You can interact with the map in several ways. You can zoom in and out by using the plus and minus buttons in the top left corner of the map. You can also click on different counties or ZIP codes to see more detailed information, such as the number of licensed child care seats available or the number of children under 6 years of age with two (or all) parents working.
The estimated number of available child care seats is calculated by taking the number of children under 6 with two working (or all) parents estimated by the ACS and comparing it to the capacity for care (i.e., number of total child care seats in TDHS licensed and TDOE regulated providers). The ACS estimates 65% of children under the age of 6 in Tennessee live in a household with two (or all) working parents. The number of available child care seats is based on estimates and does not include families with stay-at-home parents or families who choose not to enroll their children in TDHS licensed or TDOE regulated child care options.
The colored shapes on this map represent different regulated child care providers across Tennessee. The multi-colored circles and triangles show different types of TDHS licensed child care providers while the green squares represent TDOE regulated programs.
The colors vary from dark orange to dark blue. Dark orange areas have the highest deficit or unmet need for more child care options. Dark blue areas have a surplus or more than enough available child care seats.
The Child Care Desert Map of Tennessee shows the estimated number of available child care seats for children under 6 in Tennessee counties, or ZIP codes, with two (or all) parents working. This map includes locations of child care providers licensed by the Tennessee Department of Human Services (TDHS) and regulated by the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE).
A child care desert is an area without enough child care options for families. In this map, the most severe child care deserts are identified as having a deficit of over 500 child care seats, and the less severe child care deserts have a deficit of between 250-500 child care seats.
The map was created in ArcGIS using American Community Survey (ACS) estimates and TDHS and TDOE child care provider location data as of August 15, 2025.
The county map and the ZIP code map may look different in certain areas for a number of reasons. Primarily, the differences come from the geographic size of a county compared to the geographic region covered by a ZIP code. There are 95 counties in Tennessee, but 621 ZIP codes! Because the definition of a child care desert remains the same (a deficit in at least 250 available child care seats as compared to the need), counties are much more likely to appear as a child care desert than are individual ZIP codes. We included both versions of the map so that families interested in available child care in their area would have the option to view from both perspectives.
