | — | — | FL religious-exempt flag. | | `isFaithBased` | boolean | — | yes | — | — | FL faith-based flag (does not necessarily mean religious-exempt). | | `starRating` | string | — | — | yes | — | Texas Rising Star quality rating (`Entry-Level`, `2-Star`, `3-Star`, `4-Star`). Empty when the provider has not earned a rating. | | `subsidizedChildCare` | boolean | — | — | yes | — | TX provider accepts state child-care subsidies. | | `profileUrl` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | Public detail page URL. CA: deep link into Care Facility Search. FL: search-prefilled URL. TX: HHS operationdetails deep link. NY: `hs.ocfs.ny.gov/dcfs/Profile/Index/{facility_id}`. | | `sourceState` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | Source state code. | | `sourceUrl` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | Direct API URL used for this record. | | `scrapedAt` | string | yes | yes | yes | yes | ISO timestamp of extraction. | *** ### FAQ #### How do I scrape California childcare provider data? Set `state: "CA"` and supply at least one of `zips`, `cities`, `counties`, or `facilityNameKeyword`. The scraper hits the CDSS Community Care Licensing public transparency API directly. ZIP enumeration is the most reliable mode — the API caps each query at 250 results, so big counties and city-wide queries miss records. #### How do I scrape Florida childcare provider data? Set `state: "FL"` and supply ZIPs, cities, counties, or a name keyword. The scraper hits the DCF CARES public search API. The API caps each query at 200 records; like California, ZIP enumeration gives the most complete coverage. #### How do I scrape Texas childcare provider data? Set `state: "TX"` and supply ZIPs (recommended), or a `facilityNameKeyword`. The scraper hits the HHS Child Care Search public API. Texas does not have a server-side city or county filter — queries on those fields fall back to fuzzy keyword matching against provider name and post-filter results client-side. ZIP enumeration is the recommended mode: each ZIP is converted to a lat/lng centroid and the API returns all licensed providers within a 10-mile radius in a single response (no pagination cap inside that radius). #### How much does Daycare & Preschool Directory Scraper cost to run? Pricing is pay-per-event. $0.10 per actor start, $0.001 per record. A 1,000-record run is about $1.10. Listing-only mode (CA, TX) uses fewer requests but charges the same per record — the cost difference is in run time, not money. #### What data can I get? License number, license status, license dates, capacity, address, and phone for all four states. California adds licensee name, on-site contact, district office, and a full inspection-and-complaint count breakdown. Florida adds email, latitude/longitude, day-of-week operating hours, and program flags (VPK, Gold Seal, Head Start, School Readiness). Texas adds latitude/longitude, the Texas Rising Star quality rating, working hours (single string), subsidized-care flag, and per-inspection deficiency-tier counts mapped into Type A / Type B violation totals. New York adds latitude/longitude, age-tier capacities (infant/toddler/preschool/school-age) flattened into `clientsServed`, a free-text capacity description in `comments`, and a 24-month inspection date list in `visitDates`. None of the regulators publish tuition; accreditation flags are FL Gold Seal and TX Rising Star only. #### Can I filter by license status to skip closed or exempt facilities? Yes — set `statusFilter` to drop everything else before the detail fetch. California status values: `Licensed`, `Closed`, `Pending Application`. Florida values: `Licensed`, `Exempt`. Texas values: `Full Permit`, `Initial Permit`, `Certified`, `Registered`. New York values: `License`, `Registration`, `Pending Revocation`, `Pending Revocation and Denial`, `Suspended`. #### Does the actor need proxies? California, Texas, and New York run unproxied. Florida is routed through Apify residential US proxies because the DCF API IP-blocks non-US clients (silent TCP timeout outside the US). The actor configures this automatically — you do not set proxy options in the input. #### How do I scrape New York childcare provider data? Set `state: "NY"` and supply ZIPs (recommended), cities, counties, or a name keyword. The scraper hits the New York OCFS dataset on `data.ny.gov` (the official open-data feed) and, when `includeDetails: true`, the public OCFS profile page on `hs.ocfs.ny.gov` for the inspection-history table. NY accepts exact-match city / county filters server-side and supports up to 5 000 records per ZIP via Socrata pagination. #### What's the best way to do a statewide pull? Enumerate all ZIPs in the state and run them in batches. California has ~2,600 ZIPs (~55,000 records); Florida has ~1,000 ZIPs (~12,500 records); Texas has ~2,600 ZIPs (~14,500 records); New York has ~2,200 ZIPs (~16,800 records). Set `maxItems` high (e.g. `100000`) and let it sweep. Texas radius queries return all matching records inside the radius without pagination, so coverage is dense at the metro level. New York paginates each ZIP up to 5 000 records and returns counties as exact-match (`Sullivan`, `Westchester`, etc.) for state-wide coverage in a single county pass. *** ### Need More Features? Need additional states, QRIS quality ratings, or a different filter? [File an issue](https://console.apify.com/actors/issues) or get in touch. ### Why Use Daycare & Preschool Directory Scraper? - **Affordable** — $0.001 per record, $0.10 per run. A statewide CA pull (~55,000 facilities) runs about $55. A statewide FL pull (~12,500) is about $12.50. A statewide TX pull (~14,500) is about $14.50. A statewide NY pull (~16,800) is about $16.80. - **Real licensing data** — license number, capacity, complaint counts, violation tallies, deficiency tiers, program flags, quality ratings — straight from each state regulator, not a third-party aggregator. - **One actor, four states, one schema** — uniform output makes downstream pipelines simpler. Add filters by `state` field if you need state-specific reporting. - **Direct API access** — no browser-rendered SPAs, no captchas, no scraping fragile HTML. # Actor input Schema ## `sp_intended_usage` (type: `string`): Please describe how you plan to use the data extracted by this crawler. ## `sp_improvement_suggestions` (type: `string`): Provide any feedback or suggestions for improvements. ## `sp_contact` (type: `string`): Provide your email address so we can get in touch with you. ## `state` (type: `string`): US state to search. CA = California (CDSS), FL = Florida (DCF), TX = Texas (HHS), NY = New York (OCFS via the data.ny.gov Socrata feed). Each state has its own facility-type vocabulary — pick from the matching list under Facility Types. ## `zips` (type: `array`): List of ZIP codes to search. Most precise mode. Example: \['94110', '90210', '33126', '78701', '10002']. ## `cities` (type: `array`): List of city names to search. Example: \['San Francisco', 'Miami', 'Austin', 'New York']. Note: large cities are server-capped (250 for CA, 200 for FL); TX has no server-side city filter — TX queries fall back to keyword matching against provider name. NY accepts exact-match city names against the OCFS feed. ## `counties` (type: `array`): Counties to search. Example: \['San Francisco', 'Miami-Dade', 'Travis', 'Sullivan']. Server-capped per query (250 for CA, 200 for FL); TX has no server-side county filter — TX queries fall back to keyword matching against provider name. NY accepts exact-match county names from the OCFS feed. ## `facilityNameKeyword` (type: `string`): Match facilities whose name contains this substring. Example: 'Montessori' or 'KinderCare'. Combine with state/ZIP/city to narrow. ## `facilityTypes` (type: `array`): Facility types to include. Use the labels matching the selected state. CA: Family Child Care Home (Small/Large), Child Care - Infant Center, School Age Child Care Center, Child Care Center, Child Care Center Preschool, Single Licensed Child Care Center. FL: Child Care Facility, Family Day Care Home, Large Family Child Care Home. TX: Licensed Center, Licensed Child-Care Home, Registered Child-Care Home, Small Employer Based Child Care, Listed Family Home. NY: Day Care Center, Group Family Day Care, Family Day Care, School-Age Child Care, Small Day Care Center. ## `statusFilter` (type: `string`): Limit to facilities with this license status. Empty = all. CA values: Licensed, Closed, Pending Application. FL values: Licensed, Exempt. TX values: Full Permit, Initial Permit, Certified, Registered. NY values: License, Registration, Pending Revocation, Pending Revocation and Denial, Suspended. ## `includeDetails` (type: `boolean`): California, Texas, and New York — fetches the per-facility detail endpoint or profile page to populate director/contact name (CA/TX), license-renewal date (CA/TX), and inspection visit history (CA: with deficiency tiers; NY: dates only). Roughly doubles request count. Florida ignores this flag (its search response already embeds full detail). ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of facilities to return. Tester limit is 15. ## Actor input object example ```json { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "state": "CA", "zips": [ "94110" ], "facilityTypes": [ "Child Care Center Preschool", "Child Care Center" ], "statusFilter": "", "includeDetails": true, "maxItems": 15 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "state": "CA", "zips": [ "94110" ], "facilityTypes": [ "Child Care Center Preschool", "Child Care Center" ], "includeDetails": true, "maxItems": 15 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("jungle_synthesizer/daycare-preschool-directory-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "state": "CA", "zips": ["94110"], "facilityTypes": [ "Child Care Center Preschool", "Child Care Center", ], "includeDetails": True, "maxItems": 15, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("jungle_synthesizer/daycare-preschool-directory-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "sp_intended_usage": "Describe your intended use...", "sp_improvement_suggestions": "Share your suggestions here...", "sp_contact": "Share your email here...", "state": "CA", "zips": [ "94110" ], "facilityTypes": [ "Child Care Center Preschool", "Child Care Center" ], "includeDetails": true, "maxItems": 15 }' | apify call jungle_synthesizer/daycare-preschool-directory-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=jungle_synthesizer/daycare-preschool-directory-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Daycare & Preschool Directory Scraper", "description": "Licensed daycare, preschool, and family child-care providers in California, Florida, Texas, and New York. Search by ZIP, city, county, or name keyword. Returns license, status, capacity, contact, inspection counts, programs (VPK, Gold Seal, Texas Rising Star), and operating hours.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "K4UVYVd1rbjNbiVkk" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~daycare-preschool-directory-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-jungle_synthesizer-daycare-preschool-directory-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~daycare-preschool-directory-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-jungle_synthesizer-daycare-preschool-directory-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/jungle_synthesizer~daycare-preschool-directory-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-jungle_synthesizer-daycare-preschool-directory-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "state", "facilityTypes" ], "properties": { "sp_intended_usage": { "title": "What is the intended usage of this data?", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Please describe how you plan to use the data extracted by this crawler." }, "sp_improvement_suggestions": { "title": "How can we improve this crawler for you?", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Provide any feedback or suggestions for improvements." }, "sp_contact": { "title": "Contact Email", "minLength": 1, "type": "string", "description": "Provide your email address so we can get in touch with you." }, "state": { "title": "State", "enum": [ "CA", "FL", "TX", "NY" ], "type": "string", "description": "US state to search. CA = California (CDSS), FL = Florida (DCF), TX = Texas (HHS), NY = New York (OCFS via the data.ny.gov Socrata feed). Each state has its own facility-type vocabulary — pick from the matching list under Facility Types.", "default": "CA" }, "zips": { "title": "ZIP Codes (optional)", "type": "array", "description": "List of ZIP codes to search. Most precise mode. Example: ['94110', '90210', '33126', '78701', '10002'].", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "cities": { "title": "Cities (optional)", "type": "array", "description": "List of city names to search. Example: ['San Francisco', 'Miami', 'Austin', 'New York']. Note: large cities are server-capped (250 for CA, 200 for FL); TX has no server-side city filter — TX queries fall back to keyword matching against provider name. NY accepts exact-match city names against the OCFS feed.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "counties": { "title": "Counties (optional)", "type": "array", "description": "Counties to search. Example: ['San Francisco', 'Miami-Dade', 'Travis', 'Sullivan']. Server-capped per query (250 for CA, 200 for FL); TX has no server-side county filter — TX queries fall back to keyword matching against provider name. NY accepts exact-match county names from the OCFS feed.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "facilityNameKeyword": { "title": "Facility Name Keyword (optional)", "type": "string", "description": "Match facilities whose name contains this substring. Example: 'Montessori' or 'KinderCare'. Combine with state/ZIP/city to narrow." }, "facilityTypes": { "title": "Facility Types", "type": "array", "description": "Facility types to include. Use the labels matching the selected state. CA: Family Child Care Home (Small/Large), Child Care - Infant Center, School Age Child Care Center, Child Care Center, Child Care Center Preschool, Single Licensed Child Care Center. FL: Child Care Facility, Family Day Care Home, Large Family Child Care Home. TX: Licensed Center, Licensed Child-Care Home, Registered Child-Care Home, Small Employer Based Child Care, Listed Family Home. NY: Day Care Center, Group Family Day Care, Family Day Care, School-Age Child Care, Small Day Care Center.", "items": { "type": "string", "enum": [ "Family Child Care Home (Small)", "Family Child Care Home (Large)", "Child Care - Infant Center", "School Age Child Care Center", "Child Care Center", "Child Care Center Preschool", "Single Licensed Child Care Center", "Child Care Facility", "Family Day Care Home", "Large Family Child Care Home", "Licensed Center", "Licensed Child-Care Home", "Registered Child-Care Home", "Small Employer Based Child Care", "Listed Family Home", "Day Care Center", "Group Family Day Care", "Family Day Care", "School-Age Child Care", "Small Day Care Center" ] } }, "statusFilter": { "title": "License Status Filter", "enum": [ "", "Licensed", "Closed", "Pending Application", "Exempt", "Full Permit", "Initial Permit", "Certified", "Registered", "License", "Registration", "Pending Revocation", "Pending Revocation and Denial", "Suspended" ], "type": "string", "description": "Limit to facilities with this license status. Empty = all. CA values: Licensed, Closed, Pending Application. FL values: Licensed, Exempt. TX values: Full Permit, Initial Permit, Certified, Registered. NY values: License, Registration, Pending Revocation, Pending Revocation and Denial, Suspended.", "default": "" }, "includeDetails": { "title": "Fetch Detail Pages", "type": "boolean", "description": "California, Texas, and New York — fetches the per-facility detail endpoint or profile page to populate director/contact name (CA/TX), license-renewal date (CA/TX), and inspection visit history (CA: with deficiency tiers; NY: dates only). Roughly doubles request count. Florida ignores this flag (its search response already embeds full detail).", "default": true }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max Items", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 50000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of facilities to return. Tester limit is 15.", "default": 15 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```